Eastern Michigan Athletics
Men Tied for Runner-Up Finish in 2008-09 Reese Trophy Standings
6/2/2009 4:23:30 PM | General
Men tie with Central Michigan for second; EMU women finish ninth in Jacoby Trophy race
Click Here for the Complete Standings (PDF).
CLEVELAND, Ohio — The Eastern Michigan University men's athletic program just missed repeating as all-sports champions of the Mid-American Conference, settling for a tie for second with Central Michigan University behind 2008-09 champion Kent State University.
The MAC announced today (May 29) that KSU had captured the Reese Trophy, which is awarded annually to the top overall men's athletic program in the league. The Reese Trophy is named for former MAC Commissioner David E. Reese, the first-ever MAC Commissioner who served the league from its inception in 1946 until retiring in 1964.
Kent knocked off defending champion EMU by averaging 10.070 points for its seven MAC-sponsored men's sports while Eastern and Central tied for second at 7.750 points per sport. Rounding out the field was Ohio in fourth followed by Ball State, Western Michigan, Akron, Buffalo, Bowling Green, Northern Illinois, Miami and Toledo.
The Eastern Michigan women's program turned in a ninth-place finish in the battle for the Jacoby Trophy, named for former MAC Commissioner Fred Jacoby who served the league from 1971-82. Jacoby is credited with incorporating women's athletics into the league's structure. Miami won the 2008-09 Jacoby title with a 9.778 average while the Eagles averaged 6.075.
Eastern has won the Reese Trophy four times, capturing the title in 1987-88, 1990-91, 1995-96, and 2007-08. The Eagles turned in two MAC titles this past year, winning the cross country and swimming titles while recording runner-up spots in golf and men's outdoor track.
When compiling Reese Trophy points, all MAC-sponsored sports receive points. An institution may count either indoor track or outdoor track and field, but not both. The sum of those total points is then divided by the number of sports sponsored by that school, resulting in an average point total. The school with the highest average is awarded the trophy. The Eagles won the 2007-08 Reese Trophy by averaging 9.625 points.
