The wait is finally over: for the first time in the award’s 22-year history, the University of Idaho has captured the Big Sky Conference Presidents’ Cup, the conference announced Sunday.
UI’s commitment to excellence extends well beyond the playing field. Recognized as the Best Value Public University in the West for five consecutive years by U.S. News & World Report and home to standout athletic programs, Idaho has built a reputation for comprehensive success.
“I can’t tell you how excited and proud I am that our student-athletes, coaches and teams have been honored with this award,” UI Director of Athletics Terry Gawlik said in a press release. “Vandal Nation should be extremely proud to capture the Big Sky Conference Presidents’ Cup this year. Go Vandals!”
The awards system for the Presidents’ Cup combines athletic and academic performance metrics. On the athletics side, schools earn points based on their final regular season rankings in eight conference sports, plus additional points from championship placements in cross-country, indoor/outdoor track and field and golf. Idaho performed particularly well this year, landing in the top three conference positions in football, soccer, women’s basketball and women’s tennis.
Academically, the award factors in each team’s Academic Progress Rate from the previous year and their collective grade point averages across all Big Sky sports. Idaho had an outstanding academic year with 166 student-athletes earning All-Academic Team recognition across all three seasons. The highlights were women’s golfer Jenna Bruggeman and football safety Tommy McCormick, who were both named Idaho’s Big Sky Scholar Athletes of the year.
The Presidents’ Cup demonstrates the efforts of the athletic department, coaches, players and support staff to elevate the program both competitively and academically.
Jayden Barfuss can be reached at [email protected].