INDIANAPOLIS – The University of Indianapolis has claimed its third consecutive Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) Challenge Trophy, it was announced by the league office Monday. The GLVC SAAC Challenge Trophy will be awarded to the Greyhounds at the Enterprise Rent-a-Car GLVC Spring Awards Banquet on Tuesday, May 22 in St. Louis.
In the 11-year history of the award, Indianapolis has won nine times, including five years in a row from 2009-2014.
The Hounds accumulated 500 points through this academic year based on a scoring model in which points are awarded in each area of the six attributes of Division II: service, learning, passion, sportsmanship, balance, and resourcefulness.
University of Illinois Springfield finished a distant second with 364 points, and Bellarmine University was third with 351 points. Rockhurst University took fourth with 296 points, while Missouri S&T was right behind with 263 points to round out the top five. Spots six and seven were separated by 23 points, as they respectively went to the University of Missouri-St. Louis (201) and University of Southern Indiana (178). McKendree University (166) and Maryville University (157) respectively filled the eighth and ninth positions, while Drury University and William Jewell College tied for 10th with 150 points each. Lewis University (119) and Quincy University (102) were the only others to score 100 or more points and finished 12th and 13th, respectively, while Truman State University (91) and University of Wisconsin-Parkside (46) completed the list.
In order to be eligible for the GLVC SAAC Challenge Trophy, schools must participate in a community engagement or service project and raise money for the Make-A-Wish Foundation throughout the season. In addition, points are also awarded for each school’s finish in the GLVC James R. Spalding Sportsmanship Award standings, and based on how many Academic All-Conference representatives and GLVC Scholar-Athlete of the Year honorees they had in the previous academic season.
As of May 21, GLVC SAAC has raised a combined $11,803.03. UIndy raised $4,542 of that total, an increase of almost $400 in its donation from a year ago. The next highest fundraising school was Illinois Springfield with $1,935.02.
Drury won the trophy for the 2008-09 academic year, while Missouri S&T was the other winner in 2014-15. The 2017-18 results can be found below.
2017-18 GLVC SAAC CHALLENGE TROPHY STANDINGS
| 1. Indianapolis |
500 |
6. Missouri-St. Louis |
201 |
10. William Jewell |
150 |
| 2. Illinois Springfield |
364 |
7. Southern Indiana |
178 |
12. Lewis |
119 |
| 3. Bellarmine |
351 |
8. McKendree |
166 |
13. Quincy |
102 |
| 4. Rockhurst |
296 |
9. Maryville |
157 |
14. Truman State |
91 |
| 5. Missouri S&T |
263 |
10. Drury |
150 |
15. UW-Parkside |
46 |