June 7, 2010

MILWAUKEE - The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee won four women's team league titles en route to claiming its fifth-straight Horizon League Women's All-Sports Award.

The strong performance on the women's side, in addition to four more league crowns on the men's side, left UWM just short of its sixth McCafferty Trophy, the league's all-sports award. Milwaukee finished with 51 total points, just one-half point behind Butler University.

The women's sports award is the ninth in the last 10 years for UWM, which claimed women's league crowns in indoor track and field, outdoor track and field, soccer and volleyball.

The final award standings were released today by the Horizon League.

UWM won the league's all-sports award a year ago, adding to titles it won in 2001, 2004, 2005 and 2006.

This year, UWM collected 27 points in women's sports, outdistancing Butler's 23. The Panthers, who have also won three men's all-sports awards, finished second in the men's award race with 24 points. Baseball, swimming and diving, indoor track and field and outdoor track and field claimed men's league titles this past year.

The McCafferty Trophy is awarded annually by the Horizon League to a member institution compiling the greatest number of performance points, based on their finish in the League's 19 championship sports.

For the sports of men's and women's soccer, volleyball, men's and women's basketball, softball and baseball, points are awarded based on combined regular-season (60 percent) and championship (40 percent) finishes.

For all other sports, points are based on performance in the League championships. The award is named in honor of James J. McCafferty, who served as the conference's first commissioner from 1979-80.