KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association released its final standings for the 2023-24 Commissioner’s Cup, following the completion of the spring seasons. Pittsburg State captured the Association’s all-sports trophy for the third consecutive season.
 
Presented by McCownGordon Construction, the MIAA Commissioner's Cup is the Association’s all-sports award presented at the end of each academic year to the league’s top-performing school in regular season conference play.

"The MIAA Commissioner's Cup is an important recognition each year of the athletics excellence exhibited by programs in Association-sponsored championship sports," stated MIAA Commissioner Mike Racy. "The MIAA has a rich history of nationally ranked programs with an expectation each year of athletics excellence. Congratulations to Pittsburg State University on winning this year's Cup, and thanks again to Cup sponsor McCownGordon for their continued support of MIAA athletics!"

The Pittsburg State Gorillas take home the MIAA Commissioner’s Cup for the third straight year and fourth time overall. Northwest Missouri finished second in the final standings followed by Missouri Southern in third, Washburn in fourth and Central Missouri fifth.
 
Pitt State teams averaged a league-best 12.88 points per sport while totaling eight MIAA regular season titles throughout the 2023-24 academic year. After clinching three MIAA titles in the fall (men’s and women’s cross country champions, football co-champions) and two in the winter (men’s and women’s indoor track and field champions), the Gorillas added three more championships in the spring. The Gorillas captured both titles at the 2024 MIAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships and clinched a share of the regular season title in softball for the first time since 1994. Pitt State’s lowest finish from a team this spring was Gorillas baseball with a tie for third place in the regular season standings.  
 
With a sweep of the Association’s running championships in the 2023-24 academic year, Pitt State became the first MIAA member school to accomplish this feat since 1988-89 – last achieved by Southeast Missouri State University.

“Bringing home this award is a great honor for Pittsburg State Athletics," said Gorillas Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Jim Johnson. "The MIAA is an extremely competitive league across the board, with a lot of great coaches and student-athletes. To put together eight conference championships and win the Commissioner’s Cup really speaks to the talent, consistency, hard work and dedication of our coaches and student-athletes here at Pittsburg State. It’s been great to watch our programs push each other. We are proud of their accomplishments and lucky to have great support from our fans throughout the year.”
 
Northwest Missouri captured just one MIAA regular season title in men’s basketball but finished in the league’s top five in 12 of the 16 sports the university sponsors. The Bearcats collected a trio of runner-up finishes in the 2024 spring season with second-place finishes in women’s outdoor track and field and men’s and women’s tennis.
 
Missouri Southern finished the year strong with an MIAA title and a pair of runner-up finishes in the spring seasons. The Lion men highlighted Southern’s spring competition in capturing the regular season title in men’s golf and finishing second in baseball and men’s track and field. The Lions women’s golf and women’s track and field teams both finished fourth in the league to help Southern end the year in the standing’s top three.  

This marks the seventh consecutive year McCownGordon has been the presenting sponsor of the Commissioner’s Cup. McCownGordon has significant experience in a variety of market sectors including planning, servicing, and completing higher education and sports projects and is recognized as one of the region’s largest construction managers with offices in both Missouri and Kansas. More information about McCownGordon is available here.
 
The number of points awarded per sport is based on the number of schools sponsoring that sport. Each institution’s grand point total is then divided by the athletic programs it sponsors, giving an overall average finish for the school.  A complete list of the Points Breakdown and other info on the Cup Scoring System can be found on the MIAA website.

The MIAA Commissioner’s Cup will be presented to Pittsburg State at the 2024 MIAA Awards Celebration Ceremony on Monday, June 3 in Kansas City, Mo. MIAA fans interested in attending the Association’s annual Awards Celebration can RSVP here.
 
To view the Association’s past Commissioner’s Cup winners or learn more about the league’s all-sports trophy visit, theMIAA.com/CommissionersCup.