Kruse Award Website
ST. PAUL -- After sharing or winning league titles in 14 different sports in the last year, the College of St. Scholastica claimed its third straight Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) Jerome Kruse All-Sport Trophy. The Saints, who bested the second place school by 20 points in 2011-2012, have now won the most annual Kruse Awards -- eight -- since the accolade's inception before the 1996-1997 academic year.
St. Scholastica finished with 94 points, the second-highest Kruse point total in conference history behind Northwestern College's 95 points in 2004-2005 and two points higher than their award-winning 92 points in 2010-2011. The 20-point margin is far and away the largest in the history of the award.
The Saints claimed UMAC championships in six fall sports before taking both the men's and women's indoor track championships in February. St. Scholastica then won all six conference titles in the spring.
The University of Minnesota Morris finished the 2011-2012 year with 74 points to place second for the second straight year. Northwestern, who shared the most Kruse trophies with St. Scholastica until now, took third place with 70.5 points. Both Morris and Northwestern netted a share of one league title -- the Cougars in women's basketball and the Eagles in volleyball. Bethany Lutheran College broke into the top four with a 47.5 point-performance this year, winning UMAC championships in men's golf and men's basketball. Martin Luther College, the only other school to win a share of a conference title (women's basketball), came in fifth with 43 points.
The Jerome Kruse Memorial Award, with its inaugural season of 1996-1997, is in honor of Mr. Jerome Kruse, a long-time athletic director of Northwestern College (Wis.) and later Martin Luther College. Mr. Kruse's life ended early and because of his dedication to the UMAC and to the student-athlete, the award bears his name. The annual honor recognizes the top overall institution in the UMAC, using a rating system with points accumulated by the place finishes of the institution's athletic teams in the final regular season standings of all conference-sponsored sports.
2011-2012 Kruse Award Standings
1. College of St. Scholastica (94)
2. University of Minnesota Morris (74)
3. Northwestern College (70.5)
4. Bethany Lutheran College (47.5)
5. Martin Luther College (43)
6. Northland College (29.5)
7. Crown College (19.5)
8. Presentation College (18)
Past Kruse Award Winners
2011-12 - College of St. Scholastica
2010-11 - College of St. Scholastica
2009-10 - College of St. Scholastica
2008-09 - Northwestern College
2007-08 - Northwestern College
2006-07 - College of St. Scholastica
2005-06 - College of St. Scholastica
2004-05 - Northwestern College
2003-04 - Northwestern College
2002-03 - Martin Luther College
2001-02 - Northwestern College
2000-01 - Northwestern College
1999-00 - College of St. Scholastica, Northwestern College (tie)
1998-99 - Martin Luther College
1997-98 - College of St. Scholastica
1996-97 - College of St. Scholastica
