Denison Captures League-Leading 20th All-Sports Trophy

The Big Red Earned Five Titles and 21 Total Top-5 Finishes in 2023-24

CLEVELAND, OH - Denison won four outright league titles in women's golf, men's lacrosse, women's lacrosse and men's tennis, shared the league title with Wittenberg in baseball and posted 16 additional top-five finishes during the 2023-24 academic year to win its league-leading 20th North Coast Athletic Conference All-Sports Championship. Beyond Denison’s five championship titles, the Big Red posted five second-place showings in field hockey, men's and women’s swimming & diving, softball and women's tennis and a share of second in football. Denison also added two third-place finishes in men's soccer and men’s outdoor track & field to cement its spot atop the standings with a total of 202.5 points.
 
DePauw, which has won three All-Sports titles, took second in the final standings behind Denison with 196 points. The Tigers earned top-five finishes in 18 championship sports, which included winning conference titles in football, softball and their first volleyball crown, along with a share of the women's basketball title. Wittenberg placed third with 192.5 points after logging 17 top-five finishes including the women's cross country, men’s and women’s indoor track & field, and women's outdoor track & field titles, along with a share of the women's soccer, women’s basketball and baseball titles. Ohio Wesleyan finished fourth in the final standings with 172 points after capturing 13 top-five finishes, the league title in field hockey and a share of the women’s soccer and women’s basketball crowns.
 
Wooster checked in at fifth with 162.5 points after 17 top-five finishes, while Kenyon finished sixth overall with 155 points, 10 top-five finishes and its league-leading 28th women’s swimming & diving, 26th men’s swimming & diving and 21st women’s tennis titles, to go along with the men’s soccer and men's golf crowns. Oberlin finished seventh with 129 total points, which included 10 top-five finishes, while Wabash finished eighth with 93.5 points with nine top-five finishes in 11 men's sports and the NCAC championship in men's cross country and men’s basketball, along with its league-leading 10th men’s outdoor track & field title. Hiram finished ninth overall with 72 total points and two top-four finishes.
 
The All-Sports champion earns the Dennis M. Collins All-Sports Trophy, given annually to the school that performs the best across the NCAC's 23 sports. Eleven points are awarded for a first-place finish, ten for a second, nine for a third, and so on. Men's and women's performances are combined, exemplifying the North Coast's commitment to equity and balance among programs. Wooster won three of the first four All-Sports championships, interrupted only by Denison in year two. Ohio Wesleyan followed with a six-year run, leading to titles by Wooster (twice), Wittenberg (once), Denison (nine), OWU (twice), and then a tie between Denison and OWU in 2009. Wittenberg earned its second All-Sports title in 2010, followed by Denison in 2011 and DePauw in 2012. Denison then claimed back-to-back titles in 2013 and 2014, before DePauw regained the championship in 2015. The Big Red reclaimed the title after the 2015-16 academic year, followed by DePauw in 2017 before Denison once again earned back-to-back titles the next two years. An all-sports trophy was not awarded in 2020 or 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Big Red then secured the 2022 and 2023 titles to collect the last four trophies.
 
Denison leads the way with 176 team championships during the NCAC's 40 playing seasons. Ohio Wesleyan is next with 161 titles, followed by Kenyon (141), Wittenberg (123), Wooster (85), DePauw (45), Wabash (35), Oberlin (26) and Hiram (2).

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