MACON, Ga., April 25 -- East Tennessee State University issued the following news release:
With six top-five finishes in the Atlantic Sun Conference Spring Championship season, ETSU clinched its fifth-straight Bill Bibb Trophy announced the conference office on Monday.
The Buccaneers earned conference titles in men's and women's tennis and finished strong with top-five finishes in both golf and track & field championships to push their 2010-11 points total to 328.5. UNF with 285 points leads Kennesaw State (271.5), Campbell (255) and Jacksonville (226.5) in the battle to finish in second place with two championships (softball & baseball) remaining.
The Bucs also sealed the men's all-sports race for the Jesse C. Fletcher trophy amassing 166.5 points with two conference titles. Campbell, Kennesaw State and UNF fall in line behind ETSU in a battle for runner-up with the Camels leading the way with 126, while the Owls and Ospreys sit at 124.5. The final baseball standings account for the last opportunity for points.
ETSU has won the Jesse C. Fletcher trophy six seasons in a row after joining the conference in 2005. The Buccaneers' six-year streak surpasses former member, Georgia Southern (1987-91), for the longest streak in conference history. The six Fletcher trophies ties ETSU with UCF for second most all-time and puts them one behind Georgia Southern for the league record.
On the women's side, Jacksonville's two conference championships in track & field this year secured the Sherman Day Trophy for the Dolphins as their softball team can finish no worse than a tie for second place. Jacksonville's 165-point total became inflated in the spring season when the Dolphins won the track & field competition and finished sixth and seventh in tennis and golf, respectively.
ETSU and UNF currently claim second and third place at 162 and 160.5 points with only softball remaining, while Kennesaw State (147), Campbell (129) and FGCU (129) round out the top-five. With the clinched title, Jacksonville earned their third Sherman Day Trophy in the past four seasons after finishing as the runner-up to the Owls last year. The Dolphins join FIU for third-most Day Trophies behind Georgia State (8) and UCF (7).
FGCU, ETSU and Kennesaw State share the year-long lead for most team championships with three just ahead of Jacksonville and UNF with two.
The Eagles sit in sixth place in the all-sports standings with 208.5 points ahead of Belmont (207), Lipscomb (189), Mercer (184.5), USC Upstate (174) and Stetson (166.5).
For more information on ETSU athletics, visit ETSUBucs.com or follow the Bucs on Twitter at http://twitter.com/ETSUAthletics. For any query with respect to this article or any other content requirement, please contact Editor at htsyndication@hindustantimes.com
