GRANVILLE, Ohio (May 17, 2023) – Denison University won five outright league titles in women’s swimming & diving, baseball, women’s golf, men’s tennis and men’s outdoor track & field, shared the league title with Kenyon and Ohio Wesleyan in men’s lacrosse, and posted 15 additional top-five finishes during the 2022-23 academic year to win its league-leading 19th North Coast Athletic Conference All-Sports Championship.
Beyond Denison’s six championship titles, the Big Red posted six second-place showings in volleyball, men’s swimming & diving, men’s indoor track & field, men’s golf, women’s lacrosse, and women’s tennis and a share of second in football and softball. The Big Red also added three third-place finishes in men’s cross country, field hockey and men’s soccer, and a share of third in women’s soccer to cement their spot atop the standings with a total of 190.0 points. The total of 190 points in 2022-23 by Denison is just half a point behind the conference record set by the Big Red last year (190.5 points), which had topped the previous record of 179 points that was set by Denison more than two decades ago in 1999-2000.
Denison trailed DePauw by two points, 56.5-54.5, in the overall standings in the Fall and trialed the Tigers by just half a point, 101.0-100.5, after the Winter sports season. In the end, Denison finished 22.5 points ahead of DePauw (167.5) in second place. In the final men’s standings, Denison was first at 97.0 points while Wabash was second at 75.0 points, but in the women’s standings, DePauw was first at 98.0 points while the Big Red were second with 93.0 points.
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. Ten points are awarded for a first-place finish, nine for a second, eight 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 then reclaimed the title during the 2015-16 academic year, while DePauw recaptured the prize again in 2016-17 before Denison once again earned back-to-back titles in 2018 and 2019. An all-sports trophy was not awarded in 2020 or 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Big Red captured their third-straight all-sports title in 2022.
Denison leads the way with 171 team championships during the NCAC’s 39 playing seasons. Ohio Wesleyan is next with 158 titles, followed by Kenyon (136), Wittenberg (116), Wooster (85), DePauw (41), Wabash (32), Oberlin (26) and Hiram (2).
Official NCAC Release
