Monmouth men win first-ever MWC All-Sports championship

Release Date: May 18, 2005

MONMOUTH, Ill. — If you add them, they will win.

It wasn’t quite as simple as that, but in the first year that Monmouth College has fielded varsity teams in all 10 Midwest Conference-sanctioned men’s sports, the Fighting Scots men have won their first-ever All-Sports title.

The Scots secured the historic victory on Saturday when the men’s track team won the MWC crown. In all, Monmouth scored 73.5 points to finish two points ahead of St. Norbert. Rounding out the 10 conference schools were Grinnell, 69; Lawrence, 64.5; Ripon, 61.5; Beloit 45.5; Carroll, 43; Knox, 40; Lake Forest, 38.5; and Illinois College, 36.

In previous years, Monmouth has not been able to keep up in the standings due to the absence of such sports as golf, tennis and swimming. But golf was added back into the mix in 2000, tennis was brought back in 2002 and swimming returned this year.

“In the past, we didn’t sponsor the whole contingent of sports,” said Monmouth College athletic director Dr. Terry Glasgow. “All of the newer sports have performed fairly well.”

This year, tennis had the highest finish of its four years back on campus and swimming debuted with an impressive fourth-place finish. The golf team, which has won two conference championships since its return, placed third. Combined, the sports scored 21 points, moving the Fighting Scots from a middle-of-the-pack score to All-Sports champion.

Ten points are awarded to each sport’s conference champ, and Monmouth attained that score twice with titles in indoor and outdoor track. Points descend from there, and Monmouth got nine apiece from the second-place football and cross country teams, 7.5 from the baseball team and six from the basketball squad.

Glasgow was asked how Monmouth’s new athletic facilities impacted the school’s All-Sports performance.

“The facilities have led to adding the sports,” he said. “The Huff Athletic Center, in particular, has opened the door to adding swimming.”

It has also allowed the indoor track team and the tennis team to host events, while providing an improved “rainy day” training venue for spring sports such as baseball, softball and track.

Now that Monmouth has the full contingent of sports, will winning the All-Sports championship become a regular occurrence?

“Winning one is easier than maintaining it,” replied Glasgow. “It will be very difficult to repeat, but we will certainly strive for that, and we feel very good about our accomplishments.”

The Midwest Conference has been awarding the All-Sports title on the men’s side since 1969. Schools no longer in the MWC won all but three of the first 28 championships. St. Norbert was the 2004 winner, and Grinnell had won five of the six before that.

On the women’s side, the first champion was crowned in 1979. Monmouth has not won that title yet but figures to make a strong move now that the women also field all 10 varsity sports.

This year, the Fighting Scots women took seventh place with 53 points, two points shy of sixth-place Beloit. Monmouth earned conference titles in indoor and outdoor track and was third in volleyball.

The All-Sports title went to Grinnell with 69 points, while St. Norbert was runner-up with 65.5.