ST. LOUIS, MO. -- Illinois State has earned its fourth-straight Missouri Valley Conference All-Sports Championship, the Conference has announced today. The Redbirds won the league’s All-Sports Trophy in 2018-19, 2020-21, 2021-22, and 2022-23 (the Conference did not award the trophy during the 2019-20 pandemic-shortened season.)
ISU last won at least four-straight MVC All-Sports Championships in 1995-96, 1996-97, 1997-98 and 1998-99 when it was the league’s top overall program in those four seasons.
Illinois State earned five team titles while recording an aggregate score of 8.551. ISU claimed league championships in men’s golf, women's tennis, women’s indoor track & field, women's outdoor track & field and shared the regular-season title in women's basketball. Notably, the Redbirds also finished in the Top 3 in men’s indoor track & field, men’s outdoor track & field, women’s swimming & diving, and softball.
Seven different institutions claimed at least one regular-season league title this past season, while Drake earned an MVC-best three league post-season tournament crowns.
Fueled by its titles in women's golf, women's swimming & diving, men's soccer and two conference tournament championships (men's soccer and women's soccer), Missouri State finished second in the all-sports trophy race with an aggregate score of 8.341. It marks the third-straight year that Missouri State finished second in the all-sports standings. Drake (8.147), Southern Illinois (7.870), UNI (7.812), and Indiana state (7.758) round out the Top 6. Drake's third-place finish is its best in the MVC All-Sports race since 1994-95 (also third).
Points -- Team (Championships*)
8.551 -- Illinois State (5)
8.341 -- Missouri State (5)
8.147 -- Drake (3)
7.870 -- Southern Illinois
7.812 -- UNI (2)
7.758 -- Indiana State (4)
*combined regular-season and tournament championships
Either Illinois State, Missouri State or Wichita State, meanwhile, has earned the league’s all-sports championship trophy every year since 1995. Illinois State won five of six all-sports championships from 1996-01, Missouri State has five titles since 1999-00, and Wichita State had a stretch where it won 11 of 14 all-sports trophies from 2003-04 through 2016-17. Notably, Illinois State has 16 all-sports crowns and has finished first, second, or third in 29 of the past 32 years.
The All-Sports Trophy is based on a school’s average finish in each of the sponsored championships by the Missouri Valley Conference. Teams are awarded 10 points for first, nine for second, eight for third, etc., and the total accumulated points are divided by the number of sports in which a particular school competes. For sports not sponsored by every MVC school, the points decrease by number of competing schools (i.e., in a sport where eight teams compete, 10/8 = 1.25, so point totals decrease by 1.25; 1st = 10, 2nd = 8.75, 3rd = 7.5, etc.)
Finishes in baseball, basketball, soccer, softball, tennis and volleyball are based on regular-season competition. However, institutions receive three bonus points for each league post-season championship earned in those aforementioned sports. All other sports are determined by finish at the championship tournament or championship meet.