ESU Ranks Fourth in PSAC’s Dixon Trophy Standings Through Fall Sports Championships

EAST STROUDSBURG – East Stroudsburg University ranks fourth in the standings for the Dixon Trophy through the conclusion of the fall sports season, the PSAC announced on Tuesday.

The Warriors received conference runner-up finishes from their men’s soccer and field hockey squads and strong performances from both the men’s and women’s cross country teams to post 68 points, trailing only defending champion Shippensburg (86), California (77.5) and Kutztown (73.5) among the PSAC’s 16 schools.

The Dixon Trophy will be awarded following the 2010-11 academic year to the institution whose athletic program earns the best overall finish in conference championships and/or regular season play. Each school’s top 12 finishes, six men’s and six women’s, are used to calculate the final standings.

ESU’s men’s soccer team tied Shippensburg, 1-1, in the PSAC championship game before falling 3-2 in penalty kicks, while the field hockey team lost a hard-fought 2-1 decision to Bloomsburg in the PSAC title game after upsetting top-ranked Shippensburg, 2-1, in the semifinals. The men’s cross country team was fifth and the women were sixth, led by sophomore Rose Mascoli, who will compete in the NCAA Championships this weekend.

ESU received 14 points in men’s soccer, 12 in men’s cross country and 5.5 in football to post 31.5 points, tied for second in the PSAC. On the women’s side, ESU’s 36.5 points stand seventh, with the Warriors accumulating 14 points in field hockey, 11 in cross country, 5.5 in soccer, 5 in volleyball and 1 in golf.

The Warriors were eighth in the Dixon Trophy standings in 2009-10, their best showing since placing seventh in 2006-07. All 12 programs that counted towards ESU’s total last year finished in the top half of the PSAC in their sports. ESU’s best-ever finish was fourth in the 1995-96 season, coinciding with the inaugural presentation of the Dixon Trophy.

The complete standings through the conclusion of the fall championship season are below:

1. Shippensburg – 86
2. California – 77.5
3. Kutztown – 73.5
4. ESU – 68
5. West Chester – 67
6. Slippery Rock – 65.5
7. Bloomsburg – 62.5
8. Edinboro – 61.5
9. IUP – 61.5
t-10. Mercyhurst – 54.5
t-10. Millersville – 54.5
12. Lock Haven – 48.5
13. Gannon – 47
14. Clarion – 45
15. Mansfield – 29
16. Cheyney – 7