Youngstown State leads McCafferty Trophy standings after Horizon League Winter Championships
Youngstown State is in first place in the race for the 2022-23 McCafferty Trophy, given to the all-sports champion of the Horizon League, after the conclusion of the Horizon League winter championship season.
The Penguins have 33 points after the winter championships, a 3.5-point lead on second place Oakland, as they earned both indoor #HLTF championships and a #HLMBB regular season title. YSU holds a lead in the men’s standings with 19.5 points, followed by OAK with 14.5 points. Milwaukee leads the way with 20.5 points on the women’s side ahead of Oakland with 15 points.
Oakland’s second-place ranking is boosted by its two #HLSD crowns this winter. Milwaukee is in third place, just 3.5 points behind the Golden Grizzlies. The Panthers finished second on the women’s side at the indoor #HLTF championships.
In fourth place is IUPUI with 22 points as the Jaguars finished second in both #HLSD championships this season. Cleveland State is fifth after winning the #HLWBB title and making a #HLMBB championship game appearance.
Wright State is sixth in the overall standings ahead of Northern Kentucky in seventh and Purdue Fort Wayne in eighth. Green Bay, Detroit Mercy and RMU round out the overall standings.
Named in honor of James J. McCafferty, who served as the conference’s first commissioner from 1979-80, the McCafferty Trophy is awarded annually by the Horizon League to the member institution that compiles the greatest number of performance points, based on its finish in the League’s 19 championship sports.
For the sports of men’s and women’s soccer, volleyball, men’s and women’s basketball, softball and baseball, points are awarded based on combined regular-season (60 percent) and championship (40 percent) finishes. For all other sports, points are based on performance in the League championships.
Indoor track and field: Titles, records highlight memorable season
The Youngstown State men’s and women’s track and field programs accumulated 10 school records, swept the Horizon League Championships and sent two athletes to the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships during the 2022-23 season.
The men’s team raced to their eighth straight Horizon League title and ninth overall, while the women rallied past Milwaukee to capture their seventh consecutive league title and ninth in the last 10 years. Youngstown State was the only school in the Horizon League to be present at the NCAA meet.
YSU was represented at the NCAA Track and Field Championships by Dorian Chaigneau and Wyatt Lefker as both competed in the pole vault. Chaigneau was ninth while Lefker placed 15th as both received Second-Team All-America honors.
As far as school records during the year the men have new best marks in five events while the women have new top standards in five as well.
Chaigneau and Lefker share the pole vault record after each athlete set a new record on multiple occasions throughout the year. Hunter Christopher set new school marks in the 3,000m and the 5,000m runs while Tye Hunt (long jump) and Jakari Lomax (triple jump) pushed their school-record marks even further.
Jahniya Bowers set school records in the 60m and 200m dashes while Madison Murry broke her own mark in the 60m hurdles. Nia Williams-Matthews added to her school mark in the long jump while Olivia Jones broke her own mark in the multi-event pentathlon.
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