BLOOMINGTON, Minn. - For the second year in a row, Gustavus has swept the All-Sport Trophy Competitions, winning both the George Durenberger Trophy and the Pat Wiesner Trophy. The win marks the second in a row for the men and seventh total while the women have now won five in a row and reach double digits with 10 total titles.
"A traveling All-Sports Trophy is awarded to the college that accumulates the best all-sports record during the MIAC academic year" says the MIAC website. "The MIAC All-Sports trophies had its beginnings in the 1963-64 school year, when Bob Schabert, who, at the time, covered the MIAC for the St. Paul Pioneer Press, began determining men's all-sports results. Starting in the 2003-2004 season, the determination of the All-Sports trophy altered slightly. First place points are determined by the number of teams participating in that sport. Second place, third place, etc., receive points in a descending order, based on the first place point total".
The men won the title this season with a total of 85.5 points, including championships in swimming & diving, basketball, and tennis to top runner up Bethel, who scored 82.5 points throughout the 11 men's sports that the MIAC sponsors. The Gustie women scored 94 points with titles in swimming & diving and tennis, besting St. Olaf, who ended with 85.5 points.
"To have the opportunity to win both the men's and women's MIAC All-Sport Trophies in back-to-back years is really special for our entire Gustavus community" said Athletic Director Tom Brown. "We know how difficult it is to sustain success across all sports and we are very grateful for the dedication and commitment our student-athletes, coaches, and staff bring every day. Gustavus being the only current MIAC institution to accomplish this makes it even more meaningful. I'm proud of our student-athletes and coaches for the hard work and commitment they put in every day to represent Gustavus the right way".
The main theme for both the men and the women during this academic year was depth and consistency across all disciplines. No team across any sport, regardless of gender, scored less than five points towards the school's total, showing prowess throughout the fall, winter, and spring. One strong point as well was the sponsorship of all sports that the MIAC sponsors, allowing the most opportunity for student-athletes to compete at Gustavus, something that only St. Olaf can also say.
The season started with multiple strong performances in the fall. On the men's side, the golf team finished second at the MIAC Championships, earning eight points, while the men's soccer team also earned eight points with a fourth place finish in the regular season. The men's cross country team followed closely behind with fifth place finish at the Cross Country Championships to garner seven points and a fifth place finish for the Gustie football team rounded off the fall stretch with six points. As for the women, the volleyball team led scoring with 10.5 points, tying for second place in the regular season while the cross country team followed closely behind with 10 points by getting third place. The golf team tied for fourth place at the MIAC Championships to get 6.5 points and women's soccer brought five points to the table. At the end of the fall sport season, the men had earned 29 points and the women had earned 32.
The winter brought championships on both the men's and women's side, starting with swimming & diving championships for both genders while the men's basketball team won their championship outright for the first time since 2004-05. A title in basketball earned 11 points on the men's side, reflecting the number of schools competing, while swim & dive brought six for the men and nine for the women. Men's indoor track and field had the second highest point total during the winter months, finishing fourth at the MIAC Indoor Track & Field Championships for eight points and men's hockey was closely behind, tying for second in the conference with Saint Mary's to add 7.5 points. The women's basketball team also brought the most points of any winter sport at 10.5 with a second-place finish along with Bethel. Following behind women's basketball and swim & dive was women's hockey, tying for third in the MIAC to contribute 7.5 points before a seventh place finish at the Indoor meet for women's track and field scored the last six. At the end of the winter season, the men had added 32.5 points to bring their total to 61.5 while the women garnered 33 to push up to 65.
The spring season was a beautiful end to a consistent season of success for both the men and the women, securing both All-Sport Trophy titles. Both the men and women won tennis titles, including the men's 56th and 37th in a row to bring 10 points to the table while the women's team had 11, due to one more participant institution on the women's side. No spring women's team scored less than nine points, thanks to nine-point contributions by the women's track & field team at the Outdoor Championships and a fourth place finish for the softball team as well. The men scored slightly less, with men's track & field earning 7.5 points in a fourth place tie with Concordia and the baseball team scoring 6.5 points.
When it was all said and done, the Gusties had once again won both titles, keeping the Durenberger Trophy and the Wiesner trophy under lock and key in Lund Center for one more season. Only two other schools have ever won the Wiesner Trophy besides defunct member St. Thomas, but have not seen the Wiesner trophy on campus since the turn of the century.
The men's golf team, both track teams, and both tennis teams are still competing, performing or preparing to perform on the national stage to officially end the 2025-26 season.
