BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Southwestern Athletic Conference has recognized Alabama State University as the winners of the Sadie Magee/Barbara Jacket Award, C.D. Henry Award, as well as the James Frank Commissioner’s Cup for the 2015-16 academic year.
ASU, who won all three awards in 2013-14, brought eight SWAC championships back to Montgomery this past year to garner the honors, including titles for the first time in softball and baseball.
The trophies will be presented at the league’s annual spring meetings. This is the fourth-straight year that Alabama State has won the Magee/Jacket Award, the second Henry accolade in the past three years, and the school’s third consecutive Commissioner’s Cup. [easyazon_infoblock align=”right” cart=”y” identifier=”B011DSW0CI” locale=”US” tag=”hbcusports-20″]
Magee/Jacket Award
The Magee/Jacket Award is presented to the top women’s athletic program in the SWAC. Sadie Magee was the first women’s basketball coach at Jackson State, compiling four SWAC regular season titles and three-straight National Association of Women’s Sports National Championships from 1978-1980. Barbara Jacket led the Prairie View A&M to eight cross country, nine indoor and five outdoors SWAC titles from 1965 to 1991. Jacket was also the head coach of the 1992 U.S. Women’s Olympic Track team that brought home won four gold medals, three silver medals and three bronze medals from Barcelona, Spain.
The Lady Hornets beat their point total again, finishing over 30 points ahead of second place with 109.83 points. They captured six team titles, including cross country, women’s basketball, indoor track and field, golf, outdoor track and field and softball. Alabama State’s volleyball and women’s soccer also finished second this season.
Texas Southern finished second with 79.83 points while Jackson State placed third with 71.5 points. Prairie View A&M (68.5), Southern (58.83), Grambling State (54.5), Alabama A&M (52), Alcorn State (45), Arkansas-Pine Bluff (36) and Mississippi Valley State (34.5) round out the group.
C.D. Henry
The Henry Award is presented to the top men’s athletic program in the SWAC. The award is named for former Grambling State chairman of the College of Health, Physical Education, and Recreation Department from 1958-74, as well as serving as the executive officer and secretary-statistician for the SWAC in 1968-73. Henry became the first African American assistant commissioner of any conference office when he joined the Big Ten Conference in June of 1974.
Alabama State was just six points ahead of second-place finishers in Texas Southern and Jackson State. The Hornets finished with 76 points after winning team titles in golf and baseball, as well as second place finishes in indoor track and field and tennis.
Prairie View A&M (54), Alcorn State (52.5), Grambling State (44.5), Southern (37.5), Arkansas-Pine Bluff (37), Alabama A&M (33.5) and Mississippi Valley State (29) finished fourth through tenth, respectively.
James Frank Commissioner’s Cup
The Commissioner’s Cup, named for former league commissioner James Frank who led the SWAC from 1983 through 1998, is awarded to the university compiling the highest combined total of men’s and women’s all-sport points. With 109.83 points from the Magee/Jacket Award and 76 from the Henry Award standings, ASU took first place with 185.83 total points.
Courtesy: SWAC
