CARMEL, Ind. – The Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) will honor the Athletic Training staffs of its 10 member schools as the honorary recipients of the 2020-21 Commissioner's Cup.
 
Traditionally, the HCAC Commissioner's Cup is awarded to the institution who registers the most all-sports points in both men's and women's athletics over the course of the academic year. Due to complications presented by the COVID 19 pandemic, HCAC Commissioner Jay Jones with the support of the HCAC Council of Presidents, made the choice to recognize a group that made competition in the 2020-21 season possible.
 
"We are so grateful to all of the student-athletes, administrators, faculty, officials, coaches and presidents throughout our conference for their commitment to conducting athletics during the 2020-21 academic year," said HCAC Commissioner Jay Jones.  "The amount of people who committed extra time and energy is beyond my capability to fully acknowledge.  One group that has been particularly hard pressed during the pandemic is our athletic trainers.  Beyond completing their normal tasks plus doubling up on many sports this spring, they were also asked to administer numerous COVID tests and to oversee and administer our wide range of safety protocols.  This group of professionals did all of this additional work without complaint, and they pushed hard to make sure our student-athletes were as safe as they could be.  For those reasons, we wanted to honor them in a special way.  Put simply, HCAC athletics would not have happened this year without their personal sacrifices."

"Traditionally, the HCAC Commissioner's Cup is an honor awarded to the institution that garners the most overall all-sports' points during the year. In light of the unique circumstances of the Coronavirus pandemic, and with the utmost appreciation, the HCAC Commissioner and Council of Presidents have chosen to award the 2021 HCAC Commissioner's Cup to the athletic training staffs throughout the conference. This recognition is a small way to commemorate and honor the tremendous time commitment and personal sacrifice these professionals made during the 2020-21 academic year. Thanks to their selfless work and tireless energy, all HCAC student-athletes could safely compete during 2020-21."

The 2020-21 academic year was the 16th year for the Commissioner's Cup.

For more information on all things HCAC, visit the websites of any of the participating schools, or go to the HCAC's home on the internet at www.heartlandconf.org. Be sure to stay up to date on all of your Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference news by following @HCACDIII on Twitter and by liking the "HCAC DIII" Facebook page.

Courtesy of Heartland Conference Sports Information