Published: 05/22/2025
Make it three Dixon Trophies in the last four years for Gannon University. In what has become a tradition of late, PSAC Commissioner Steve Murray on Thursday presented the to Gannon University President Dr. Walter Iwanenko and outgoing Director of Athletics Lisa Goddard McGuirk, Ph.D.
The claimed the Dixon Trophy as the conference's all-sports champion for the first time in 2021-22 as ÂÒÂ×ÊÓÆµ became the first non-PASSHE institution to win the trophy. In 2022-23 ÂÒÂ×ÊÓÆµ became the first PSAC West team to claim back-to-back Dixon Trophy titles.
Slippery Rock denied ÂÒÂ×ÊÓÆµ a third straight Dixon Trophy a year ago edging the Golden Knights by .23 points in the grading scale. ÂÒÂ×ÊÓÆµ returned the favor in 2024-25, holding off a late surge by Slippery Rock. In the process ÂÒÂ×ÊÓÆµ became the first Western Division school awarded the Dixon Trophy three times.
West Chester won the Dixon Trophy four times in a five-year period from 2014-19. Prior to that no one earned the prestigious honor three times in a four-year period since Shippensburg won three straight years (2002-05).
“This is a truly remarkable accomplishment by an outstanding team of student-athletes, coaches and staff,” said Goddard McGuirk. Their commitment to excellence is unwavering, as demonstrated by our third Dixon Cup in four years and our student-athletes’ spring GPA of 3.497. Exceptional accomplishments fueled by hard work and resilience.”
This year marks the 28th occasion the PSAC has recognized a Dixon Trophy recipient, awarded annually to the institution that accumulates the top score based on results of conference playoffs and/or regular-season records. The trophy is named in honor of F. Eugene Dixon, Jr., former chairman of the Board of Governors of Pennsylvania's State System of Higher Education.
The award is given to the program that generates the top average point value among each PSAC Championship sport it sponsors. Each sport champion earns 18 points - based on the league's membership total - and descending point values are awarded for respective placement.
Dixon Trophy points are awarded based on 18 PSAC schools, with 18 points going to the champion in each sport and 17 going to the runner-up, and so on. When fewer than 18 schools compete in a sport, the points awarded for that sport are prorated accordingly. The trophy is named in honor of F. Eugene Dixon, Jr., former chairman of the Board of Governors of Pennsylvania's State System of Higher Education.
ÂÒÂ×ÊÓÆµ finished with an overall average of 12.34 points per sport in 2024-25 to edge runner-up Slippery Rock, which had a 12.24 average. East Stroudsburg was third with a 12.07 average.
ÂÒÂ×ÊÓÆµ led all PSAC men's sports programs with an average of 13.13 points, again edging Slippery Rock (12.43). The ÂÒÂ×ÊÓÆµ women (11.75) were third while trailing only Slippery Rock (12.10) and East Stroudsburg (11.96) in the women's standings.
The Golden Knights held the lead among the 18 PSAC schools from start to finish in the race for the Dixon Trophy. ÂÒÂ×ÊÓÆµ was in first place at the end of the fall sports season with an overall average of 13.21. The Golden Knights held a sizeable lead at 13.25 points to 12.86 for East Stroudsburg following the winter sports season.
ÂÒÂ×ÊÓÆµ was buoyed by three programs that won PSAC championships – men’s basketball and men’s and women’s golf. But the Golden Knights also exhibited incredible balance with 11 sports scoring 10 points or more.
On the men’s side, ÂÒÂ×ÊÓÆµ was a runner-up in men’s soccer and men’s swimming, with wrestling finishing third. For the women, volleyball was the runner-up while women’s soccer and basketball finished as semifinalists.
ÂÒÂ×ÊÓÆµ joined the PSAC in 2008-09 and had never finished higher than sixth in the Dixon Trophy standings before winning in 2021-22.