Auburn, Maggie Walker, Western Albemarle, Blacksburg, Deep Run, and Cosby claimed the top spots in VHSL athletic competition for the 2017-18 school year winning the coveted Wells Fargo Cup.
Notables include – Auburn won its second Cup in three years in Class 1 winning six state titles…Maggie Walker earned its fifth straight Cup in Class 2 while winning six state titles…In Class 3, Western Albemarle claimed the schools’ 4th Cup title, and its first since 2008, winning seven state titles… In Class 4, Blacksburg moving up in Classification won three state titles and earned the school’s 13th Cup title, third straight, and eighth in the past 10 years …Deep Run won its second straight Cup title in Class 5 and won three state titles…Cosby won for the second time in Class 6 while winning three state titles.
First awarded in 1990, the Wells Fargo Cup goes to the school in each group classification that has achieved the best overall record in VHSL state-level competition in 27 sports – the state champions’ state champion.
Cups are presented for athletic and academic activities to the top school in each of the League’s enrollment Classifications. Galileo Magnet, Radford, Turner Ashby, Jefferson Forest, Thomas Jefferson S&T, and Chantilly were announced earlier as 2017-18 winners for academic activities.
The winner of the Wells Fargo Cup is determined by a point system based on performance in state championship events. Points are awarded for all sanctioned sports in the following manner.
First place 50 Fifth place 30
Second place 45 Sixth place 25
Third place 40 Seventh place 20
Fourth place 35 Eighth place 15
In the event of a tie, the schools received an equal number of points based on the number of schools that tie and the number schools that finish higher in the standings. For example, semifinal losers split third and fourth place points (37.5 points each).
Schools earning the League’s Sportsmanship, Ethics and Integrity Award earn 50 points each.
Blacksburg moved up a Classification to Class 4 in 2017-18 and totaled 527.5 points. The Bruins earned 185 fall points, followed by 129 points in the winter, and 222.5 points in the spring. Loudoun Valley finished second with 450 points, followed by Grafton with 355 points, defending Class 4 champions Jamestown with 295 points, and 2015-16 Cup champion Hanover rounding out the top five with 267.5 points each.
Maggie Walker won athletic honors for the fifth straight year in Class 2 scoring 587.5 points followed by five-time Cup champion George Mason in second place with 432.5 points. The Dragons were a model of consistency throughout the year winning six state titles (boys/girls cross country, girls indoor track, girls swimming, boys soccer, boys outdoor track, and girls tennis), while scoring 137.5 points in the fall; 185 points in the winter, and 265 points in the spring. Rounding out the top five was Poquoson (350), Wilson Memorial (332.5), and seven-time Cup champion Radford (327.5).
In Class 1, Auburn returned to the top spot earning 507.5 points. The Eagles scored 172.5 fall points followed by 80 winter points, and 255 spring points. Riverheads (320), Patrick Henry-Glade Spring (295), Parry McCluer (235), and Mathews (217.5) filled out the remaining spots in the top five.
“We congratulate all the schools who competed in this year’s VHSL championship events,” said John W. “Billy” Haun, Ed.D., VHSL executive director. “We especially congratulate the best of the best and we thank Wells Fargo for supporting this important recognition.”
The Wells Fargo Cup athletic and academic winners will be recognized during VHSL Day at a University of Virginia football game this fall in Charlottesville.
