PELLA — For the first time since the 2003-04 academic year, the Central College women's athletics teams combined to win the Marjorie Giles All-Sports Championship Trophy sponsored by the American Rivers Conference.

Central, which sponsors 10 of the 11 women's sports taken into consideration, totaled 57.5 points to slip past Wartburg College's total of 56.2. The Dutch men finished third in the Elmer Hertel All-Sports Trophy standings with 50.5 points. Central was second in the Combined All-Sports Trophy.

Nine points are awarded in each sport for a conference title, and the points are allocated in descending order so that the last-place team gets one point. In track and field, the outdoor champion gets 6.3 points and the indoor champion gets 2.7 points. Additionally, point totals are lowered for swimming and diving and competitive dance because not all nine conference institutions sponsor those sports.

On the women's side, Central won conference championships in softball and dance and added runner-up efforts in golf and cross country. In total, Central's women's teams had eight top-four finishes.

On the men's side, the Dutch did not win a conference title, but had a runner-up finish in cross country and third-place efforts in football, golf and basketball.

Central has won the men's all-sports title 14 times and the women's all-sports title 10 times.