The Pacific Coast Athletic Conference's most prestigious honor, the Chet DeVore Trophy, is presented annually to the member institution that demonstrates the highest level of overall athletic excellence across its intercollegiate programs. The award is named in honor of Chester "Chet" DeVore, a decorated World War II Marine officer who received both the Purple Heart and Bronze Star for his service to his country. DeVore brought that same standard of excellence and commitment to higher education, serving as the founding president of Southwestern College and overseeing the construction and development of its Chula Vista campus before becoming the PCAC's founding Commissioner from 1982 to 1998. The trophy bears his name as a lasting tribute to the values he embodied: service, leadership, and a relentless pursuit of achievement. Each year's winner is determined by a points-based formula that rewards conference championship performance and postseason advancement across all sanctioned sports, with a school's total points divided by its number of intercollegiate programs to ensure equitable competition regardless of athletic department size. Conference finishes earn up to 20 points for a team championship, while state-level success adds bonus points for both team and individual competitors, making the DeVore Trophy a true measure of an athletic program's depth and breadth of excellence.