Post by melisas63 on Jul 2, 2009 13:14:09 GMT -6
Western Kentucky University finished ahead of almost 75% of the nation’s Division I schools in the final 2008-09 Division I United States Sports Academy Directors’ Cup Standings, which are based on each institution's finish in up to 20 sports – 10 men’s and 10 women’s. The Hilltoppers, who ranked 88th overall out of 341 Division I institutions, were also ranked ahead of seven Big East members: Providence (91), Rutgers (92), Pittsburgh (93), St. Johns (112), South Florida (116), Cincinnati (129) and Marquette (173). WKU also ranked ahead of a number of other standout programs including Mississippi State (100), Air Force (105), Miami of Ohio (107), Memphis (111), Gonzaga (t-122), Xavier (t-122) and Southern Miss (137).
“WKU has a storied and tradition rich program, but the last two years have truly elevated athletic accomplishments on the Hill to a new level,” said WKU Director of Athletics Dr. Camden Wood Selig. “It is very rewarding to be ranked favorably among your peer institutions, and it is especially meaningful because of the manner in which we have operated. Our coaches recruit true student-athletes who in turn are dedicated on and off the field of play and serve as great ambassadors for our university. This ranking is a tremendous validation of their efforts.”
WKU’s 19 total championships over the last two years are more than any school in all of the 11 BCS Conferences during this period. The Hilltoppers nine regular season or tournament championships in 2008-09 were as many as any school in the nation for the second consecutive year and trailed only WKU’s 10 championships in 2007-08 for the highest total in Sun Belt Conference history. WKU is one of only three Sun Belt Conference schools to exceed the NCAA required 925 Academic Progress Report Rate (APR) in every men’s and women’s sport. Ten athletic teams have a cumulative team GPA of 3.0 or better, and 46 percent of all student-athletes have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher. WKU student-athletes who have fulfilled their eligibility since 1999 have an 85 percent graduation rate and WKU has won 65 league championships in that time span, an average of more than six per season.
The Directors’ Cup is presented annually by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA), United States Sports Academy and USA Today to the best overall collegiate athletics programs in the country in NCAA Divisions I, II, and III and the NAIA. Stanford had the top score among all Division I programs.
The U.S. Sports Academy Directors’ Cup was developed as a joint effort between the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) and USA Today. The United States Sports Academy, based in Daphne, Alabama, is the program’s sponsor. Complete standings and the scoring structure can be found on NACDA’s Web site at www.nacda.com.
“WKU has a storied and tradition rich program, but the last two years have truly elevated athletic accomplishments on the Hill to a new level,” said WKU Director of Athletics Dr. Camden Wood Selig. “It is very rewarding to be ranked favorably among your peer institutions, and it is especially meaningful because of the manner in which we have operated. Our coaches recruit true student-athletes who in turn are dedicated on and off the field of play and serve as great ambassadors for our university. This ranking is a tremendous validation of their efforts.”
WKU’s 19 total championships over the last two years are more than any school in all of the 11 BCS Conferences during this period. The Hilltoppers nine regular season or tournament championships in 2008-09 were as many as any school in the nation for the second consecutive year and trailed only WKU’s 10 championships in 2007-08 for the highest total in Sun Belt Conference history. WKU is one of only three Sun Belt Conference schools to exceed the NCAA required 925 Academic Progress Report Rate (APR) in every men’s and women’s sport. Ten athletic teams have a cumulative team GPA of 3.0 or better, and 46 percent of all student-athletes have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher. WKU student-athletes who have fulfilled their eligibility since 1999 have an 85 percent graduation rate and WKU has won 65 league championships in that time span, an average of more than six per season.
The Directors’ Cup is presented annually by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA), United States Sports Academy and USA Today to the best overall collegiate athletics programs in the country in NCAA Divisions I, II, and III and the NAIA. Stanford had the top score among all Division I programs.
The U.S. Sports Academy Directors’ Cup was developed as a joint effort between the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) and USA Today. The United States Sports Academy, based in Daphne, Alabama, is the program’s sponsor. Complete standings and the scoring structure can be found on NACDA’s Web site at www.nacda.com.
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