June 28, 2007
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Vanderbilt’s U. S. Sports Academy Director’s Cup finish for the recently completed academic year was its second-best finish ever. The Commodores placed 33rd out of the 285 college institutions that scored points during 2006-07, putting the program in approximately the 88th percentile nationally.
The school’s high water mark came in 2003-04 when it placed 28th, scoring 585 total points. This year the Commodores tallied 552.50 points on the strength of 10 teams reaching the NCAA Tournament where points are attained. The 10 NCAA teams is Vanderbilt’s best performance.
The Commodores narrowly missed a first-division Director’s Cup finish among Southeastern Conference members. The SEC had eight schools in the top 33, including Arkansas (31st) and South Carolina (32nd) to edge out the Commodores for what could have been a sixth place SEC finish.
Vanderbilt was able to achieve this high overall finish despite having the smallest enrollment and the fewest number of varsity sports in the SEC. The Commodores sponsor just 16 varsity sports.
“It is gratifying to see just how well we have done when compared to the entire Division I population,” says Vanderbilt Vice Chancellor David Williams, who oversees athletics. “Our programs have generated a lot of excitement and momentum and we have accomplished this `the Vanderbilt way’, which is distinctive and effective. I am pleased that so many of our student-athletes are having good experiences in the classroom and on the fields of play.”
Williams noted that a major internal goal is likely going to be attained when all grades are calculated for the recent academic year – that being a cumulative 3.0 grade point average for the entire 300-plus student-athlete population.
The 10 Commodore teams reaching their respective NCAA Tournaments include men’s and women’s basketball, women’s soccer, men’s and women’s golf, men’s and women’s tennis, lacrosse, baseball and bowling – which won the national championship.
Stanford, which sponsors 31 varsity programs, won the Cup for the 13th consecutive year.
