The 2003-04 intercollegiate athletic season is in the history book and that
means the final standings for the United States Sports Academy Directors' Cup
are complete. Union picked up 212.5 points to finish 63rd among the
nation's NCAA Division III colleges and universities. Of the 430 eligible
colleges and universities in the NCAA Division III, a total of 283 (66 percent)
scored points in the United States Sports Academy Directors' Cup competition.
Williams College, meanwhile, defended its title by winning
its eighth cup in the last nine years and topped the 1,000-point mark for the
second consecutive year. The Ephs recorded 1,081.75 points – 270.75 points
ahead of runner-up Emory University.
The prestigious award 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.
This marked the third consecutive year that Union's programs finished among
the top 70. The College's 23 Division III intercollegiate athletic teams
finished 57th last year (with 231 points) while the end of the
2001-02 campaign found the Garnet in 59th place with 223.5 points. All points are based on an institution's finish in the NCAA
or NAIA championships. Conference championships or ranking in national polls,
with the exception of the I-A football poll (USA TODAY/ESPN Coaches' Poll),
will not count toward the point tally in the NACDA Directors' Cup standings.
“Union is continuing to make great strides
on the national scene,” said Val Belmonte, Union's director of athletics.
“However, just as important as the ranking is the hidden performances not
mentioned in that number – the
tremendous athletic efforts of our student-athletes, the incredible mentoring
of our coaches, and the invaluable support of the Athletic Department staff.
This is not to leave out the four UCAA Players of the Year; our two UCAA
Coaches of the Year; 42 All Conference Selections in the UCAA; the 83
All-Academic Honors; and the 14 All American selections.
“The 2003-2004 season was a banner
year for Union Athletics.”
Women's soccer, basketball and softball picked up Union's “team” points
while senior track star Sean Washington (Dale City, Va.) and sophomore swimmer
David Hogenkamp (E. Aurora, N.Y.) earned “individual” points for the Garnet.
The soccer team, which earned its fifth consecutive trip to the NCAA
tournament, earned 64 points with its ninth-place national finish while the
basketball squad, which earned the first NCAA invitation in the program's
30-year history, captured 50 points with its 17th-place finish. The
softball team, which made its second consecutive appearance in the national
tournament, contributed 50 points with a 17th-place finish.
Washington, who earned All-American honors during the indoor and outdoor
season in the 100-meter dash, earned 24 points while Hogenkamp earned 24.5
points.
The New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) enjoyed a very
successful season as it placed seven of its 11 member schools in the top 50.
Middlebury closely followed Williams with its third-place finish while Amherst
was sixth. Bowdoin (20th), Tufts (31st), Trinity (44th),
and Bates (48th) were the conference's top teams.
Cortland, meanwhile, topped the New York State institutions as the Red
Dragons finished eighth. They were followed by Ithaca (11th), New
York University (18th), Rensselaer (43rd), the University
of Rochester (54th), Brockport (56th), and Oneonta (57th).
Geneseo was the first New York State school behind Union as it placed 64th
while Skidmore, which was 94th overall, trailed Rensselaer,
Rochester and Union among the Upstate Collegiate Athletic Association teams.
Internally, Union's 25 intercollegiate athletic programs just missed
finishing the recently concluded season at the break-even mark. The overall
record of 185-187-8 left the Garnet at .497 – down from a winning percentage of
.520 in 2002-03 and a high of .568 in 2001-02. Women's softball (25-5),
basketball (24-4), and soccer (19-2-1) spearheaded the Garnet's success in the
victory column. Men's basketball, which finished at 20-8, and women's lacrosse,
which set a program standard for wins in a season with its 15-5 record, also
enjoyed exceptional seasons (both teams qualified for ECAC tournament
championships).
A complete list of the final rankings is available on NACDA's web site at: www.nacda.com.