The fall issue of Sports Illustrated for Women, which hit newsstands Thursday, named Virginia as the No. 13 school in the top 20 schools for women athletes poll.
"We're very excited at being included," said Jane Miller, associate director for programs/senior women's administrator. "The success we've had in the past year makes us very deserving of the honor."
Last year was a tremendous one for the Virginia women's athletics program. The crew team ended the season as national runner-up, while field hockey and lacrosse each reached the Final Four. The women's swim team is ranked in the top 10, and the women's soccer team is ranked in the top 15.
SI for Women has been working on compiling this listing since March.
"We were looking for schools that had competitive teams for women," SI for Women editor Sandy Bailey said. "We sent surveys to about 100 schools asking them about things ranging from intramural and club sports to scholarships, graduation rates, fan base and special things, like facilities."
From the surveys they received, the SI for Women editors selected schools based on a loose set of criteria and visited the facilities to come up with the top 20 list.
"The whole setting of Virginia is a plus for sports-minded students," Bailey said. "Virginia is a top school based on academics and it is very competitive in athletics as well. The AFC was what really stood out, though. It was a great place for athletes, but also for all students to use."
However, since the criteria used were rather loose, it is difficult to determine why Virginia fell at No. 13 as opposed to at No. 10 or No. 15.
"To be honest, I think we deserved to be higher," Cavalier swimming coach Mark Bernardino said. "We have wonderful opportunities, wonderful coaches and it's a great school academically."
Bailey said that Bernardino's view was understandable.
"There wasn't a lot of difference between No. 10 and No. 18," Bailey said. "Once we got past the top five [Stanford, Florida, Texas, North Carolina and UCLA], which truly stood out, there was not a big drop-off. We wanted the list to be holistic--in that these are the best schools--not that No. 10 was necessarily much better than No. 13. However, after you get beyond this list, there was a huge drop-off between the top 20 and the rest of the schools."
Regardless of where exactly Virginia fell, its inclusion was a large honor for the women's athletic program.
"Anytime that you get recognition for something like this, it's helpful," Miller said. "It's great for our players and the coaches to see that their work is getting noticed"
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