For those who did not believe that the University produces one of the nation's finest blends of student and athlete, the latest issue of The Sporting News provides yet another reason to be proud to be a Cavalier.
Virginia was ranked No. 8 in a recent survey done by The Sporting News, which rates the success of athletic departments both on and off the field. This high mark should come as no surprise after a No. 8 finish in the Sears Cup race and a No. 13 finish in the Sports Illustrated for Women poll of best colleges for female athletes.
"For a school as prestigious as Virginia to score so well athletically is really a compliment," said Marty Appell, The Sporting News public relations director.
The Sporting News poll bases the score of a program on a letter system, similar to the grading system employed by most universities. The poll awards a 4.0 for an "A", three points for a "B" and so forth.
Virginia boasted a very scholarly 3.42 GPA this year, receiving a pair of As, a B and a B-. The competition was stiff with 112 U.S. colleges, all participating in Division I sports in both men's football and basketball.
Although the ranking of the schools is based on men's football and basketball, the full athletic department is taken into account by calculating graduation rates, the number of teams sponsored by the respective school, and Title IX compliance. Subtractions are made for incidents of probation. All these factors are compiled into one of the four categories called "Do We Play Fair?"
The "Do We Rock?" category is based on factors such as fan support through attendance, the sale of merchandise, size of the athletic budget and points awarded in the Sears Director's Cup competition. Also scored are the "Do We Graduate?" and "Do We Win?" categories which measure academic achievement and award points for wins, and conference championships.
The Cavaliers recorded their lowest letter grade in the "Do We Win?" category, B-, largely because the men's and women's basketball team are rebounding, which held down the overall score.
"On the women's side last year, we got knocked out in the first round, which wasn't what we had expected," Senior Assoc. Athletic Director Craig Littlepage said. "And our men were in a rebuilding season, where we were not a postseason team."
But with new talent on the hardwood and continued success on the turf from a reloading football team, Virginia looks to better its mark next year.
"I think that this year, we'll be improved over last year," Littlepage said. "If nothing else, the people that we had last year will have an additional year of experience, which always strengthens a team."
Also of note for fans of the ACC is the showing of five Atlantic Coast Conference schools in the Top 25. Those type of numbers reaffirm the commitment of the Conference to educating its athletes, while providing one of the most competitive conferences in which to play. The notable ACC schools were North Carolina at No. 2, Duke at No. 6, Virginia at eight, and Florida State and Georgia Tech at the 22nd and 24th spots, respectively.
"The presence of so many ACC schools in the Top 25 speaks to the fact that the Conference supports many broad-based programs," Littepage said. "It has had much success at the national level, and I think that the Conference supports very high academic standards as well."
The Sporting News put together the poll for the first time this year. It is designed to inform high school athletes and coaches, as well as college sports fans. The poll will be available in the Sept. 13 issue, available at newsstands tomorrow.
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