When UCLA captured its first NCAA baseball championship this week, it paved the way for another campus first - the first-ever Capital One Cup victory for the Bruin men.
The Capital One Cup is annually awarded to the best men's and women's Division I athletics programs in the country. Thanks to the Bruin men, UCLA will be awarded $200,000 toward student-athlete scholarships, which will be presented at the ESPY Awards ceremony in Los Angeles on July 17.
With 60 points awarded from the baseball win, UCLA finished the year with 92 points in the Capital One Cup standings, ahead of second-place Indiana and Texas A&M (88 points), fourth-place Florida (86), and fifth-place Duke (82).
"The UCLA Athletic Department is honored to win the men's Capital One Cup for the 2012-13 school year," said UCLA Athletic Director Dan Guerrero. "This award is a culmination of the efforts of our student-athletes, coaches and staff members, all of whom have worked tirelessly to strive for broad-based excellence throughout our program. We are truly grateful for this wonderful recognition."
UCLA secured a spot on the Capital One Cup leaderboard at the start of the fall season with a runner-up finish at the NCAA water polo championship and then went on to earn points toward the Cup with strong performances in tennis (runner-up finish) and volleyball (ranked No. 4 in the final coaches' poll).
"This season, UCLA demonstrated how deep their athletics program is by consistently performing well across multiple sports," said Rece Davis, Capital One Cup Advisory Board member and ESPN college sports analyst. "UCLA posted strong finishes in key sports and was able to out-score two-time defending winner Florida. It was exciting to watch the race for the Cup come down to the College World Series again and what an honor it is for their athletics program to build on last season's third-place finish by becoming this year's Cup winner."
Schools earn points based on their teams' top-10 finishes in NCAA Division I championships and in final official coaches' polls across 20 women's and 19 men's sports as they compete to win the Capital One Cup trophy and a combined $400,000 in scholarships for student-athletes.
Earlier this month, the University of North Carolina women's athletics program won the Capital One Cup and will join UCLA at the ESPY Awards on July 17, where both schools will be formally honored.
This is the UCLA men's second consecutive Top 3 finish in the Capital One Cup. They finished third a year ago. The UCLA women finished 15th this season.
UCLA also finished third overall in the Learfield Sports Directors' Cup, which is presented annually by the National Association of Collegiate Athletic Directors (NACDA). The Bruins totaled 1227.25 points over the school year, finishing close behind first-place Stanford (1261.25) and second-place Florida (1244.75). This is UCLA's second consecutive Director's Cup third-place finish. The Bruins have finished among the Top 6 in the final rankings in 18 of the award's 20 years.
Men's Capital One Cup Final Standings
1. UCLA - 92
2t. Indiana - 88
2t. Texas A&M - 88
4. Florida - 86
5. Duke - 82
6. Alabama - 80
7. Michigan - 76
8. Louisville - 75
9t. North Carolina - 66
9t. Syracuse - 77
1. UCLA - 92
2t. Indiana - 88
2t. Texas A&M - 88
4. Florida - 86
5. Duke - 82
6. Alabama - 80
7. Michigan - 76
8. Louisville - 75
9t. North Carolina - 66
9t. Syracuse - 77
Learfield Sports Director's Cup Final Standings
1. Stanford - 1261.25
2. Florida - 1244.75
3. UCLA - 1227.25
4. Michigan - 1138.25
5. Texas A&M - 1131.50
6. Penn State - 1100.00
7. Oklahoma - 1078.25
8. North Carolina - 1075.33
9. Notre Dame - 1015.50
10. Georgia - 1006.75
1. Stanford - 1261.25
2. Florida - 1244.75
3. UCLA - 1227.25
4. Michigan - 1138.25
5. Texas A&M - 1131.50
6. Penn State - 1100.00
7. Oklahoma - 1078.25
8. North Carolina - 1075.33
9. Notre Dame - 1015.50
10. Georgia - 1006.75