The life of student-athletes can be challenging with a multitude of responsibilities that can require young men and women across America to balance their academic responsibilities and their athletic responsibilities while trying to navigate their collegiate lives in terms of time management and personal relationships. The efforts of athletes playing high profile Division I collegiate sports such as men's basketball and football are often glorified through the national media and particularly through television coverage of men's college basketball games and college football games. However, the Capital One Cup has been awarded annually to each of the best men's and women's Division I college athletics programs in the country and encompasses numerous men's and women's Division I programs besides men's basketball and football.
Former World Cup soccer star Brandi Chastain serves as an Advisory Board member for the Capital One Cup and takes pride in being an ambassador for the Capital One Cup, which will award a combined $400,000 in student-athlete scholarships to one winning men's and one winning women's program after the completion of the final NCAA spring championships. Earlier this year, the Capital One Cup Official Standings were announced after the conclusion of an exciting NCAA® Division I Fall Athletics Season. Here are the standings via a January press release:
Penn State and North Carolina are tied atop the women’s standings, while Alabama, Indiana and North Dakota State lead in the men’s standings with $400,000 in total scholarship money on the line
McLean, Va. (January 9, 2013) – The 2012-13 college sports season is heating up as Capital One Financial Corporation (NYSE: COF), an official NCAA® Corporate Champion, announced the official fall standings for the Capital One Cup, which is awarded each year to the best men’s and women’s NCAA Division I athletics programs in the country. Tied for first on the women’s side are Penn State and North Carolina. The Nittany Lions earned points in three fall sports, turning in top 5 finishes in the final coaches’ polls in volleyball, soccer and field hockey. The Tar Heels rose to the top of the women’s standings after claiming 60 points for their NCAA soccer title, while also collecting points after their runner-up finish in the NCAA field hockey national championship. On the men’s side, there is a three-way tie between Alabama, Indiana and North Dakota State for the number one spot. Alabama climbed to the top after claiming its third national BCS title in four years while North Dakota State won the FCS championship for the second consecutive year. Indiana earned its first place Capital One Cup ranking after winning the Men’s College Cup.
Below are the official Capital One Cup standings for the 2012 -2013 fall athletics season, with the top 10 point earners (including ties) in men’s and women’s athletics listed. The complete standings can be found at www.CapitalOneCup.com or Facebook.com/CapitalOneCup.
Men's Cup Standings-
1. Alabama (60 points) 1. Indiana (60 points) 1. North Dakota State (60 points) 4. Notre Dame (39 points) 5. Georgetown (36 points) 5. Oregon (36 points) 5. Sam Houston State (36 points) 8. Georgia Southern (30 points) 8. Maryland (30 points) 10. Creighton (24 points) 10. Eastern Washington (24 points)
Women's Cup Standings-
1. North Carolina (72 points) 1. Penn State (72 points) 3. Stanford (64 points) 4. Texas (60 points) 5. Oregon (56 points) 6. Florida State (32 points) 7. Michigan (26 points) 8. Princeton (20 points) 9. Brigham Young (18 points) 10. UCLA (15 points) 10. USC (15 points)
Highlights from the fall season include:
• The Oregon women’s athletics program clinched its first NCAA cross country crown since 1987.
• Princeton’s Lady Tigers edged out North Carolina in the NCAA field hockey championship earning the program's first ever national title.
• North Carolina toppled three number one seeds on its way to claiming the school’s 21st national championship in women’s soccer.
• Indiana picked up its eighth soccer national championship for the men’s program after defeating Georgetown in the championship game.
• The Oklahoma State men’s cross country team captured its third national championship in four years after defeating Louisville.
• Alabama rolled to its third national BCS title in four years with a victory over Notre Dame. In the FCS championship, North Dakota State claimed its second consecutive title.
• Women’s championship winners were Oregon (Cross Country), Princeton (Field Hockey), North Carolina (Soccer) and Texas (Volleyball).
• Men’s championship winners included Oklahoma State (Cross Country), USC (Water Polo), Indiana (Soccer), North Dakota State (Football-FCS) and Alabama (Football-BCS).
• 47 schools earned points in the Capital One Cup men’s standings and 26 schools earned points in the women’s standings.
“There have been some inspiring performances from championship teams and student-athletes this fall,” said Capital One Cup Advisory Board member, Brandi Chastain, a former student-athlete at Santa Clara University. “The UNC women’s soccer team persevered through a challenging bracket to take home their 21st championship. And the women’s volleyball tournament was filled with exciting upsets from teams like Oregon and Michigan before seeing Texas come away with the final victory. I’m looking forward to seeing which programs will challenge these current Capital One Cup standings leaders during the winter and spring sports seasons and gain the inside track at winning the trophy and $400,000 in combined total scholarships for student-athletes.”
“The college football season has been one of the most exciting in recent memory, and the race for the Capital One Cup has been no different,” said Capital One Cup Advisory Board member and former Heisman Trophy winner, Doug Flutie. “There’s been a lot of movement at the top of the Capital One Cup standings this fall and Alabama and North Dakota State have claimed their early first place standing following strong performances on the football field. This is my third year with the program and I love how the enthusiasm from schools and fans continues to build as their respective teams earn points and move up in the standings.”
“In the fall we saw athletics programs like Penn State, North Carolina, Alabama, North Dakota State and Indiana start to assert themselves,” said Marc Mentry, Senior Vice President, Capital One Brand Marketing. “But anything can happen in the race for the Capital One Cup, as last year’s men’s winner, Florida, wasn’t even ranked in the top 10 after the fall. As we move into the winter and spring seasons, we look forward to following the great performances of college athletics and the contenders for the Capital One Cup.”
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. The Capital One Cup winners will be determined at the end of the spring season and honored at the ESPY Awards in July. Last year the University of Florida won on the men’s side and Stanford University claimed the women’s Cup – each for the second consecutive year. This is the third year of the Capital One Cup.
Please visit us at CapitalOneCup.com, Facebook.com/CapitalOneCup and Twitter.com/CapitalOneCup for more information and news on the Capital One Cup as well as updates on the standings.
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