A dozen top-10 finishes in national
championship action – including a pair NCAA titles - led the University of
Florida athletics program to its second consecutive second-place finish in the
2012-13 Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup. The finish matches Florida’s highest
ever in the annual all-sports rankings and marks Florida’s fifth consecutive
top-four finish in the rankings. Two NCAA titles highlighted Florida’s
finishes, as seven teams placed among the nation’s top five.
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2012-13 Learfield Sports
Directors’ Cup Standings
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Rank
|
School
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Total
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1.
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Stanford
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1261.25
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2.
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FLORIDA
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1244.75
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3.
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UCLA
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1227.25
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4.
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Michigan
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1138.25
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5.
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Texas
A&M
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1131.50
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6.
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Penn State
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1100.00
|
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7.
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Oklahoma
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1078.25
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8.
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North Carolina
|
1075.33
|
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9.
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Notre
Dame
|
1015.50
|
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10.
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Georgia
|
1006.75
|
Florida
is the only program to finish among the nation’s top 10 in each of the last 30
national all-sports standings. The Gator program also was second in 2011-12 and
2009-10 and tied for second in 1997-98.
The
Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup, presented annually by the nation’s athletics
directors, recognizes the schools with the best overall sports performances in
an academic year. Points are awarded based on finishes and participation in 20
NCAA Division I sports. Stanford received its 19th consecutive Directors’ Cup
at the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA)
convention earlier this month. UCLA was third followed by Michigan.
The
16.5 point margin between first and second is the closest in the 21-year
history of the Directors’ Cup.
Florida’s
12 top-10 national team finishes in 2012-13 equals the third-highest in school
history, as at least 10 Gator teams have turned in top-10 finishes in each of
the last 12 seasons. The program’s record of 14 top-10 finishes came in
2009-10.
Gymnastics
and men’s outdoor track & field claimed NCAA titles in 2013. Florida became
the fifth program to win a NCAA team title at the national championship held in
April in Los Angeles. The Gator men’s track & field claimed a share of its
second consecutive NCAA Outdoor title with three event wins on the final day–
triple jump, 4x100- and 4x400-meter relays.
The
complete list of Florida's 2012-13 top-10 teams includes:
·
Gymnastics (No. 1)
·
Men’s Outdoor Track &
Field (No. T-1)
·
Men’s Indoor Track &
Field (No. 2)
·
Women’s Tennis (No. T-3)
·
Men’s Basketball (No.
T-5)
·
Lacrosse (No. T-5)
·
Softball (No. T-5)
·
Men’s Swimming &
Diving (No. 6)
·
Women’s Swimming &
Diving (No. 6)
·
Soccer (No. T-9)
·
Volleyball (No. T-9)
·
Football (No. 9 AP)
“What
a season for the Gators. There was so much to celebrate right from the
beginning of the fall all the way through the final competition of the spring.
It was certainly fun to see the Gator gymnasts raise their first NCAA title
trophy and the men’s outdoor track & field team claim their second-straight
championship,” Florida Athletics Director Jeremy Foley said. “To finish second
in the Directors’ Cup requires many Gator teams to advance and perform well in
NCAA Championship action. We certainly appreciate and applaud the effort shown
by our student-athletes and coaches as they compete among the nation’s best.”
In
Southeastern Conference action, Florida equaled the record with eight league
crowns in 2012-13 action (men’s basketball, women’s cross country, gymnastics,
soccer, softball, men’s swimming & diving, women’s tennis and volleyball).
UF has now has a total of 213 SEC titles since the league began in 1932 and 116
of those SEC titles have come under Foley’s watch. In addition, the lacrosse
team won its third consecutive American Lacrosse Conference title in just the
program’s fourth year. Florida swept the Halifx Media Group Southeastern
Conference All-Sports Titles for the 13th time in 2012-13.
Individually,
16 Gators claimed a total of 10 NCAA individual titles in 2013. Junior Eddie
Lovett won the 60-meter hurdles and sophomore Marquis Dendy took the
indoor long jump title. At the NCAA Outdoor meet, three event titles went to
the Gators on the meet’s final day. Senior Omar Craddock claimed his
second consecutive NCAA triple jump title. Antwan Wright, Hugh
Graham, Jr., Leonardo Seymore and Dedrick Dukes won the
4x100-meter relay title. The team title was sealed with Florida’s 4x400-meter
win by Najee Glass, Graham, Jr., Dukes and Arman Hall.
Junior
Elizabeth Beisel, a two-time Olympic medalist at the 2012 Games, took
the 400 individual medley win at the NCAA Swimming & Diving Championships.
The quartet of Pawel Werner, Sebastien Rousseau, Marcin
Cieslak and Dan Wallace combined to win Florida’s second NCAA 800
free relay title of the last three years. At the NCAA Gymnastics Championships,
freshman Bridget Sloan took both the all-around and balance beam titles.
Junior teammate Alaina Johnson became the first Gator to claim the NCAA
uneven bars crown with her win.
Florida
was also successful away from the athletic arena in 2012-13. A total of three
UF student-athletes earned Capital One Academic All-America honors and Beisel
was named the 2012 Capital One At-Large Academic All-American of the Year. Of
the top 10 programs in the 2012-13 Learfield Sports Director’s Cup Standings,
Florida is one of seven to post a NCAA Graduation Success Rate of 82 percent or
higher in 2012.
