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UW Athletic Program Ranked Among Top 10 in Nation
Strong Showing in Spring Boosts Huskies in Ranking
Official UW Press Release - June 29, 2004
Seattle - For the second time in the 11-year history of the Directors' Cup, the Washington athletic department placed in the top 10, totaling 919.5 points to finish eighth. The Directors' Cup is presented annually by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA), the United States Sports Academy and USA TODAY to the best overall collegiate athletics programs in the country. The Huskies also placed eighth during the 1997-98 academic year.
Washington was one of four schools from the Pac-10 Conference to place in the top-10 of this year's rankings. Stanford won the Directors' Cup for the 10th consecutive year with 1,337.25 points. UCLA was third at 1,178.75 and California was ninth at 899.5. Arizona placed 12th, Arizona State was 17th and Southern California was 21st to give the Pac-10 seven teams in the top-25.
Other Pac-10 school finishes in the 2003-04 Directors' Cup standings including a 60th-place showing by Oregon, 74th by Oregon State and 108th by Washington State.
"This is a tremendous reflection of the hard work and effort put forth by our student-athletes and coaching staffs," said Husky Interim Athletic Director Dick Thompson. "Think about it. We finished eighth among more than 300 schools. That's a fantastic accomplishment. I could not be prouder. Despite the distractions that happened around the program this year, our coaches and student-athletes remained focused and it shows in the results. When I started six months ago I said I hoped by the completion of my tenure the focus would be back on coaches and athletes and their contests. I think the efforts and accomplishments of our teams and individual competitors have helped to do that."
Washington had seven teams produce top-10 finishes in national championship competition during the year. The Husky women's crew team placed fifth in the team results, while both the Husky men's and women's golf teams posted sixth-place finishes. The UW volleyball team reached the NCAA quarterfinals for the second time in the program's history and the softball team made its seventh appearance at the College World Series, placing seventh. The Husky women's tennis team advanced to the NCAA quarterfinal round. The Husky men's crew team placed second at the Intercollegiate Rowing Association Championships, a non-NCAA event.
"If you look at the other teams in the top-10 of the standings, that is pretty elite company," said Husky senior associate athletic director Marie Tuite. "The accomplishments are indicative of the commitment we have to excellence at Washington. It is easier to take programs from average to good, than good to great. It is a difficult task to be nationally competitive and the efforts of our coaches and students are to be commended."
Of the 23 Husky athletic programs, 22 advanced to postseason play or were represented by individual competitors, including 20 that took part in NCAA Championships. The Washington women's basketball team received a bid to the Women's National Invitational Tournament. The Husky football team did not receive a bowl invitation, but was bowl eligible after finishing the season 6-6.
Washington had 29 student-athletes earn All-America honors, 65 selected for All-Pac-10 teams, seven receive Academic All-America accolades and 99 chosen for Pac-10 All-Academic squads.
There were numerous highlights from the past year of Husky athletics, including:
- Women's tennis coach Patty McCain was named the Wilson/ITA National Coach of the Year
- Husky freshman pitcher Tim Lincecum was named a Freshman All-American, the Pac-10 Pitcher of the Year and the UW's first Pac-10 Freshman of the Year
- Bob Ernst was named the Pac-10 rowing coach of the year
- Husky golfer Brock Mackenzie represented the United States in the Walker Cup, qualified for the U.S. Open and became the first three-time first-team All-American in school history
- Swimmer Phil Davis became the first Husky since 1991 to win a Pac-10 Championship, taking first place in the 100-meter breaststroke
- The Husky women's gymnastics team upset top-ranked UCLA
- Men's tennis player Alex Vlaski won the All-American Championships in the fall, becoming the first Husky to win a national tournament since 1924
- Freshman men's tennis player Alex Slovic was named the ITA Rookie of the Year and finished the year as the nation's highest ranked freshman
- The Husky volleyball team climbed as high as ninth in the national rankings and defeated Stanford twice during the season, including the NCAA Sweet 16
- Quarterback Cody Pickett completed his UW career with 10,220 passing yards, the fourth best total in Pac-10 history
- Men's soccer player C.J. Klaas was named a first-team All-American and semifinalist for the Hermann Award, presented to the nation's top player
- Women's tennis player Claire Carter became the program's first four-time All-American
- Softball catcher Kristen Rivera was named the Pac-10's Player of the Year
- Husky pole vaulter Brad Walker won the NCAA indoor championship for the second year in a row and was ranked second in the world in the event
- The Husky men's cross country team made its first NCAA appearance since 1993
- The Husky women's track team's 18th-place finish at the NCAAs was the best since 1988
- The Husky men's basketball team won 14 of its last 15 Pac-10 games to post its best conference finish (second) since 1986
- Senior guard Giuliana Mendiola led the Pac-10 in scoring and earned All-Pac-10 honors for the third consecutive year
- Women's golfer Paige Mackenzie was named a second-team All-American after leading UW to its best-ever NCAA finish
- Women's soccer player Tina Frimpong was named the Pac-10 Player of the Year
- The Husky men's swimming team placed 25th at the NCAAs, the program's best finish in a quarter century
- Husky gymnast Carly Dockendorf earned All-American honors on floor exercise and narrowly missed picking up the honor as a pole vaulter at the NCAA track championships
- The Husky women's cross country team raced at the NCAAs for the seventh straight year.
Developed as a joint effort between USA TODAY and NACDA, the United States Sports Academy Directors' Cup program is the only all-sports competition that recognizes the institution in each of the four categories with the best overall athletics program.
Of the 327 eligible colleges and universities in the NCAA Division I, a total of 278 (85 percent) scored points in the United States Sports Academy Directors' Cup competition.
Complete rankings are available on the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics Web site.
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