Gator Athletics Program Finishes Sixth in the Nation
Thursday, June 26, 2008 | General
On the strength of a program-record-tying 12 athletic teams notching top-10 finishes during the 2007-08 season, the University of Florida placed sixth in the 2007-08 United States Sports Academy Directors' Cup standings. This finish marks the 25th consecutive year the Gator program has ranked among the nation's top 10 in all-sports standings.
Points are awarded based on finishes in 20 NCAA Division I sports, based on participation. Florida fielded 17 sports that advanced to NCAA Championship action, compiling 1,126.75 points for the sixth-place overall finish. Only two programs in the nation - Florida and UCLA - have ranked among the country's top 10 in each of the national all-sports rankings over the last 25 years. Stanford collected its 14th consecutive Directors' Cup title in 2008 with 1,461 points.
Florida's top 2007-08 finishes both came during the month of May. The Gator softball squad capped its best season in the 12-year history of the program by tying for third in their first Women's College World Series appearance. Women's tennis advanced to the semifinals of the NCAA Championships for the 19th time in the last 22 years.
The complete list of Florida's 2007-08 top-10 teams includes:
· Softball (No. T-3)
· Women's Tennis (No. T-3)
· Gymnastics (No. 4)
· Women's Swimming & Diving (No. 6)
· Men's Swimming & Diving (No. 8)
· Men's Indoor Track & Field (No. 8)
· Women's Indoor Track & Field (No. T-8)
· Women's Golf (No. 9)
· Women's Outdoor Track & Field (No. 9)
· Soccer (No. T-9)
· Men's Tennis (No. T-9)
· Volleyball (No. T-9)
"Florida teams throughout the year found success on the national stage, as shown by the 12 teams among the final top 10," Florida Athletics Director Jeremy Foley said. "We are truly fortunate to have elite caliber student-athletes and coaches that push themselves each and every year to place Florida among the nation's top athletics programs. As good of a year it was, we know that our coaches and student-athletes will look for further success in the upcoming season."
| Gators by the Numbers |
| 12 top-10 national finishes by 2007-08 Florida teams matches school record. |
| 4 Gators named ESPN The Magazine Academic All-Americans. |
| 89 percent Graduation Success Rate for UF, as reported in 2007 NCAA Federal Graduation Rate Data. UF is one of only three programs in the 2007-08 U.S. Sports Academy National All-Sports top 10 to post a GSR above 85%. |
| $48.2 million contributed since 1990 by the UAA to UF to fund academic endeavors. |
| More than 1.1 million fans attended 169 home events in 2007-08. Four UF teams ranked among the nation's top 10 in attendance. |
| 348 student-athletes participated in 1,877 hours of community service in 2007-08, partnering with 43 local schools, 27 civic organizations and 19 non-profit organizations. |
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In Southeastern Conference action, Florida led the league with five team championships in 2007-08 - women's golf, soccer, softball, women's tennis and volleyball. Those titles helped UF claim its 18th New York Times Regional Newspaper Group SEC All-Sports title. Florida also won its 15th SEC Women's All-Sports title, while the Gator men finished runner up to Tennessee. The SEC Male Athlete of the Year went to Tim Tebow, who had a spectacular sophomore season as he won the Heisman Trophy, the Davey O'Brien and Maxwell Awards.
Individually, three Gators claimed a total of five NCAA individual titles in 2008. Senior Caroline Burckle picked up two of swimming's highest honors - NCAA Swimmer of the Year and the Honda Sports Award for Swimming and Diving - after winning the NCAA 200 and 500 freestyle titles. Sophomore Gemma Spofforth became the first UF swimmer since 1995 to win back-to-back national championships, capturing both the 100 and 200 backstroke titles. At the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships, sophomore Mariam Kevkhishvili's used a school-record throw to claim the NCAA Indoor shot put crown. During the 2007-08 season, 78 UF student-athletes earned 177 All-America honors.
Florida was also successful away from the athletic arena in 2007-08, as a total of 187 UF student-athletes earned SEC Academic Honor Roll accolades - the second-highest total in school history. The SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year was a Gator in two sports (Kevin Nead/men's swimming and Rebekah Zaiser/gymnastics). Four UF student-athletes (Amber McCray-volleyball, Nead-swimming at-large, Stacey Nelson-softball, Tebow-football) also earned spots on 2007-08 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America teams.
| 2007-08 U.S. Sports Academy Directors' Cup Standings | UF Annual Finishes In National All-Sports Rankings | ||||
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| Ranks | School | Total | Academic Year | UF Finish | |
| 1. | Stanford | 1461.00 | 1983-84 | 5th | |
| 2. | UCLA | 1182.00 | 1984-85 | 4th | |
| 3. | Michigan | 1161.50 | 1985-86 | 8th | |
| 4. | Arizona State | 1146.00 | 1986-87 | 4th | |
| 5. | Texas | 1129.50 | 1987-88 | 5th | |
| 6. | Florida | 1126.75 | 1988-89 | 9th | |
| 7. | California | 1120.00 | 1989-90 | 5th | |
| 8. | LSU | 1085.00 | 1990-91 | 5th | |
| 9. | Penn State | 1041.00 | 1991-92 | 5th | |
| 10. | Georgia | 1040.00 | 1992-93 | 4th | |
| 1993-94 | 4th | ||||
| 1994-95 | 5th | ||||
| 1995-96 | 3rd | ||||
| 1996-97 | 5th | ||||
| 1997-98 | T2nd | ||||
| 1998-99 | 4th | ||||
| 1999-00 | 7th | ||||
| 2000-01 | 7th | ||||
| 2001-02 | 3rd | ||||
| 2002-03 | 7th | ||||
| 2003-04 | 6th | ||||
| 2004-05 | 6th | ||||
| 2005-06 | 5th | ||||
| 2006-07 | 6th | ||||
| 2007-08 | 6th | ||||
