Directors' Cup, Future NCAA Student-Athlete and Women's Wrestling - Jul 02, 2008
posted by: Howard Smith
- Be sure to check out the recently-posted Campus Connection, where I interviewed Julie Ruppert, the new commissioner of Division II's Northeast-10 Conference. Julie is the only Division II female conference commissioner in the country and has some interesting things to say.
- The National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) recently announced the 2008 Directors' Cup winners, an award that annually goes to the best overall athletics program in each division. No surprises this year in any of the three division - in Division I, Stanford won its 14th consecutive title, while Grand Valley State took home the prize in Division II for the fifth straight time. Finally, Williams was victorious at the Division III level for the 10th consecutive year. A common theme with all of these programs is a focus on academics - it is evident that they really care and do everything that they can to make their student-athletes as successful both in the classroom and on the field. Congratulations once again to these fine programs.
- While the winner of each division usually gets the headline in the Directors' Cup standings, there are other great stories out there as well. How about Division II Southwest Baptist, a school that had never finished in the top 100 in the standings, until this year when it came in 67th place. According to athletic director Jeff Guiot, this has been a long-term objective for the athletics department: "We've never broken into the top 100 before. That was a goal we set and we feel good about it. That's a big, big boost for us."
- The U.S. Olympic swimming trials are still going on in Omaha, and the story remains that world records continue to fall. Yesterday, two more world records were set, and surprisingly, Michael Phelps' name was not involved. Natalie Coughlin and Aaron Peirsol broke their own previous world records, both in the 100-meter backstroke. We will discuss swimming in more detail in the upcoming days, including whether the new LZR Racer swimsuits are actually good for the sport and what their impact is on intercollegiate swimming.
- On the Double-A Zone, we love to highlight student-athletes who get "it," and here is another example. Jamarkus McFarland, a soon-to-be senior in high school, is the top defensive prospect in the class of 2009. The schools on his short-list are currently LSU, Oklahoma, and Texas. But here's the real story...McFarland's GPA is in the top 20 percent of his class and he is also the senior-class president. He says all the right things: "I want people to know I'm more than a football player." He has his sights set on becoming a physical therapist or a strength and conditioning coach, but based on the way things are going now, those plans might have to hold off for a few years for the NFL.
