STANFORD, Calif. - Highlighted by NCAA championships in volleyball, swimming and diving, water polo and tennis, Stanford has captured its record sixth women's Capital One Cup.
The Capital One Cup is awarded each year to the nation's top men's and women's NCAA Division I athletics programs. The winners are determined by a system that grants points to top-10 finishes in NCAA Division I championships and in final official coaches' polls across 21 women's and 20 men's sports.
This year's victory marks the Stanford women's third consecutive trophy and sixth overall in nine years of the Capital One Cup program. The Cardinal finished with 183 points in the competition's scoring system, topping second-place UCLA by 61 points.
Bolstered by NCAA titles in gymnastics and golf, the Cardinal men finished second (88 points) behind Virginia (127 points).
Along with the trophy, Stanford and Virginia will be awarded a combined $400,000 in student-athlete scholarships on behalf of Capital One and honored at The ESPYS on Wednesday. Tami Alade, a two-time AVCA All-American, CoSIDA Academic All-American and the 2018 Pac-12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year in women's volleyball, will represent Stanford at this evening's ceremony at Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles.
"We are extremely proud to accept this year's Capital One Cup on behalf of our women's programs," said Stanford's Jaquish & Kenninger Director of Athletics Bernard Muir. "The 2018-19 athletic campaign has been truly historic, with seven national championships overall, matching our total for the most in a single season. Five of those seven national championships, including four NCAA titles, came from our women's programs, and we are humbled by the hard work and dedication of our student-athletes and coaches."
The women's Capital One Cup comes two weeks after Stanford secured its 25th consecutive Learfield IMG College Directors' Cup, which is presented annually to the most successful intercollegiate athletic department in the nation.
Of Stanford's seven total national championships in 2018-19, six were NCAA titles, tying its own record set in 1996-97 for the most by one school in a season. The Cardinal has won at least one NCAA championship during each of the last 43 years, dating back to the 1976-77 campaign. In total, Stanford varsity teams have won a record 123 NCAA championships (66 men, 57 women) and 149 national titles overall.
Stanford's 2018-19 National Champions
Stanford won an unprecedented eighth women's volleyball national championship last December, defeating Nebraska in a tense five-set thriller. The Cardinal finished 34-1 to set a program record for wins, was the first Pac-12 team to go undefeated in conference play since 2003 and featured six All-Americans, including AVCA Player of the Year Kathryn Plummer. The 2018 season marked Stanford's 38th consecutive NCAA postseason appearance and the Cardinal is one of only two programs in the national to have appeared in every tournament since the NCAA championship began in 1981.
Stanford won its third straight NCAA women's swimming and diving championship in March. The Cardinal had 18 different All-Americans combine for 51 All-America honors, including individual titles by Ella Eastin and Broke Forde. Stanford, which clinched the title with depth and several big finishes, has won 11 NCAA championships, the most all-time.
Fueled by a dominant effort from freshman Brody Malone, Stanford men's gymnastics captured the 2018 NCAA title and dethroned four-time defending champion Oklahoma in a meet that was decided in the final rotation. The championship was Stanford's sixth overall and first since 2011. Including Malone's three NCAA titles, nine different athletes secured 15 All-America honors and head coach Thom Glielmi was named NCAA Coach of the Year.
Playing in its home pool and led by Makenzie Fischer's hat trick, No. 2 Stanford scored a 9-8 victory over No. 1 USC in the NCAA women's water polo final last month. Freshman Ryann Neushul scored the game winner with 4:51 remaining in the fourth quarter - the only goal of the final frame. Stanford has won four of the last six NCAA championships and seven overall, tied for the most in the nation. Dunlevie Family Director of Women's Water Polo John Tanner was named national coach of the year for the sixth time.
Closing the year on a dominating 23-match win streak and avenging its only loss of the season, the No. 3-seed Cardinal captured its 20th NCAA championship with a 4-0 victory over No. 1 Georgia. Showcasing its depth and experience, Stanford won its second championship in a row and third in the last four years. The Cardinal improved to 50-5 in the month of May since 2010, winning five NCAA titles during that stretch.
Closing the year winning five consecutive tournaments, the No. 12-ranked men's golf team captured its ninth NCAA championship, and first since 2007, by defeating Texas, 3-2. Led by seniors Isaiah Salinda and Brandon Wu, both of whom went 3-0 in match play, Stanford beat two higher seeds in dramatic 3-2 finishes to get to the final match. Knowles Family Director of Men's Golf Conrad Ray was selected as national coach of the year.
Led by victories from its varsity eight and varsity four boats, Stanford lightweight rowing produced its fifth consecutive Intercollegiate Rowing Association Team National Championship earlier this month. The Cardinal as claimed nine IRA National Team Championships overall, the most in history. Head coach Kate Bertko has guided Stanford to the title in each of her three seasons.