Carolina Women Athletes Earn Capital One Cup

Posted on June 13, 2013

Boosted by NCAA soccer and lacrosse national championships, a runner-up finish in the field hockey championship and a fourth-place finish in the final tennis coaches’ poll, Carolina women athletes pulled away from Stanford and have won this year’s Capital One Cup.

The cup measures the best Division I programs with points based on a school’s teams’ top 10 finishes in national championships and in final official coaches’ polls across 20 women’s and 19 men’s sports.

The Carolina men finished tied for No. 9 with Syracuse in the Capital One Cup; the men’s results were determined after the conclusion of the College World Series. UCLA was the winner of the men’s cup, followed by Indiana, Texas A&M, Florida, Duke, Alabama, Michigan and Louisville.

For the women, this is the Tar Heels’ first top finish in the cup’s three years, and they will be recognized at the annual ESPY awards July 17. Stanford won the first two. UNC will receive $200,000 toward athletic scholarships.

Stanford earned points from the tennis national championship and nine other top 10 finishes, finishing 10.5 points behind the Heels’ 140. Oregon made a late-season run with a third-place finish at the outdoor track and field championships and the No. 9 spot in the final softball coaches’ poll. Rounding out the top 10 were Texas, Penn State, Florida, Oklahoma, a tie between Kansas and Southern California, and Connecticut.

“This is a wonderful accomplishment by our women’s sports programs and the entire Carolina community congratulates these outstanding women for their achievement,” Athletics Director Bubba Cunningham said.

The soccer championship was Carolina’s 21st in the NCAA and 22nd overall; the lacrosse title was its first.

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