UCSD Ranked First in Division II and 20th Overall in 6th Annual NCSA Collegiate Power Rankings

The National Collegiate Scouting Association (NCSA) is announced that UC San Diego has earned a listing in the 6th Annual NCSA Collegiate Power Rankings.

NCSA’s 2008 Collegiate Power Rankings rate colleges and universities comprehensively based on student-athlete graduation rates, academic strength and athletic prowess of the university. The institutions posted in the 2008 Power Rankings are in an elite group of less than 6 percent of colleges and universities across the nation.

UCSD was the top-ranked Division II school and earned a No. 20 national ranking overall.

“Obviously we are extremely proud to be ranked first among all Division II schools and 20th overall in the Collegiate Power Rankings,” UCSD Director of Athletics Earl Edwards said. “We pride ourselves on our academic and athletic success and this ranking confirms that. It’s a tremendous honor to be recognized on a national level by a group like the NCSA.”

The

Collegiate Power Rankings

from NCSA are calculated for each college and university at the NCAA Division I, II and III levels by averaging the U.S. News & World Report ranking, the U.S. Sports Academy Directors’ Cup ranking and the NCAA student-athlete graduation rate of each college/university. The collegiate power rankings are based off of the U.S. Sports Academy Directors’ Cup rating which evaluates the strength of NCAA athletic departments, while the U.S. News & World Report rating recognizes institutions of academic excellence. The student-athlete graduation rates are based on those provided by the NCAA. New for 2008, NCSA distinguished the top national and liberal arts colleges from the list of comprehensive colleges.

“For a school to be at the top of a list of more than 1,000 NCAA schools with athletic programs is remarkable,” said Chris Krause, Founder and President of NCSA and the originator of the NCSA Collegiate Power Rankings list.

“The University of California at San Diego has made it to the top 2 percent overall in the rankings because of their commitment to academics and athletics, as well as their commitment to graduating their student-athletes,” Krause said. “NCSA’s power rankings objectively help prospective student-athletes compare each of their collegiate opportunities so they can make the most educated decision possible when it comes to their future. To be listed as one of the top schools in the 2008 NCSA Power Rankings shows dedication and commitment to running a first class program, and the institution deserves to be recognized.”

In addition to the collegiate power rankings, NCSA publishes recruiting guidelines and provides education to the nation’s top clubs, camps, and combines to high school athletic directors, coaches and families of student-athletes who are interested in competing at the next level.

“The backbone of NCSA is education,” said Krause. “The NCSA staff consists of more than 70 former collegiate athletes and college coaches whose focus is to match college coaches with qualified and committed student athletes, maximizing their collegiate recruiting potential.”

Top 10 Overall

1. Williams College
2. Amherst College
3. Middlebury College
4. Washington University in St. Louis
5. Stanford University
6. Duke University
7. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
8. Tufts University
9. (tie) Emory University
10. (tie) Princeton University

Division I

1. Stanford University
2. Duke University
3. Princeton University
4. Harvard University
5. University of Notre Dame
6. John Hopkins University
7. University of Pennsylvania
8. Northwestern University
9. (tie) Cornell University
10. (tie) Yale University

Division II

1. UC San Diego
2. Stonehill College
3. Merrimack College
4. Colorado School of Mines
5. Eckerd College
6. University of North Dakota
7. University of Massachusetts - Lowell
8. St. Michael’s College
9. Pace University
10. Adelphi University

Division III

1. Williams College
2. Amherst College
3. Middlebury College
4. Washington University in St. Louis
5. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
6. Tufts University
7. Emory University
8. Haverford College
9. John Hopkins University
10. Washington and Lee University