Tempe, Ariz.—The Arizona State University athletic department finished 27th in the 2013-14 Learfield Sports Director’s Cup, according to the final rankings released by National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) last week.
Arizona State finished with 793.25 points, with its top point contributors coming from women’s golf (75.0), men’s outdoor track and field (62.25), and football (54.0).
In the 21-year history of the annual competition, which is held to determine the top broad-based athletic program in the nation, Arizona State has finished in the top-30 each season.
BRYAN McBRIDE WINS 2014 NCAA OUTDOOR HIGH JUMP TITLE
SHELBY HOULIHAN WINS 2014 NCAA 1500M OUTDOOR TITLE
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Overall, Stanford won the competition with 1,482.0 points, followed by Florida with 1,216.50 points, and Notre Dame in third with 1,128.25 points. Rounding out the top-five was Virginia with 1,118.50 points and Penn State with 1,113.00 points.
Of the 19 sports counted, ASU had 10 score more than 45.0 points, led by WOMEN’S GOLF, which scored 75.0 points for the second year in a row after its fifth-place finish at the NCAA Championships. The team recorded 10 top-five finishes out of 12 tournaments, including a second place finish at the PING/ASU Invitational. First-team All-American Noemi Jimenez led the team throughout the season with seven top-five finishes, including a first place finish at the NCAA West Regionals. For the second straight season, the team placed its entire line-up on the Pac-12 All-Academic team. Jimenez earned All-Pac-12 first team honors and was the Pac-12 Women’s Golfer of the Month (March) and shot a career-low 66 in the final round of the Northrop Grumman Regional Challenge, the lowest round of the season for the Sun Devil. Freshman Monica Vaughn recorded three top-10 finishes in her debut season and earned All-Pac-12 honorable mention honor. Senior Justine Lee recorded the two lowest rounds for the Sun Devils with a 2-under 68 in rounds two and four at the NCAA Finals, while senior Dani Ordonez named to the WGCA Academic All-American Scholar Team and the Pac-12 All-Academic first team for the third season in a rowTeam placed its entire line-up on the Pac-12 All-Academic team for the second straight season and on the WGCA Academic All-American Scholar Team.
WGCA All-American: Noemi Jimenez (first team)
WGCA All-Region: Noemi Jimenez (West)
WGCA Academic All-Americans: Dani Ordonez, Justine Lee, Noemi Jimenez, Emilie Alonso, Monica Vaughn
All-Pac-12 Conference: Noemi Jimenez (first team), Monica Vaughn (HM)
Pac-12 All-Academic: Emilie Alonso (first team), Noemi Jimenez (first team), Dani Ordonez (first team), Justine Lee (second team), Laura Blanco (HM)
MEN’S OUTDOOR TRACK AND FIELD was propelled to a 13th-place finish and 62.25 points behind the efforts of high jump NCAA Champion Bryan McBride, and the members of the All-American 4x100m relay and 4x400m relay teams: Keith Cleveland (4x400m), Daveon Collins (4x100m/4x400m), Will Henry (4x100m/4x400m), Devan Spann (4x100m/4x400m), and Ryan Milus (4x100m). The 4x100m relay team finished seventh at the NCAA Championships while the 4x400m relay placed fifth with a season best time of 3:04.11.
FOOTBALL (10-4, 8-1 Pac-12) earned 54 points for playing in the National University Holiday Bowl in 2013. The Sun Devils were Pac-12 South Champions and won 10 games for the 12th season in school history, earning second-year head coach Todd Graham Pac-12 Coach of the Year. The offense set the second-best marks in school history in total points scored with 556 and total offensive yards at 6,402, while the defense registered more than 100 tackles for loss for the second consecutive season. Defensive lineman Will Sutton was named the Pac-12 Pat Tillman Defensive Player of the Year and an Associated Press First Team All-American for the second consecutive season, and 17 Devils earned All-Pac-12 honors, tied for the most in program history.
COACH GRAHAM EARNS PAC-12 2013 COACH OF THE YEAR
GYMNASTICS earned 52.50 points in their 19th-place finish in the country in 2013-14. In the final season of head coach John Spini’s 34-year career, the Sun Devils placed fourth at the NCAA Fayetteville Regional. The longest tenured coach in ASU history, Spini finished his career with a record of 358-235-2, all with the Sun Devils. Under Spini, the Sun Devils have qualified for 33 NCAA Regionals.
MEN’S SWIMMING earned 28 team points at the NCAA Championships for 23rd overall and 50.50 Director’s Cup points. Senior Riley McCormick was the national runner up in the 1-meter dive to become an All-American for the third time in his career. The Sun Devils also sent senior Alex Coci and freshman Luke Clohessy to the national meet.
SOFTBALL (46-12-1, 15-7-1 Pac-12) finished third in the Pac-12 Conference and wrapped up the 2014 season with an NCAA Regional appearance under first year head coach Craig Nicholson. The Sun Devils made their 26th appearance in NCAA Tournament history, the fourth-highest tally of the 64 teams in this year’s tournament behind only UCLA, Arizona and Florida State. It also marked the 10th consecutive NCAA appearance for ASU. Dallas Escobedo and Amber Freeman were each honored as NFCA Second-Team All-Americans on the season while Freeman and Bailey Wigness were named Capital One Academic All-Americans.
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL (23-10/11-7 in the Pac-12) earned 50 points following a remarkable season in which it finished fourth in the Pac-12 (picked to finish 10th by the league’s coaches) and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament where it fell to then-unbeaten and eventual national finalist Notre Dame. ASU was ranked as high as No. 11 in the AP poll during the season. The Sun Devils won all but one of their non-conference games, including upsets over No. 11 North Carolina and No. 20 Syracuse. ASU would also upset No. 15 Cal during conference play. The Sun Devils recorded several notable accomplishments during the season, including a 14-1 record at home and a 10-game winning streak, which tied the second-longest winning streak in school history. In addition, head Charli Turner Thorne moved up to the No. 2 spot on the Pac-12’s all-time list for career wins.
WOMEN’S OUTDOOR TRACK AND FIELD earned 48.50 points with it’s 22nd place finish at the NCAA Championships, led by Shelby Houlihan, who won ASU’s first title in the 1500m run in program history. Houlihan also doubled at the Pac-12 Outdoor track and field championships in the 1500m and 5000m races.
MEN’S INDOOR TRACK AND FIELD earned 46.50 points with its 26th place finish at the NCAA Championships. The Sun Devils were led by redshirt senior Ryan Milus, who finished as the national runner up in the 60m dash. Freshman Tatum Benard-Taylor earned second-team All-America honors in the 60m dash as well.
WATER POLO qualified for the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history, taking fifth overall at the NCAA Championships with a 6-5 victory over UC Irvine to finish the season with a 17-11 overall record. For the second consecutive season, the Sun Devils posted four student-athletes on the All-American team and the program has had three or more All-American selections in each of the past four seasons – a feat the team accomplished just once in 10 previous seasons. E.B. Keeve set the school record for saves per game with 12.80 while leading the nation in the category and was named an All-American alongside Ao Gao, Petra Pardi and Alkistis Benekou.
WOMEN’S INDOOR TRACK AND FIELD earned 43.50 points with its 29th place finish at the NCAA Championships. Houlihan and Jelmini each earned All-America honors in the mile and shot put, respectively, while Houlihan also picked up second-team All-America honors in the 3000m.
MEN’S GOLF earned 40 points with its NCAA Regional appearance under third-year head coach Tim Mickelson. Sophomore Jon Rahm earned honorable mention All-America honors for the second time in his career and set the Sun Devil record with a 21-under 192 at the ASU Thunderbird Invitational in March held at ASU Karsten Golf Course. ASU has won two NCAA titles (1990 and 1996) and its 12 Pac-10/12 titles are the most in the conference since it joined in 1978-79.
WOMEN’S SWIMMING placed 41st at the NCAA Championships and earned 32.50 points toward the Director’s Cup. Senior Tristin Baxter and redshirt senior Hailey Casper competed at the national meet. Casper placed 12th in the 1-meter finals and 14th in the 3-meter event.
MEN’s CROSS COUNTRY placed 32nd in the nation and earned 27 points toward the Director’s Cup. Freshman Bernie Monotya became ASU’s first All-West-Region honoree since 2010 as he placed 20th at the regional meet, leading the Sun Devils to a fifth-place finish.
BASEBALL (33-24, 19-11 Pac-12) earned 25 points for its NCAA Tournament appearance in 2014. The Sun Devils notched their 52nd consecutive 30-win season, finished third in the Pac-12 and qualified for the postseason for the fourth time in the past five years. Six Sun Devils earned Pac-12 All-Conference honors, including four first-team selections, and a program-best nine Devils received Pac-12 All-Academic recognition. ASU closed out historic Packard Stadium with a 2-0 win on May 20 and secured the highest average regular-season attendance on the West Coast and in the Pac-12 for the 10th consecutive year.
WOMEN’S TENNIS (18-7, 5-5 Pac-12) earned it’s 27th consecutive bid to the NCAA Championships, and finished 33rd in the nation for 25 Director’s Cup points. 30-year head coach Sheila McInerney has totaled 29 NCAA appearances with the Sun Devils. Sophomore Desirae Krawczyk competed in the NCAA Women’s Tennis Singles Championships, rounding out an impressive regular season and postseason with the senior-less squad. ASU was a perfect 14-0 in Tempe in 2014 for the first time in recent history.
VOLLEYBALL (19-14, 8-12 Pac-12) earned 25 points for its NCAA Tournament appearance in 2013. ASU recorded back-to-back tournament appearances for the first time since the 1999-2000 seasons, led by All-Pac-12 Team selection Macey Gardner and All-Freshman Team selection BreElle Bailey. The Sun Devils opened the 2013 campaign with one of the best records in recent history, and even swept then-defending champion Texas during the non-conference slate.
SAND VOLLEYBALL (6-5) hosted its inaugural season in the spring of 2014, with three matches at the PERA Club. On their home courts, the Sun Devils debuted against Nebraska, and wrapped up the season with wins over Arizona and Boise State. In its first year, ASU picked up a crucial Territorial Cup series point with two of three wins over the rival Wildcats. The duo of Nora Tuioti-Mariner and Andi Lowrance led the way with a 9-4 record in the No. 5 position, while Macey Gardner and Whitney Follette recorded an 8-5 pairs record at the No. 2 spot.
MEN’S BASKETBALL (21-12, 10-8 Pac-12) earned 25 points for its NCAA Tournament appearance. The Sun Devils notched its fifth 20-win season under Coach Sendek and had their best home record in 40 years with a 16-1 mark. Jahii Carson earned first-team All-Pac-12 honors for the second time, while Jordan Bachynski led the nation in blocks and was named Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year. Bachynski finished his career as the Pac-12 record holder for blocks in a career (314) and season (133 in 2013-14 and second with 120 in 2012-13). ASU’s 69-66 double overtime win over No. 2 Arizona on Valentine’s Day was its highest win over a ranked opponent at home in school history. ASU now has five 20-win seasons under Coach Sendek in his eight years after posting three the previous 25 seasons.
WRESTLING (9-8, 4-1 Pac-12) earned 15 points toward the cause as redshirt sophomore Blake Stauffer competed at the 2014 NCAA Wrestling Championships in Oklahoma City. Unseeded, Stauffer picked up wins over the No. 8 and No. 9 seeds to round out the season.
SOCCER (9-8-2, 4-5-2 in Pac-12 which was tie for 6th) saw head coach Kevin Boyd become the all-time leader in career wins at Arizona State (now has 63). ASU’s final 9-8-2 record represented the fifth time in Boyd’s seven seasons that it finished with a winning record. On Oct. 6, 2013, ASU came through with one of the biggest wins in program history as it defeated (then) second-ranked Stanford 1-0 in Palo Alto and ended the Cardinal’s 73-match unbeaten streak at home and its 44-match winning streak in conference play. With the win over Stanford, Boyd became the all-time leader in career wins at Arizona State with 61 (now has 63) and it was also the third time ASU upset a Top 10 team under Boyd. ASU also came from behind to defeat eventual NCAA Tournament participant Utah (2-1 in double-overtime) in the regular-season home finale. Devin Marshall concluded her Sun Devil career ranked eighth on ASU’s all-time goals list with 22, ninth in scoring with 54 points and tied for sixth in game-winning goals with 7, while Cali Farquharson set the school record for the most consecutive games scoring a goal (8 - last three games in 2012 and first five games of 2013).
Attendance Breakdown: 9 home dates; total attendance: 6,143; average attendance: 683
Soccer 2013 Individual Honors
All-Pac-12: McKenzie Berryhill (second team), Cali Farquharson (second team), Devin Marshall (honorable mention).
NSCAA All-Pacific Region: Cali Farquharson (second team), Kaitlyn Pavlovich (second team), McKenzie Berryhill (third team)
Pac-12 Scholar Athlete of the Year: Jasmine Roth
Pac-12 All-Academic: Holland Crook (first team), Cali Farquharson (first team), Kaitlyn Pavlovich (first team), Jasmine Roth (first team), Blair Alderson (HM), Jessica Domenichelli (HM), Tommi Goodman (HM), Devin Marshall (HM), Alyssa Martinez (HM), Chandler Morris (HM), Rachael Ritter (HM) Sara Tosti (HM).
Capital One Academic All-America Team: Jasmine Roth (second team) and Kaitlyn Pavlovich (third team)
Capital One Academic All-District Team: Jasmine Roth (first team), Kaitlyn Pavlovich (first team), Cali Farquharson (first team)
NSCAA Women’s Scholar All-West Region Team: Kaitlyn Pavlovich (second team), Jasmine Roth (honorable mention)
Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week: Devin Marshall (Sept. 10 and Oct. 1), Sara Tosti (Oct. 8)
CS360 National Primetime Performer of the Week: Devin Marshall (Sept. 10)
CS360 National Primetime Performers Honor Roll: McKenzie Berryhill (Oct. 7), Kaitlyn Pavlovich (Nov. 4)
The Cup, which has carried the names of several different sponsors, was started in the early 1970's by the Knoxville Journal with the newspaper awarding points based upon finishes in the national meets and tallying three standings: men, women and combined. Under that format, ASU climbed its way into the Top 5 on several occasions as a combined program, finishing second in 1981 after placing third in 1976, 1977 and 1978. When USA Today took over compiling the numbers in the late 1980's, the Sun Devils finished in the Top 10 on several occasions as a combined program with their highest finish coming in 1990 when they finished fourth after the men were fourth and women fifth in their separate divisions. This marks the sixth year that Learfield Sports has sponsored the competition.
ARIZONA STATE IN THE FINAL LEARFIELD DIRECTORS' CUP STANDINGS
2013-14 – 27th
2012-13 – 18th
2011-12 - 30th
2010-11 - 27th
2009-10 - 22nd
2008-09 - 12th
2007-08 - 4th
2006-07 - 10th
2005-06 - 13th
2004-05 - 11th
2003-04 - 17th
2002-03 - 10th
2001-02 - 15th
2000-01 - 9th
1999-00 - 11th
1998-99 - 12th
1997-98 - 12th
1996-97 - 13th
1995-96 - 21st
1994-95 - 12th
1993-94 - 10th
2013-14 Learfield Sports Directors' Cup Top 5
1. Stanford (1,482.00)
2. Florida (1,216.50)
3. Notre Dame (1,128.25)
4. Virginia (1,118.50)
5. Penn State (1,113.00)
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27. Arizona State (793.25)
Sun Devil Teams Scoring in the 2013-14 Director's Cup
75.0 – W Golf – 5th
62.25 – M Out. T&F – 13th
54.0 – Football – 20th
52.50 – Gymnastics – 19th
50.50 – M. Swimming – 23rd
50.0 – Softball – 17th
50.0 – W. Basketball – 17th
48.50 – W Out. T&F – 22nd
46.50 – M. Indoor T&F – 26th
46.0 – Water Polo – 5th
43.50 – W. Indoor T&F – 29th
40.0 – M Golf – 31st
32.50 – W. Swimming – 41st
27.0 – M XC – 32nd
25.0 – Baseball – 49th
25.0 – W Tennis – 33rd
25.0 – Volleyball – 33rd
25.0 – M. Basketball – 33rd
15.0 – Wrestling – 58th
SUN DEVIL HEAD COACHES AND SEASONS AS A SUN DEVIL
Sheila McInerney, Tennis/30th Year (hired August 16, 1984)
Greg Kraft, Track & Field/18th Year (hired on July 28, 1996)
Charli Turner Thorne, Women’s Basketball/17th Year (hired July 1, 1996)
Mark Bradshaw, Diving/16th Year (hired on July 30, 1997)
Melissa Luellen, Women’s Golf/12th Year (hired on July 16, 2002)
Louie Quintana, Men’s Cross Country/10th Year (hired on Aug. 18, 2004)
Todd Clapper, Water Polo/9th Year (hired on August 3, 2005)
Herb Sendek, Men’s Basketball/8th Year (hired on April 3, 2006)
Kevin Boyd, Women’s Soccer/7th Year (hired on March 30, 2007)
Jason Watson, Volleyball/6th Year (hired on January 29, 2008)
Dorsey Tierney-Walker, Swimming/5th year (hired on May 19, 2009)
Ryan Cole, Women’s Cross Country/3rd Year (hired on July 1, 2011)
Tim Mickelson, Men’s Golf/3rd Year (hired on July 10, 2011)
Todd Graham, Football/2nd Year (hired on Dec. 14, 2011)
Craig Nicholson, Softball/1st Year (hired on June 30, 2013)
Zeke Jones, Wrestling (hired on April 9, 2014)
René Lyst, Gymnastics (hired on May 5, 2014)
Tracy Smith, Baseball (hired on June 24, 2014)
SUN DEVIL PAC-10/12 INDIVIDUAL CHAMPIONS 2013-14
MEN’S OUTDOOR TRACK 4X400m RELAY: Keith Cleveland, Devan Spann, Will Henry, Daveon Collins
WOMEN’S OUTDOOR TRACK 1500M AND 500M: Shelby Houlihan
MEN’S SWIMMING 200 FLY: Alex Coci
MEN’S DIVING: Luke Clohessy, Platform, and Riley McCormick, 3-Meter