NAU earns Big Sky Conference Presidents’ Cup for second-straight year

Women's volleyball team

SAAC 2013-14For the second year in a row, Northern Arizona University’s student athletes have captured the Big Sky Conference Presidents’ Cup. The victory comes just weeks after claiming the Big Sky Men’s and Women’s All-Sports Trophies in May.

The conference award, now in its 12th year, recognizes overall athletic program success by combining team grade point averages, Academic Progress Rates, and All-Conference performers with grade point averages of at least 3.0.

“Sustained excellence is difficult to achieve in collegiate athletics, but NAU has now reached that level. To win the Big Sky Presidents’ Cup two years running, and for the third time in the past eight years, is a tribute to the hard work of our student athletes, our coaches and the staff,” said NAU President John Haeger. “Under the leadership of Lisa Campos, NAU athletics has re-established itself as a point of pride for the institution.”

The NAU men teams won the cross-country, indoor track and field, and outdoor track and field Big Sky Championships. The Lumberjack football and basketball teams finished second and the tennis team tied for third.

NAU’s women won the indoor track and field and outdoor track and field Big Sky Championships. They finished second in soccer and tennis and third in cross-country.

NAU had 33 All-Conference student athletes finish with a GPA of 3.0 or better. The university had an overall student-athlete GPA of 3.17, with eight of its teams that competed in the Big Sky Conference reaching a GPA of at least 3.1. The soccer team recorded the top GPA at 3.44, followed by women’s tennis at 3.40 and women’s cross-country at 3.34.

“We are so excited to receive the news about the Presidents’ Cup,” said Lisa Campos, NAU vice president for Intercollegiate Athletics. “Our student athletes have worked tirelessly in the classroom, in the community and in competition to help keep the cup here in Flagstaff.”

NAU joins Weber State as one of only two institutions to win the honor in consecutive years.