General 6/21/2012 1:36:00 PM

OCU finishes 13th in Director's Cup standings

Stars capture single-season school-record five national championships

OCU won its eighth national championship for the most among NAIA men's golf.

OKLAHOMA CITY – Oklahoma City University's single-season school-record five national championships boosted the Stars to a 13th-place finish in the 2011-12 NAIA National Association of College Directors of Athletics Director's Cup standings.
OCU captured national titles in women's basketball, men's golf and women's wrestling while taking two crowns in cheerleading in 2011-12. The Stars increased their total to 46 national championships.
The Stars also won the NWCA National Duals women's crown while finishing as NAIA softball runner-up, fifth in the NAIA World Series, fifth in the NAIA men's wrestling championships, eighth in the NAIA women's golf championships and advancing to the NAIA women's soccer championships this season. OCU improved on its 32nd-place standing after the winter season.
OCU has captured a national championship each year the past 18 years. Since 1996-97, OCU has 11 top-10 finishes in the NAIA Director's Cup standings and has finished in the top 13 nationally for 15 consecutive years.
Academically, OCU's athletic department registered its 20th consecutive semester with a cumulative 3.0 grade-point average.
“I can't say enough about the great work that our coaches and student-athletes do every year here,” OCU athletic director Jim Abbott said. “The Director's Cup standings are a great indicator of the overall success of our department. When you realize that Director's Cup standings don't even take into account the achievements of our cheerleading, rowing, and women's wrestling programs, it speaks to the fact that this past year was one of our best.”
OCU's athletic achievements in 2011-12:

• OCU won its sixth NAIA Division I women's basketball championship to tie for the most in the NAIA.
• OCU captured its eighth NAIA men's golf championship, most in the NAIA.
• Took NAIA cheerleading titles in large coed and all-girl categories.
• OCU's fourth consecutive Women's College Wrestling Association national championship.
• Fifth National Wrestling Coaches Association National Duals women's wrestling title in a row.
• NAIA national-tournament appearances in baseball, softball, men's and women's golf, women's soccer and men's wrestling.
• Reached NAIA softball championship game for the NAIA-high 13th time, finishing as runner-up after a 1-0, nine-inning loss to Shorter (Ga.).
• Made the NAIA World Series for the 14th time overall and fifth consecutive year.
• OCU's highest finish in the NAIA wrestling championships at fifth place.
• Advanced to the NAIA women's soccer championships for the sixth time ever.
• Reached No. 1 in the NAIA rankings in baseball, women's basketball, men's golf and women's golf, finishing as No. 1 in the women's basketball and men's golf ratings.
• Fourth consecutive NAIA Baseball Championship Opening Round Tournament title.
• Won an NAIA Championship Opening-Round women's soccer match for the second consecutive year.
• Second-place finish in Division II STUNT cheerleading championships.
• Third-place finish in NAIA's large dance squad category of NCA/NDA NAIA College Nationals.
• Sooner Athletic Conference regular-season championships in baseball and women's soccer as well as the co-championship in women's basketball.
• OCU's 15th SAC men's golf title in 16 years and 18th SAC men's golf crown overall.
• SAC Tournament championships in women's basketball and softball.
• Fifty-nine all-Americans, including 15 each in cheerleading and women's wrestling.
• WCWA champions Emily Webster (101 pounds), Joey Miller (116), Michaela Hutchison (123), Jennifer Page (143), Kristie Davis (155) and Brittany Delgado (191). Delgado and Hutchison each became three-time champions and four-time all-Americans.
• OCU's first NAIA men's wrestling champion, Kevin Hardy, who captured the 165-pound crown. Nik Turner was NAIA runner-up at 157.
• In the Dad Vail Regatta, Edgars Boitmanis won the men's single sculling event. Jane Imfeld finished third.
• USA Canoe/Kayak Collegiate Sprint National Championships male winner Cedric Bond.
• USA Canoe/Kayak Collegiate Sprint National Championships female winner Kaitlyn McElroy.
• NAIA, SAC baseball player of the year Miguel Beltran, who led college baseball with 27 home runs.
• NAIA, SAC softball pitcher of the year Lily LaVelle, who set NAIA strikeout records for a season (540) and a career (1,411).
• Four NAIA Central Qualifying Group wrestling champions – Kidd Gomez at 125, Nik Turner at 157, Derek Peperas at 174 and Mitchell Eichenauer at 197.
• SAC women's basketball player of the year Dietra Caldwell.
• SAC men's golf individual champion Clark Collier, who became OCU's third four-time all-American in men's golf.
• SAC women's soccer defender of the year Brenna Skillern for the second year in a row.
• OCU's first all-SAC cross country runner, Raechel Brown.
• Four Stars taken in the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft – Dane Phillips in the second round, Blake Schwartz in the 17th round, Beltran in the 19th and Chad Carman in the 24th. Phillips became the highest drafted OCU baseball player and first in the 2012 draft taken from the NAIA. OCU has had the first player selected from the NAIA in the MLB Draft three out of the last four years.
• OCU's softball coaching staff led by Phil McSpadden garnered NFCA NAIA coaching staff of the year as well as NAIA Southwest Region coaching staff of the year. McSpadden was SAC coach of the year.
• OCU men's golf coach Kyle Blaser took NAIA coach of the year for the seventh time, the most of any coach. Blaser was also SAC coach of the year.
• OCU women's basketball coach Rob Edmisson was NAIA Phyllis Holmes coach of the year and shared the SAC coach of the year award.

Other OCU athletic achievements:

• Forty-six national championships.
• Most NAIA championships in men's basketball (six), women's basketball (six), men's golf (eight), women's golf (five) and softball (eight).
• Won at least one national championship in every year since 1993-94 academic year.
• Winningest baseball program in nation since 1991 with 1,118.
• Most combined men's and women's soccer wins among NAIA programs.

Points in the Director's Cup standings are awarded based on each institution's finish in up to 12 sports, six men's and six women's. Azusa Pacific (Calif.) won the NAIA Director's Cup for the eighth consecutive year. Click here for the final 2011-12 standings.

Print Friendly Version