University of Florida Women's Athletics Program Earns Its First Capital One Cup Trophy

MCLEAN, Va., June 19, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- The women's athletics program at the University of Florida has achieved one of the highest honors in college sports, earning the 2013-2014 Capital One Cup. The Gator women finished first in the final Capital One Cup standings, claiming their first Capital One Cup title and $200,000 toward student-athlete scholarships.  The Capital One Cup trophy, which is awarded to the best men's and women's Division I athletics programs in the country, will be formally presented to Florida during the ESPY Awards ceremony in Los Angeles on July 16.

Boosted by a national co-championship in Gymnastics this winter, along with strong finishes in Indoor Track & Field and Lacrosse, the Gators stayed near the top of an incredibly tight group of schools heading into the final weeks of the season. After two-time Capital One Cup champion Stanford University moved into first with a spring Water Polo championship, it looked as if the Cardinal would power their way to a third trophy in four years.  An inspiring run to win the NCAA^® Women's College World Series^® changed that though, as Florida leapfrogged perennial powerhouses UCLA and Stanford to take pole position in the standings.  A fourth place finish in the NCAA^® Outdoor Track & Field Championships this month ensured victory, and the Gator women delivered the third overall Capital One Cup trophy to Gainesville. The win for the Florida women comes on the heels of the Florida men winning back-to-back Capital One Cup trophies in 2011 and 2012, showcasing across-the-board balance within a championship-caliber Athletics Department.

"This is a wonderful accomplishment by our women's athletics program, and we'd like to congratulate the female student-athletes, coaches and support staff that helped make this possible," said University of Florida Athletics Director Jeremy Foley. "As our Gator women join our former men's athletics Capital One Cup champions, it is a credit to the unbelievable hard work and dedication of the University of Florida athletics community and the support of our fans.  Additionally, we would like to thank Capital One for its support of college athletics."

All season long, the top of the women's standings remained tight.  National championships in Soccer and Tennis ensured that UCLA finished second, forty-two points off the pace of Florida, while Stanford's Water Polo title and top-10 finishes in basketball and volleyball boosted them to a third-place finish in the standings. Rounding out the top-10 were Maryland (4), Texas A&M (5), Connecticut (T-6), Oregon (T-6), Texas (T-6), Penn State (9) and last year's Cup winners North Carolina (10).

Below are the official Capital One Cup women's final standings for the 2013-2014 season, with the top-10 point earners in women's Division I athletics listed.  

"Every year the race for the Capital One Cup is filled with drama, and this season was no exception," said Jennie Finch, Capital One Cup Advisory Board member, Olympic Gold Medalist and former University of Arizona student-athlete and Women's College World Series champion. "Seeing the University of Florida climb back into the race with a national co-championship in gymnastics and then surge into the lead with an amazing Women's College World Series championship run was unbelievable—something every student-athlete at Florida should be proud of.  An award like the Capital One Cup speaks volumes because it celebrates student-athletes across so many sports."

"Congratulations to the University of Florida women's athletics program on winning this year's Capital One Cup," said Marc Mentry, Senior Vice President at Capital One. "The Gators showed balance and power all year long, making for an exciting finish to the fourth season of the Capital One Cup as they were able to hold off serious challenges from powerhouse programs UCLA and Stanford. We're looking forward to honoring Florida at the ESPY Awards next month."

Highlights from the Capital One Cup during the 2013-2014 athletics season include:

• Florida won its first ever NCAA^® Softball championship after making it to the Women's College World Series six times in the last seven years
• UCLA survived three extra-time games in the NCAA^® Women's College Cup, including a 1-0 victory over Florida State in the final, to claim the school's 1^st national championship in Women's Soccer
• Connecticut dominated the early season with national championships in Field Hockey and Basketball
• Penn State took home its fifth NCAA^® volleyball national championship in seven years
• For the first time ever co-champions were declared in Gymnastics, as both Florida and Oklahoma were awarded the title
• Maryland continued to dominate Women's Lacrosse, winning it's 11^th national title
• Combined, 96 schools earned points in the Capital One Cup women's standings

Schools earn points based on their teams' top-10 finishes in NCAA Division I championships and in final official coaches' polls across 20 women's and 19 men's sports as they compete to win the Capital One Cup trophy and a combined $400,000 in scholarships for student-athletes.

The Capital One Cup men's winning athletics program will be announced after the conclusion of the NCAA College World Series in late June. Last year, the UCLA men's athletics program claimed the Capital One Cup by virtue of a College World Series win.

To view the current men's standings and the final women's standings, please visit www.CapitalOneCup.com. Fans can join in on the conversation at Facebook.com/CapitalOneCup and Twitter.com/CapitalOneCup.

About Capital One

Capital One Financial Corporation (www.capitalone.com) is a financial holding company whose subsidiaries, which include Capital One, N.A., and Capital One Bank (USA), N. A., had $208.3 billion in deposits and $290.5 billion in total assets as of March 31, 2014. Headquartered in McLean, Virginia, Capital One offers a broad spectrum of financial products and services to consumers, small businesses and commercial clients through a variety of channels. Capital One, N.A. has approximately 900 branch locations primarily in New York, New Jersey, Texas, Louisiana, Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia. A Fortune 500 company, Capital One trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "COF" and is included in the S&P 100 index.

Capital One, an NCAA Corporate Champion, began its affiliation with college sports with the sponsorship of the 2001 Capital One Florida Citrus Bowl (now the Capital One Bowl) and ESPN's Capital One Bowl Week. In addition, Capital One sponsors the ABC College Football Halftime Report, Capital One All-America Mascot team, Capital One Academic All-America Program, and supports all 89 NCAA Championships including the Division I Men's and Women's Basketball Championships, and numerous other collegiate athletics programs.

NCAA and CWS are trademarks owned or licensed by the National Collegiate Athletic Association.  All other licenses or trademarks are property of their respective holders.

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