Stevens Institute of Technology named ECAC Institution of the Year
Geoffrey Lopes (ECAC)
CENTERVILLE, Mass. -- Eastern College Athletic Conference Commissioner Dr. Kevin T. McGinniss announced today that Stevens Institute of Technology has been named the Eastern College Athletic Conference Jostens’ Institution of the Year for the 2012-2013 academic year. Stevens will be recognized at the 2013 ECAC Honors dinner held in conjunction with the 25th Annual ECAC Convention and Trade Show that will be held September 29-October 1 at the Sea Crest Beach Hotel in North Falmouth, Mass. The Honors Dinner is on Sunday, September 29 at 6:30pm.
The ECAC Jostens’ Institution of the Year is presented annually to the ECAC institution that best exemplifies the highest standards of collegiate academics and athletic performance. The selection process is based annually on participation and success of an institution’s athletic program in recognition of the following selection criteria: documentation and confirmation of academic success by the institution’s student-athlete population; the number of ECAC championships won; number of institution’s teams selected for participation in ECAC championships; and National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup Points.
“Stevens Institute of Technology is honored to be selected as the 2013 ECAC Institution of the Year. The list of previous winners is truly an impressive group of institutions that represent both academic and athletic excellence and we are thrilled to have been chosen as the recipient for the second time,” Director of Athletics Russell Rogers said. “I want to recognize the Stevens community for its strong support of our athletic program and of course thank the coaches, staff and all of our student-athletes for their hard work and dedication. We also are very grateful to the ECAC for such a prestigious award and look forward to attending the Honors Dinner in September.”
This marks the second time Stevens has earned the award, adding to its 2008 Institution of the Year award. The Ducks join Princeton University (three) and Williams College (six) as the only multiple winners of the ECAC Jostens’ Institution of the year award, which was established in 1995.
Stevens totaled 16.665 aggregate points to edge reigning Institution of the Year Williams (15.700) and Princeton (15.335), the 2010-2011 Institution of the Year.
The Ducks participated in nine ECAC championship events in 2012-2013, claiming titles in the Men’s and Women’s Preseason Swimming and Diving Championships as well as the 2012 ECAC Mid-Atlantic Field Hockey Championship. In the pool, the men’s swimming and diving team won by 1,024 points over New York University and the women’s swimming and diving team had a 488 point win over Siena College. It was the third consecutive title for the men and the second straight championship for the women. On the turf, the field hockey team defeated FDU-Florham 3-0 in the championship game to claim the ECAC Field Hockey tournament.
“For Stevens student-athletes to be collectively recognized by the ECAC for their outstanding athletic accomplishments as well as their achievements in the classroom is truly an honor,” Stevens’ President Nariman Farvardin said. “It is no easy task to balance both athletics and academics at very high levels, but our student-athletes – led by the example set by our unequaled coaching and athletic department staff – have remained true to our strategic priority: Excellence in All We Do.”
In the classroom, 87 of Stevens’ student-athletes were named the Empire 8 Athletic Conference President’s List. Recipients of this honor must earn a 3.75 grade point average or higher and must display positive conduct on and off campus. In addition, the Ducks placed 14 teams on the President’s List. To earn this distinction, teams must have a grade point average of 3.2 or higher. The Stevens’ teams on this list posted a combined grade point average of 3.31.
The Stevens’ athletic department finished 27th in the final Learfield Directors’ Cup standings for the 2012-2013 academic year, the second top-30 finish in school history. This marks the fifth consecutive top-40 finish for the Ducks and sixth since 2005. The Learfield Sports Directors’s Cup ranks institutions on program-wide success at the national level and was developed as a joint effort between NACDA and USA Today. Points are awarded based on each institution’s finish in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) tournament and/or Championships in up to 18 sports (9 women’s and 9 men’s). Stevens earned Fall points in men’s soccer; Winter points from women’s indoor track and field, men’s basketball, wrestling, and men’s and women’s swimming; and Spring points from men’s lacrosse, men’s volleyball and men’s tennis.