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The Capital One Cup is a prolific award annually given to the best men's and women's Division I athletic programs in the country. Points toward the Capital One Cup are earned and tracked throughout the year based on final standings of NCAA Championships and final official coaches' polls. This is a significant award that definitely deserves more attention and respect. The Capital One Cup recognizes the best all-around college athletic program in the country, not just the individual sports.
After a great fall athletics season for the Cardinal, the 2015-2016 Capital One Cup Fall Standings have been announced. Unsurprisingly, Stanford's athletics program is currently ranked No. 1 in the Capital One Cup men's standings with 106 points due to their championship in soccer, an impressive 3rd place finish in football, and top-10 finishes in cross country and water polo.
The Cardinal have a comfortable 34-point lead over Clemson and are currently ranked 15th in terms of women's standings as well. The Capital One Cup winner will be crowned later in the year after the completion of the final NCAA spring championships.
The Stanford Cardinal is arguably the most consistent athletic program in all of Division I schools. Here are Stanford's men's and women's Capital One Cup finishes over the years:
2010-11: Men's: 5th Women's: 1st
*2011-12: Men's: 13th Women's: 1st
2012-13: Men's: 16th Women's: 2nd
2013-14: Men's: 13th Women's: 3rd
2014-15: Men's: 17th Women's: 1st
*Stanford's first place score in 2011-12 (152.5) was the highest any women's program has ever recorded.
Stanford's average men's finish is 12th while the average women's finish 1st. With a strong first place in the current men's standings, there's no doubt the average will provide a boost for them.
The winner of the Capital One Cup receives $200,000 in scholarship funds to their athletics department and will be honored at the ESPY Awards in July.