7-17-97
Contact:
Tom Kroeschell, Athletic Media Relations, (515) 294-3404
IOWA STATE RATES FAVORABLY IN HOUSTON CHRONICLE BIG 12 CONFERENCE COMPARISON
AMES, Iowa -- Iowa State placed fourth among its Big 12
Conference peers in a Houston Chronicle point system ranking
all the schools in the first year of the new league. Texas
(123) was the overall winner followed by Nebraska (116),
Colorado (100) and ISU (81).
The system is based on a simple formula which takes into
account the 12 sports in which all 12 schools competed. The
formula awards 12 points for a first-place finish, 11 for
second and so forth. Big 12 schools competed in 21 NCAA
sports, but only a dozen of those sports included all 12
teams.
"I think we can be proud of our overall performance in a
very tough conference last season," Iowa State athletic
director Gene Smith said. "Our coaches have accomplished a
great deal with their available resources. There is no
question that the facility and student-athlete services
improvements we have made over the past four years are making
a difference."
Iowa State did not win a conference title last season
but the men's track team posted a runner-up finish indoors
and the men's cross country and men's basketball teams
finished third overall. The Cyclones' NCAA district champion
women's cross country team was fourth at the Big 12
Championship. The women's basketball team placed fifth
in the conference en route to its first NCAA Tournament
berth.
"Our student-athletes own the highest graduation rate in
the Big 12 Conference," Smith said. "We were one of 16
Division I-A schools to earn a B grade for our efforts toward
Title IX equity from the Women's Sports Foundation. I think
our athletic and academic performances overall are very
strong. There are still goals to be met in all areas,
including equity. But considered together, our overall
performance is strong relative to our competition."
Houston Chronicle Big 12 Athletic Scoring
1. Texas 2. Nebraska 3. Colorado 4. IOWA ST. 5. Kansas State 6T. Baylor |
Pt. Total 123 116 100 81 79 72 |
No. Sports 19 22 17 20 15 17 |
FY '97 Athletic Budget $26.3* million $27.2 million $ 20 million $15.9 million $13.2 million $13.8 million |
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Revis
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