BIG EAST Conference Notre Dame won the BIG EAST Conference Commissioner’s Trophy for women’s athletics, signifying the league’s top all-around athletics program, every year from 1997-2003. The league has long been considered a BIG EAST leader in innovative concepts in promotion and Conference publicity, particularly regarding television. Those efforts have resulted in unparalleled vis- After celebrating its 25th anniversary ibility for BIG EAST student-athletes. The con- a year ago, the BIG EAST Conference ference has long-range television contracts moves forward in 2004-05 with new with CBS, ESPN and ABC. members poised to join a conference While BIG EAST basketball games are regu- that gives unequivocal importance to lar sellouts at campus and major public are- providing student-athletes with oppor- nas, including the annual BIG EAST tunities to excel against the nation’s Championship in Madison Square Garden, best. attendance figures also are significant at BIG In 2005-06, the league will add five new EAST soccer, women’s basketball and baseball members: the University of Cincinnati, games. DePaul University, the University of More than 500 BIG EAST athletes have Louisville, Marquette University and the earned All-America recognition and dozens University of South Florida. have won individual NCAA national champi- Since opening its doors in 1979, the league onships. The BIG EAST has been well repre- has won 24 national championships in six dif- sented in U.S. or foreign national and Olympic ferent sports and 122 student-athletes have teams. Several athletes earned gold medals in won individual national titles. The BIG EAST each of the last five summer Olympiads. always has been able to boast that some of its The BIG EAST has its headquarters in best students are also some of its best athletes. Providence, where the conference administers More than 300 student-athletes have earned to more than 5,500 athletes in 23 sports. Academic All-America honors. In 2003-04, three BIG EAST student-athletes were named the national scholar-athlete of the year in their respective sports – Connecticut’s Emeka Okafor in men’s basketball, Notre Dame’s Vanessa Pruzinsky in women’s soccer The Notre Dame men’s tennis team celebrated its fourth Notre Dame BIG EAST Titles and St. John’s Chris Wingert in men’s soccer. BIG EAST title in 2004. Since joining the BIG EAST in 1995-96, BIG EAST student-athletes also have contin- Notre Dame has won more conference ued their success after leaving the classrooms women’s lacrosse to its growing list of sports. championship titles (57) than any other and playing fields. Former Connecticut The inaugural women’s golf championship was school: women’s basketball standout Dr. Leigh Curl held in the spring of 2003. was inducted into the Academic All-America The BIG EAST became a reality on May 31, Baseball Hall of Fame in 1999. Former Georgetown 1979, following a meeting of athletic directors 2002, 2003, 2004 men’s basketball star Dikembe Mutombo was from Providence College, St. John’s, Georgetown Women’s Cross Country named a winner of the President’s Service and Syracuse. Seton Hall, Connecticut and 2002, 2003 Award, the highest honor in the U.S. for volun- Boston College completed the original seven- Men’s Cross Country teer service. school alliance. 1997, 1999, 2001 The BIG EAST continued to thrive on the While the membership has both increased Women’s Golf playing fields and in the playing arenas in and changed, the focus of the BIG EAST has not 2003, 2004 2003-04. In basketball, Connecticut won the wavered. The conference reflects a tradition of men’s and women’s NCAA titles. With the broad-based programs, led by administrators Men’s Golf 1995, 1996, 1997, 2004 Syracuse men and the UConn women also and coaches who place a constant emphasis on grabbing NCAA crowns the previous season, academic integrity. The BIG EAST Conference Rowing the BIG EAST became the first conference in has enjoyed a leadership role nationally. Its 2004 NCAA history to win the men’s and women’s student-athletes own significantly high gradua- Women’s Soccer titles in consecutive seasons. In fact, the BIG tion rates, and their record of scholastic 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, EAST has won the last five women’s basketball achievement notably shows a balance between 1999, 2000, 2001 titles. intercollegiate athletics Men’s Soccer Also in ’03-04, St. John’s and academics. 1996, 2003 played in the NCAA men’s Any successful organi- Softball soccer national champi- zation enjoys outstanding 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003 onship game while leadership. Michael Connecticut made it to the Tranghese, the league’s first Women’s Swimming & Diving 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, women’s soccer final and full-time employee, and for 11 2002, 2003, 2004 Georgetown played in its third years the associate to Dave Gavitt, women’s NCAA lacrosse semifinal in the last moved into the commissioner’s chair in 1990. In Women’s Tennis four years. Providence placed third in women’s his first year, he administered the formation of 1996, 1997, 1999, 2001, 2003 cross country and league member Syracuse the BIG EAST football conference. Men’s Tennis won the national title in men’s lacrosse, though BIG EAST sports attract the interest of follow- 1996, 1999, 2002, 2004 it is not a BIG EAST sport. ers in the nation’s largest media markets Women’s Indoor Track & Field Whether it’s the student-athletes or the including New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, 2002 league as a whole, moving proactively has Boston, Washington, D.C., Pittsburgh and Men’s Indoor Track & Field been a consistent strategy for the conference Hartford. When the new schools are added in 2003 that was formed in 1979. 2005-06, the BIG EAST markets will contain In the spring of 2001, the BIG EAST added almost one-fourth of all television households Men’s Outdoor Track & Field 2000, 2003, 2004 in the U.S. Volleyball 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002 UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME 110 The National Association of NACDA Collegiate Directors of Athletics, Directors’ Cup USA Today and the United in 1995-96, 14th in 1996-97, tied for 31st in 1997-98, 25th in 1998-99, 21st in States Sports Academy began 1999-2000, 11th again in 2000-01 and sponsorship of the NACDA 13th in 2001-02 and 2002-03. Twenty-four of Notre Dame’s 26 Directors’ Cup competition varsity sports have scored points for the Irish in the NACDA Cup compe- in 1993-94. tition. Leading the way are the men’s and women’s fencing pro- The program, formerly sponsored by Sears, grams, which have used nine con- honors institutions maintaining a broad- secutive top-three finishes at the based program and achieving success in NCAAs to contribute 716 points many sports, both men’s and women’s. The since fencing was added to the program was expanded in 1995-96 to include NACDA Cup in 1995-96. (Only one Divisions II and III and NAIA. point total is awarded for men’s and Each institution is awarded points in a pre- women’s fencing due to the NCAA determined number of sports for men and Championships being a combined event.) women. The overall champion is the institu- Women’s soccer is next, having contributed tion that records the highest number of points 651.5 points, highlighted by six national in its division’s Directors’ Cup standings. The semifinal appearances and the 1995 national winner receives a Waterford crystal trophy. title. It also stands as one of three teams – The University of Notre Dame achieved its along with volleyball and softball – to have ninth top-25 finish in the 11-year history of the scored NACDA Cup points in all 11 years. Ten Directors’ Cup all-sports competition, finish- of Notre Dame’s sports have contributed ing 19th in the final standings for 2003-04. points on nine or more occasions, while all Spring sports play netted the Irish 231 but eight have scored points in more than points, thanks to NCAA participation in half of the NACDA Cup competitions. women’s lacrosse (tie for 9th place, 25 points), Notre Dame placed 19th in the 2003-04 NACDA women’s golf (55th, 18 points), men’s tennis Directors’ Cup competition. (tie for 33rd, 25 points), women’s tennis (tie for 17th, 50 points), men’s golf (tie for 34th, 38 Winter competition meant 275 points for The 2003-04 Final points), softball (tie for 33rd, 25 points) and Notre Dame based on NCAA Championship NACDA Directors’ Cup baseball (tie for 17th, 50 points, based on finishes in fencing (3rd place, 85 points), regional championship appearance). women’s track and field (21st, 52 points), Standings women’s swimming and diving (25th, 49 points), women’s basketball (tie for 9th, 64 1. Stanford 1,337.3 points, based on regional semifinal appear- 2. Michigan 1,226.3 ance) and hockey (tie for 9th, 25 points, based on regional semifinal appearance). 3. UCLA 1,178.8 Fall NCAA competition earned the Irish 199 4. Ohio State 1,026.5 points based on their 10th-place finish in the NCAA Women's Cross Country 5. Georgia 1,005.3 Championships (60 points), their second- 6. Florida 993.25 round appearance in NCAA women’s soccer (50 points), their third-round NCAA appear- 7. North Carolina 952 ance in men’s soccer (64 points, highest total 8. Washington 919.5 ever in that sport for Notre Dame) and their NCAA first-round women’s volleyball 9.