Men's Golf, Softball Teams Win Inaugural CHAMPS Cup
April 20, 2006 | Softball
The University of Wisconsin men's golf and softball teams won the inaugural CHAMPS Cup'an academic-year-long event in which all 23 varsity teams compete in six categories'CHAMPS/Life Skills Coordinator Kelli Richards announced Thursday.
The men's golf team racked up 1485.0 points to win the men 's side, while the softball team accumulated a school-high 2370.3 points to claim the title on the women's side. Both squads will be recognized at the Academic Excellence Banquet later this month.
'I am so proud of how involved our student-athletes and coaches were in the competition,' Richards said. 'Both the men's golf team and the softball team have great leaders within their teams who inspired others to get involved in the community, support other Badger teams as well as attend athletic department events.'
UW student-athletes vied in six categories'academic achievement, athletic achievement, personal enhancement, community outreach, Badger pride and Student-Athlete Advisory Council (SAAC) participation.
The golfers earned the bulk of their points in personal enhancement and community outreach, scoring 400 points in each category. The softball players, meanwhile, were strong across the board, picking up a whopping 800 points in Badger pride, 320 points in SAAC participation and 400 in community outreach.
'The CHAMPS Cup was created to use the competitive spirit within student-athletes for their development through the CHAMPS program,' Richards said. 'I think in this first year we were very successful in achieving this goal.'
Descriptions of how student-athletes earned points are below:
Academic Achievement ' Teams will be awarded points based on how their team GPA ranks with other teams (men and women are in separate categories). The team with the top GPA receives 100 points, second gets 95, third 90, fourth 60, and every place after (fifth through 14th) receives five fewer points. In addition, teams that exceed the 925 mark in APR scores will receive 100 points. Freshmen who make all of their advisory meetings will receive individual points.
Athletic Achievement ' Teams are awarded 100 points for qualifying for NCAA postseason competition. Teams also will earn points based on how well they finished in their conference (first=100 points, second 90, etc.).
Personal Enhancement ' Teams or individuals can earn points for attending any CHAMPS/Life Skills event related to personal development.
Community Outreach ' Teams or individuals earn points for community service.
Badger Pride ' This category awards points to teams and athletes that support their fellow athletes by attending each other's sporting events. Each team will choose one competition in their traditional season that they will label as a Badger Pride night. Any athletes who attend this game will receive points.
SAAC Participation ' Teams will earn 10 points for each meeting in which they have two representatives in attendance.
The CHAMPS (CHallenging Athletes' Minds for Personal Success)/Life Skills Program was created by the NCAA to support the student development initiatives of its member institutions and to enhance the quality of the student-athlete experience within the university setting.
