Pac-12 Conference

BUILT ON A FIRM FOUNDA- TION of academic excellence and superior athletic perfor- mance, the Conference ushered in a new era on July 1, 2011, officially becoming the Pac-12 Conference with the additions of the University of Colorado and University of Utah. Just 27 days after the Confer- ence officially changed its name, Commissioner Larry Scott an- nounced the creation of the Pac- 12 Networks on July 27, 2011, solidifying a landmark television deal and putting the Conference on the forefront of collegiate athletics. The Networks, includ- ing one national network, six regional networks, and a robust digital network marked the first- ever integrated media company owned by a college conference. In addition, the "TV Everywhere" rights allow fans to access Pac-12 Networks outside the home on any digital device, including smartphones and tablet computers. The Pac-12 launched its China Initiative in 2011 as a way to proactively promote the Conference and member institutions through student-athlete exchanges and sport. In its first two years, Pac-12 student-athletes have en- joyed unique cultural and athletic experiences in China, and the Conference has gained significant brand exposure for the future and set a foundation for growth. On the field, the Pac-12 rises above the rest, upholding its tradition as the "Conference of Champions ®," claiming an incredible 127 NCAA team titles since 1999-2000, including eight in 2012-13. That is an average of over nine championships per academic year. Even more impressive has been the breadth of the Pac-12's success, with championships coming in 28 different men's and women's sports. The Pac-12 has led or tied the nation in NCAA Championships in 47 of the last 53 years. The only exceptions being in 1980- 81, 1988-89, 1990-91 and 1995-96 when the Conference finished second, and only twice finished third (1998-99 and 2004-05). For the eighth-consecutive year, the Pac-12 had the most NCAA titles or tied for the most of any conference in the country, winning at least six every year since 2000-01. No other conference has won double-digit NCAA crowns in a single year, the Pac-12 doing so six times, including a record 14 in 1996- 97. Spanning nearly a century of outstanding athletics achievements, the Pac- 12 was the first conference to reach 400 championships in 2010-11. With the inclusion of Colorado and Utah, the Conference surpassed another ma- jor milestone, with league teams capturing 450 titles, outdistancing the next conference by nearly 200. In all, Conference teams have won 459 NCAA Championships (309 men's, 150 women's). The Conference's reputation is further proven in the annual Learfield Sports Directors' Cup competition, the prestigious award that honors the best overall collegiate athletics programs in the country. STANFORD continued its remarkable run and won its unprecedented 19th-consecutive Directors' Cup in 2012-13. Seven Pac-12 member institutions ranked among the top-25 Division I programs: No. 1 STANFORD, No. 3 UCLA, No. 14 USC, No. 15 OR- EGON, No. 17 CALIFORNIA, No. 18 ARIZONA STATE and No. 23 ARIZONA. It marks the third-straight year at least six member schools are in the top 25. The Conference's eight national titles came in the form of five women's and three men's crowns. Five different league schools claimed NCAA titles and, of the six NCAA institutions to have won multiples titles, two were from the Pac-12. No other conference in the country had more than one team win multiple NCAA titles. USC was the only institution in the country to win three NCAA titles in 2012-13, claiming both the men's and women's water polo titles, as well as women's golf. It was the fifth-straight men's water polo win, while the women's golf team dominated the field, winning with a NCAA-record 19-under. OR- EGON won a pair of NCAA titles, capturing its first women's cross country crown since 1987 then stood atop the podium at the women's indoor track & field championships for the fourth-consecutive year. STANFORD reclaimed the women's tennis national championship, its first since 2010, while COLO- RADO won the skiing championship for the second time in three years. UCLA claimed its first-ever baseball title, which was the program's first in the sport and the institution's nation-leading 109th NCAA title all-time. In addition to the eight national championships, the Pac-12 also had run- ners-up in eight NCAA Championship events: women's volleyball (Oregon), men's water polo (UCLA), skiing (UTAH), men's swimming (CALIFORNIA), women's swimming (CALIFORNIA), women's rowing (CALIFORNIA), men's tennis (UCLA) and women's water polo (STANFORD). Overall, the Conference had 33 teams finish in the top four at 25 NCAA Championship events. Participation in the postseason was a common occurrence for the Pac-12 in 2012-13. Of the 22 sports sponsored by the Conference, 15 witnessed at least half its teams participating in NCAA or other postseason action. The men sent 59 of a possible 101 teams into the postseason (58.4 percent), while the women sent 70 of a possible 114 teams (61.4 percent). The culmination of the 2012 Pac-12 football season included a pair of BCS bowl wins as Pac-12 champion STANFORD knocked off Wisconsin in the Rose Bowl and OREGON topped Kansas State in the Fiesta Bowl in a postseason that saw the Pac-12 send a record eight teams into bowl games. It was the third consecutive year that the Pac-12 had two teams participate in BCS bowls. Stanford, which claimed its first Pac-12 crown since 1999, posted its first Rose Bowl Game victory since 1972. Joining the Cardinal and Ducks on the bowl circuit were OREGON STATE (Valero Alamo Bowl), UCLA (Bridge- point Education Holiday Bowl), USC (Hyundai Sun Bowl), WASHINGTON (MAACO Las Vegas Bowl), ARIZONA STATE (Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl) and ARIZONA (Gildan New Mexico Bowl). Oregon and Stanford finished among the top-10 in the final Associated Press poll, finishing second and seventh, respectively, while Oregon State ranked 20th. In one of the closest league races in years, UCLA captured its 31st regular- season men's basketball title, and first since the 2008 season. The one-game separation between the top four teams was the closest since 1985. After 11 years in Los Angeles, the Pac-12 moved its postseason basketball tournament to Las Vegas and the MGM Grand Garden Arena where the OREGON Ducks won their third Pac-12 Tournament title, and first since 2007. The Ducks were the fifth different team over the last six years to capture the league's postseason crown. Joining Oregon in the NCAA Tournament were ARIZONA, CALIFORNIA, COLORADO, and UCLA. Arizona and Oregon advanced to the Sweet 16, marking the first time the league placed two teams in regional semifinals since 2008. Also representing the Pac-12 in the postseason were NIT participants ARIZONA STATE, STANFORD and WASHINGTON. On the women's side, Pac-12 teams saw tremendous success with four teams earning NCAA Tournament bids and two more playing in the WNIT. CALIFORNIA, who earned a share of the Pac-12 regular-season title, the pro- gram's first, advanced to its first-ever NCAA Women's Final Four. It was the sixth-straight year a Pac-12 team had advanced to the national semifinals. STANFORD shared the regular-season crown and went on to claim the Pac- 12 Tournament title at KeyArena in Seattle. Joining Cal and Stanford in the NCAA Tournament were COLORADO, its first appearance in the Big Dance since 2004, and UCLA. In the WNIT, UTAH lost by just three points in the title game. The Conference has dominated the volleyball field, winning a record 14 NCAA titles in the sport since 1982. This past year was no different with seven teams earning NCAA Tournament bids, the 13th-consecutive year the Conference has sent at least six teams to the postseason event. OREGON represented the Pac-12 in the national championship match, making it the third-straight year a Conference team has played for the NCAA title. STAN- FORD won its sixth Conference title in seven years. UCLA won the Conference's 28th all-time NCAA baseball championship. The Pac-12's 28 titles in the sport are, by far, the most for any conference, with the SEC coming in second with 10. Four Pac-12 teams in total received NCAA Tournament bids, with OREGON and ARIZONA STATE joining the Bru- ins in the postseason, as did OREGON STATE, who advanced to Omaha, Neb., to play in the College World Series. Without question, the Conference has dominated the softball field, winning 23 national championships in the sport since 1982, most recently capturing six in a row from 2006-11. Eight Pac-12 teams earned NCAA Tournament Larry Scott Commissioner PAC-12 CONFERENCE 4 // 2014 PAC-12 OUTDOOR TRACK & FIELD MEDIA GUIDE

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