Virginia will honor the athletic program on Saturday during the Notre Dame game with an on-field presentation of the Men’s Capital One Cup. The Cavaliers won the 2014-15 men’s title with 149 points to beat out Oregon (121), Ohio State (93.5), Florida (84), and Denver (72).
The Capital One Cup competition is based on top 10 finishes in a combination of NCAA brackets and final polls. Virginia surged to the Capital One Cup win with three NCAA Championships, the first ACC athletics program to win three NCAA titles in the same academic year. UVa captured the men’s soccer crown in December for 60 points and followed that up with the men’s tennis title in May for 20 points. The school’s first baseball championship in June capped off the year and earned 60 more points. UVa’s No. 8 final ranking in the men’s basketball polls added nine points.
During a first quarter timeout in Saturday’s game with the Irish, Capital One executives will present UVa Athletics Director Craig Littlepage with the Capital One Cup and a $200,000 check for student-athlete scholarships. The Cavaliers also received recognition for the title during ESPN’s ESPY Awards in July.
“This is a proud moment for the University of Virginia, as our student-athletes, coaches, staff, donors and fans all played an important role to help bring home the Capital One Cup trophy,” Littlepage said in an earlier news release. “The award illustrates the success many of our programs achieved this year as we pursue our 10-year goals. It’s fitting in the year we announced our All In For Excellence initiative that we won this competition with the help of so many supporters. On behalf of the University of Virginia, we would like to thank Capital One for its enduring commitment to college athletics.”
The athletic department will also recognize all three of the National Championship teams during Saturday’s game. The men’s soccer team will be honored during the break between the first and second quarter. The men’s tennis team will be honored during a break in the second quarter. The baseball team will be honored during a break in the third quarter.
