Spring Break
Brandeis named ECAC's top program
by Mike Prada
Editor in Chief
Sports | 10/2/07
Posted online at 8:29 PM EST on 10/1/07
/ Last updated at 12:31 PM EST on 10/1/07
After sending six teams to postseason tournaments last academic year, the Brandeis athletics department was rewarded for its on-and-off court success by receiving the 13th annual East Coast Athletic Conference Jostens Institution of the Year award Sunday.
The award recognizes the ECAC member school that "best exemplifies the highest standards of collegiate academics and athletic performance," according to a University press release. Director of Athletics Sheryl Sousa '90 accepted the award Sunday at the ECAC honors dinner in Hyannis, Mass.
Four of the Judges' varsity teams reached their respective ECAC tournaments last season, while the men's and women's basketball teams both made the NCAA tournament.
"This is a tremendous honor," Sousa said in the release. "The ECAC has held an important role in Brandeis athletics over the years, and we are proud to be a part of this respected organization. To be recognized for our success is a tribute to our dedicated staff of coaches and administrators."
The ECAC is comprised of 319 schools from as far north as Maine to as far south as North Carolina, according to its Web site, and its members come from Division I, II and III athletic programs.
Eight components are included in the selection process for the award, including participation in ECAC and NCAA postseason tournaments, student-athlete academic successes and representation on ECAC selection and administrative committees, according to an ECAC press release. Brandeis' cumulative score for numerical tallies of each component was the highest among 10 finalists for the award, according to ECAC Senior Associate Commissioner Steve Bamford.
"The biggest thing is [Brandeis'] combined athletic and academic excellence," Bamford said in a telephone interview. "Those were the key ingredients for past recipients, and that certainly held true for Brandeis this year."
Last spring, the men's basketball team won five straight conference games to reach the NCAA tournament before falling to Rhode Island College 70-67 in the second round, while the women's team earned its second straight NCAA appearance before bowing out to Emmanuel College in the second round.
The award recognizes the ECAC member school that "best exemplifies the highest standards of collegiate academics and athletic performance," according to a University press release. Director of Athletics Sheryl Sousa '90 accepted the award Sunday at the ECAC honors dinner in Hyannis, Mass.
Four of the Judges' varsity teams reached their respective ECAC tournaments last season, while the men's and women's basketball teams both made the NCAA tournament.
"This is a tremendous honor," Sousa said in the release. "The ECAC has held an important role in Brandeis athletics over the years, and we are proud to be a part of this respected organization. To be recognized for our success is a tribute to our dedicated staff of coaches and administrators."
The ECAC is comprised of 319 schools from as far north as Maine to as far south as North Carolina, according to its Web site, and its members come from Division I, II and III athletic programs.
Eight components are included in the selection process for the award, including participation in ECAC and NCAA postseason tournaments, student-athlete academic successes and representation on ECAC selection and administrative committees, according to an ECAC press release. Brandeis' cumulative score for numerical tallies of each component was the highest among 10 finalists for the award, according to ECAC Senior Associate Commissioner Steve Bamford.
"The biggest thing is [Brandeis'] combined athletic and academic excellence," Bamford said in a telephone interview. "Those were the key ingredients for past recipients, and that certainly held true for Brandeis this year."
Last spring, the men's basketball team won five straight conference games to reach the NCAA tournament before falling to Rhode Island College 70-67 in the second round, while the women's team earned its second straight NCAA appearance before bowing out to Emmanuel College in the second round.
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