FORT MYERS, Fla. – With a combined win percentage of .644 over the last five years (2015-20), the FGCU Department of Athletics ranks as the No. 1 I-AAA program in the nation, while ranking 19
th overall among all 353 Division I institutions. The I-AAA divisions represents the 100 D1 programs who do not sponsor football, including the likes of Gonzaga, Pepperdine, Wichita State, Loyola-Chicago, VCU, Saint Louis, Cal State-Fullerton, Belmont, fellow ASUN members Jacksonville, Lipscomb, UNF and the vast majority of the Big East Conference.
In the course of that time frame, the Eagles have brought home 17 ASUN/CCSA Championship titles, 20 ASUN regular-season crowns and have earned 17 team or individual NCAA appearances. The total departmental win percentage was just behind Ohio State (.647) and above Cal Baptist (.643), Oklahoma State (.642) and South Carolina (.637).
"We remain extremely proud of the continued across-the-board success of our overall program, both academically and competitively. In turn, it is very gratifying to see where we stand relative to our peers on a national basis," said Director of Athletics
Ken Kavanagh.
All told, the Green & Blue have witnessed more success than 18 Power 5 departments and five from the Group of Five. The state of Florida was well represented with the University of Florida and Florida State tied for second (.723). UCF was 25
th (.634) and Miami was 35
th (.614).
Among states on the list, Texas tied with Florida with five represented, followed by California (4) and North Carolina (3). The Eagles were the only school from the ASUN to rank among the top-50 and one of six I-AAA members in that grouping.
Spotlighting the Eagles over that five-year span have been the nationally ranked women's basketball team (148-28, .841), indoor volleyball (124-39, .761), women's soccer (66-23-8, .722), men's soccer (47-27-13, .615), softball (149-104, .589), baseball (145-101, .589) and men's basketball (94-74, .560). Just entering the University's 20th year of intercollegiate athletics, since becoming fully eligible for NCAA Tournaments in 2011-12, each of these seven team sports have all had at least one such post-season victory, highlighted by men's basketball's historic "Dunk City" squad's run in 2013 as the only 15-seed to ever advance to the Sweet 16.
In 2016-17, FGCU claimed its fourth ASUN All-Sports Trophy in a five-year span while also posting a record sixth-place finish in the Division 1-AAA Learfield's Directors Cup standings.
Overall, FGCU teams have brought home 82 conference regular-season and tournament titles in just 13 years at the Division I level with a combined 38 teams or individuals competing in NCAA Championships. Seven programs have earned a top-25 ranking nationally as well.
Not reflected in the exceptional overall win-loss record for the department is the high level of academic achievement as well. This past spring marked the 22
nd-consecutive semester that FGCU student-athletes achieved a higher grade-point-average compared to the general student body thanks to the departmental record of a 3.46 combined GPA. The Eagles also have led the state of Florida and the ASUN's best the past three years in the NCAA's annual National Public Recognition Awards granted based on the Academic Progress Rate (APR).
The ranking was compiled by the James Madison Athletics Communications Department with the disclaimer of slight statistical variance based on the volume of data. An assumption could be made for a slight margin of error in the rankings.
Top 50 Division I Institutions Ranked by All-Sport Winning Percentage
- UCLA .727
- Florida State .723
- Florida .723
- Stanford .701
- Michigan .681
- North Carolina .680
- Texas .679
- Southern Cal .679
- Baylor .677
- Texas A&M .676
- BYU .659
- Oklahoma .659
- Minnesota .658
- JMU .656
- Notre Dame .655
- Louisville .654
- Kentucky .654
- Ohio State .647
- Florida Gulf Coast University .644
- Cal Baptist .643
- Oklahoma State .642
- South Carolina .637
- Tennessee .635
- Duke .634
- UCF .634
- Oregon .631
- LSU .629
- Boise State .629
- Navy .629
- Washington .629
- Mississippi State .629
- Denver .627
- Georgia .625
- Gonzaga .622
- Miami .614
- North Carolina State .611
- New Mexico State .610
- Harvard .610
- Princeton .609
- Virginia .609
- Wisconsin .609
- Auburn .609
- Northern Arizona .607
- Coastal Carolina .605
- Creighton .604
- TCU .603
- Marquette .600
- Texas Tech .600
- Arizona .600
- West Virginia .600
For complete coverage of FGCU athletics, follow the Eagles on Twitter (@FGCUEagles), Instagram (@FGCUAthletics) and Facebook (@FGCUAthletics) and online at
www.FGCUAthletics.com. You can also sign-up to have news on FGCU athletics and all 15 sport programs delivered directly to your inbox by visiting
www.fgcuathletics.com/email.
SUSTAINING FLIGHT
To help offset the financial impact of COVID-19, FGCU Athletics has launched the Sustaining Flight Fundraiser and Auction. The fundraising campaign will help mitigate operational revenue loss and the additional expenses incurred as a result of COVID-19 protocols. All funds raised during the campaign will go to support areas that directly impact student-athletes.
In lieu of hosting the annual Night at the Nest gala this year, one of FGCU's most successful fundraising events, the department will be hosting a virtual, online auction from Monday, Nov. 30 through Friday, Dec. 4. Fans and supporters will be able to bid on exclusive memorabilia, trip packages, unique event experiences and more. For more information, visit www.fgcuathletics.com/sustainingflight.
E.A.G.L.E. CAMPAIGN
IT TAKES A TEAM to achieve our newest goal - a $10 million campaign to address student-athlete needs in continued academic success, life skills, mental health, nutrition, and strength and conditioning as well as departmental needs in facility expansion and improvement as well as mentoring and leadership training for coaches and staff. The name embodies our mission and the purpose of the E.A.G.L.E. Campaign - Eagle Athletics Generating Lifetime Excellence. Join Our Team and
pledge your gift today to help the Eagles of tomorrow!
#FEEDFGCU
FGCU Athletics sponsors events in November and April to benefit the FGCU Campus Food Pantry (www.fgcu.edu/foodpantry) and the Harry Chapin Food Bank (www.harrychapinfoodbank.org), FGCU Athletics' charities of choice. For more information, including how to make a contribution, please visit www.fgcu.edu/foodpantry and utilize the hashtag #FeedFGCU to help raise awareness.
ABOUT FGCU
FGCU teams have combined to win an incredible 82 conference regular season and tournament titles in just 13 seasons at the Division I level. Additionally, in just nine seasons of D-I postseason eligibility, the Eagles have had a combined 38 teams or individuals compete in NCAA championships. Seven FGCU programs have earned a top-25 national ranking in their respective sport – including women's basketball (No. 24, 2019-20) and both men's soccer (2018, 2019) and women's soccer (2018) as three of the most recent. In 2016-17, the Green and Blue posted a department-best sixth-place finish in the DI-AAA Learfield Directors' Cup and top-100 showing nationally, ahead of several Power-5 and FBS institutions. In 2018-19, the Eagles had an ASUN and state of Florida best seven teams earn the NCAA's Public Recognition Award for their Academic Progress Rate (APR) in their sport and have had the highest percentage of teams so honored from these two groups over each of the past three years. FGCU also collectively earned a record 3.46 GPA in the classroom in the spring 2020 semester and has outperformed the general University undergraduate population for 22 consecutive semesters. The 2019 Fall and 2020 Spring semesters each saw another milestone reached as all 15 programs achieved a 3.0-or-higher team GPA. The Eagles also served an all-time high 7,200 volunteer hours in 2017 – being recognized as one of two runners-up for the inaugural NACDA Community Service Award presented by the Fiesta Bowl.
--FGCUATHLETICS.COM--
