Iowa Central Tops NATYCAA Cup Standings

Article by Josh Sandin of Iowa Central Community College

FORT DODGE – The Iowa Central athletic department tops the latest National Alliance of Two Year College Athletic Administrators (NATYCAA) Cup Scholarship Division standings with 123 points. Iowa Central had a surge after the completion of the winter sports.

Iowa Central’s rise comes in large part because of the men’s and women’s indoor track and field programs sweep of the indoor track and field titles. The sweep gave Iowa Central 40 points. The wrestling program’s runner-up finish was good for 19 points. The swimming programs tallied 27 total points as the women finished seventh and the men finished eighth at the NJCAA National Swimming and Diving Championships. Rounding out the scoring for the Tritons this winter was the men’s basketball team. The program earned 6.5 points for their appearance at the national tournament.

“We are very excited about our athletic program and how this year is going,” said Iowa Central Athletic Director Rick Sandquist. “The NATYCAA Cup means a lot to us and we hope to finish the year strong with our spring sports and bring home another trophy.”

In the fall, Iowa Central scored 30.5 points. The women’s cross country team won a national title for 20 points, the volleyball team went to nationals and scored 9.5 points and the football team finished the season ranked No. 20 and scored one point.

Monroe College is second with 92.5 points, Darton is third with 84.5 points and Johnson County is fourth with 79. The next ICCAC program in the poll is Iowa Western. The Reivers are ninth with 65 points.

The NATYCAA Cup is presented annually to the athletic department that amasses the most points during a collegiate athletic season. Points are given based on programs’ finishes at national tournaments or ranking in the final poll if there is no national tournament. 20 points are given for and national title or No. 1 ranking, 19 for second place, 18 for third and so on. Programs may acquire points for five men’s programs and five women’s programs. Last year Iowa Central won its third consecutive NATYCAA Cup, becoming the first Scholarship Division program to do so.

2012 NATYCAA CUP Standings

1.      Iowa Central               123

2.      Monroe CC                 92.5

3.      Darton                         84.5

4.      Johnson County          79

5.      Lincoln                        76

6.      Central Arizona           73

7.      Eerie                            69

8.      Butler                          67

9.      Iowa Western              65

10.      Vincennes                           56