LSU's baseball national championship on Wednesday night was the Southeastern Conference's fifth title of the 2008-09 year, tying it with the total from the 2007-08 season.
In 10 of its 20 sponsored sports, the SEC had either the national champion or the national runners-up.
The SEC had national championships in football (Florida), men's swimming & diving (Auburn), women's indoor track & field (Tennessee), gymnastics (Georgia) and baseball (LSU). The SEC also had national runners-up finishes in men's golf (Arkansas), gymnastics (Alabama), softball (Florida), women's swimming & diving (Georgia) and men's indoor track & field (Florida).
In its 76 year history, the Southeastern Conference has won 179 team national championships, including 63 since 2000. In this decade, the SEC has won at least one national championship in 16 of its 20 sponsored sports with the exception of women's cross country, volleyball, soccer and softball.
SEC LEADS ALL CONFERENCES IN 2008-09 MEN'S SPORTS CONFERENCE VS. CONFERENCE SURVEY; 2nd in WOMEN'S SPORTS
In a statistical survey that is based on NCAA championship and rankings, the Southeastern Conference placed first in the nine men's sports it sponsors and second in the 11 women's sports the league sponsors.
The survey, compiled each year since 1986 by Bo Carter, takes into account final NCAA championship standings in each sport and poll rankings in football. Each conference gets 20 points for a team that wins a national championship, 19 for a second place finish and down to 1 point for a 20th place finish.
In the nine men's sports the SEC sponsors, the SEC had 440.5 points with the Pac-10 coming in second with 375 points, followed by the Big 12 with 337.5 points, ACC with 214 points, Big East 102.5 points and the Big Ten with 80 points.
In the 11 women's sports the SEC sponsors, the Pac-10 was first with 615 points followed by the SEC with 431 points, the Big 12 with 337 points, Big Ten with 318.5 points, ACC with 277.5 points and the Big East with 161.5 points.
Combining the 20 sponsored sports, the Pac-10 had 990 points followed by the SEC with 806 points, Big 12 with 674.5 points, ACC with 491.5 points, Big Ten with 398.5 points and the Big East with 264 points.
The SEC has had the highest men's point total in 15 of the last 17 seasons (exceptions: 2007-08: Big 12; 1997-98: Pac-10). The Pac-10 has had the highest women's point totals each year since 1986 with the exception of four years the SEC has had the highest total (1990-91; 1995-96; 2004-05; 2006-07).
SEC LEADS DIVISION I CONFERENCES IN MOST ESPN THE MAGAZINE CoSIDA ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICANS
The Southeastern Conference had 41 of its student-athletes each ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America Team mention, the most of any Division I conference in the nation.
The Academic All-America Porgram is administered and voted on by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).
The SEC had 15 student-athletes earn first-team mention, 14 earn second-team and 12 earn third-team mention.
The Big 12 was second with 38 total student athletes listed while the Big Ten was third at 34 and the ACC fourth at 26. The Big Ten led all conferences in first-team honorees with 18, followed by the SEC's 15.
Each SEC institution had at least one student-athlete earn first, second or third-team mention. Florida led the SEC with seven student-athletes on the lists while Tennessee had six, South Carolina and Arkansas had five each. Alabama, Florida and Tennessee each led the SEC with three on the various first-team lists.
Florida's Stacey Nelson (softball) and Tim Tebow (football) were named Academic All-Americans of the Year in their respective sports.
SEC Student-Athletes Earning CoSIDA Academic All-America Team Recognition [NOTE: Listed in alphabetical order by last name * - Sport does not have its own team, listed as At-Large Team by CoSIDA]
1st Team (15) Mallory Blackwelder, Kentucky, *Women's Golf, Versailles, Ky. Sarah Bowman, Tennessee, Women's Track & Field, Warrenton, Va. Lisa Caprioglio, Georgia, *Women's Swimming & Diving, Highlands Ranch, Col. Kevin Greer, Alabama, *Men's Swimming & Diving, Sylacauga, Ala. Lillian Hammond, Tennessee, Softball, Chattanooga, Tenn. Kristina Hilberth, Florida, Softball, Dunedin, Fla. Tim Masthay, Kentucky, Football, Murray, Ky. Courtney Kupets, Georgia, *Gymnastics, Athens, Ga. Blakely Mattern, South Carolina, Women's Soccer, Simpsonville, S.C. Charlotte Morgan, Alabama, Softball, Moreno Valley, Calif. Stacey Nelson, Florida, Softball, Los Alamitos, Calif. Kassi Price, Alabama, *Gymnastics, Plantation, Fla. Katie Stripling, Arkansas, Women's Track & Field, Jonesboro, Ark. Tim Tebow, Florida, Football, Jacksonville, Fla. Phoebe Wright, Tennessee , Women's Track & Field, Signal Mountain, Tenn.
2nd Team (14) Amanda Alexander, Tennessee, Women's Track & Field, Nashville, Tenn. Sam Arthur, South Carolina, Men's Soccer, Roswell, Ga. Kelsey Bowers, Florida, Volleyball, Gainesville, Fla. Chelsea Bramlett, Mississippi State , Softball, Cordova, Tenn. Tara Diebold, Arkansas, Women's Track & Field, Branson, Mo. Chad Hagerty, Kentucky, Men's Soccer, Louisville, Ky. Tiffany Huff, Tennessee, Softball, Saugus, Calif. Jenn Johnson, Auburn, Women's Soccer, Loganville, Ga. Ben Jones, Auburn, Baseball, Decatur, Ala. Dan Mazzaferro, Auburn, * Men's Swimming & Diving, Cheshire, Conn. Blake Strode, Arkansas, *Men's Tennis, St. Louis, Mo. Grace Taylor, Georgia, *Gymnastics, Aiken, S.C. Bram Ten Berge, Ole Miss, *Men's Tennis, Maarssen, Netherlands Dorian Ulrey, Arkansas, Men's Track & Field, Port Byron, Ill.
3rd Team (12) Sammie Jo Bailey, Mississippi State, Softball, Lithonia, Ga. Denise Bargiachi, Arkansas, Women's Track & Field, Memphis, Tenn. Stephanie Brombacher, Florida, Softball, Pembroke Pines, Fla. Clark Burckle, Florida, *Men's Swimming & Diving, Louisville, Ky. Rabun Fox, LSU, Track & Field, Houma, La. Ali Gardiner, Florida, Softball, Waccabuc, N.Y. Elliott Haynie, South Carolina, Men's Track & Field, Atlanta, Ga. Jen Lapicki, Tennessee, Softball, Oldwick, N.J. Curt McGill, South Carolina, Men's Track & Field, Spartanburg, S.C. Lee Ellis Moore, Ole Miss, Men's Track & Field, Cordova, Tenn. Ashton Payne, South Carolina, Softball, Richmond, Va. Christina Wirth, Vanderbilt, Women's Basketball, Mesa, Ariz.