July 7, 2005

Cleveland, Ohio - Pepperdine University received the inaugural Division I-AAA Athletics Directors Association All-Sports Trophy as the top-ranked Division I-AAA institution in the 2004-05 Sports Academy Directors' Cup.

Led by their national championship in men's volleyball, Pepperdine had six other teams contributing to its victory. Also scoring for the Waves were women's golf (4th), men's tennis (5th), baseball (17th), women's tennis (17th), men's golf (31st) and women's soccer (33rd).

"The members of the Division I-AAA Athletics Directors Association are delighted to announce the inaugural All-Sports Trophy to the top collegiate sports program in Division I-AAA," says 2004-05 Division I-AAA President Cheryl Levick, director of athletics at St. Louis University. "This award identifies the best all-around sports program in Division I-AAA and I am delighted to award it to Pepperdine University. They have been so successful in multiple sports this year and are very deserving of this award. I congratulate their athletics administrators, coaches and student-athletes for a great performance this year."

Placing second in Division I-AAA was the University of Denver, led by their national championships in skiing and men's ice hockey. The Pioneers also scored in women's gymnastics (13th), men's golf (46th) and women's golf (58th).

Entering its fifth year, the Division I-AAA Athletics Directors Association's mission is to enhance initiatives common to its Division I-AAA membership (the 90 Division I institutions that do not sponsor football), in particular, aspects related to their flagship basketball programs. The Association is administered by NACDA, which now in its 41st year, is the professional and educational association for more than 6,100 college athletics directors, associates, assistants and conference commissioners at more than 1,600 institutions throughout the United States, Mexico and Canada. Through its series of management seminars, clinics and workshops and publication of the bi-monthly magazine Athletics Administration, NACDA offers educational opportunities to its members. More than 2,000 athletics administrators annually attend the NACDA Convention. Additionally, the Association operates the Sports Academy Directors' Cup program, which honors the all-sports champion in each of the NCAA Divisions -- I, II, III -- and the NAIA, for a total of four trophies.