Posted on: Friday, October 4, 2002

UH ranked No. 66 among nation's best sports colleges

Advertiser Staff

The University of Hawai'i athletic department ranked second among Western Athletic Conference schools and No. 66 in the country in "America's Best Sports Colleges," according to Sports Illustrated.

The rankings were based on 324 Division I athletic programs.

The magazine praised Hawai'i's national champion men's volleyball team and 13th-ranked women's team, the men's basketball NCAA Tournament appearance, and the football team that went 9-3 last season.

The magazine liked Hawai'i's spirit, saying "fans wave fronds for luck," and joked that Hawai'i had "no surfing club."

The rankings, which will be listed in this week's issue of Sports Illustrated, were based on performance in 2001-02 in the big five sports (baseball, football, hockey, and men's and women's basketball), position in the 2001-02 Sears Cup NCAA all-sports standings, and other categories.

The University of Texas topped the list.

Rice was the highest rated WAC school at No. 45 followed by No. 71 Fresno State and No. 84 SMU.