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Pac-12 leads nation with 13 NCAA titles and is first to 500

Jun 28, 2017
Stanford Athletics

In what was a historic year for league institutions, the Pac-12 Conference ended the 2016-17 campaign with 13 NCAA Championships won, marking the ninth time, including three of the last four years, the Conference has claimed double-digit titles, and the 16th time in the last 17 years the Pac-12 has led the nation in NCAA titles won.

Living up to its well-deserved billing as the "Conference of Champions®,” the Conference’s NCAA Championships came in the form of a record 10 in women’s sports, two in men’s and one combined championship. The 13 titles were one shy of the record 14 the Conference claimed in 1996-97. No other conference has reached double digits in an academic year.

The Pac-12 more than doubled up on the next league’s title count in 2016-17, with Big 12 schools claiming six NCAA titles. SEC programs won five NCAA titles this year, the Big Ten had four and the ACC had three.

In addition to the 13 NCAA crowns, Pac-12 teams recorded nine runner-up finishes and at least one team placed in the top four in 24 championships. In eight sports, there were at least two teams among the final four.

"This banner year in the Pac-12 clearly demonstrates how committed our universities are to developing robust, championship-level athletics programs that attract the very best talent from across the world in a wide variety of sports," said Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott. "Such a commitment from our universities and the leadership of our athletics departments should be applauded, as should the coaches who set the bar high and the student-athletes who come to Pac-12 universities to get the best possible experience in both athletics and academics."

Seven Pac-12 member institutions won at least one NCAA Championship in 2016-17, including three that won multiple titles. STANFORD tied for the nation’s lead with four NCAA titles, extending its streak of at least one NCAA title to 41 years. In the fall, the Cardinal captured its NCAA-tying seventh national title in women’s volleyball, then won its second-straight men’s soccer title. The women’s swimming and diving squad nabbed its first trophy in the sport in 19 years then wrapped up the academic year with its fifth women’s water polo crown in seven years.

In addition to the Cardinal, OREGON and USC are among the seven schools nationally to have won multiple titles this year. The Trojans captured their second-straight beach volleyball crown as well as the second women’s soccer title in program history. The Ducks had a historic season, becoming the first women’s program ever to win the “Triple Crown” of track & field by claiming the cross country, indoor track & field, and outdoor track & field titles.

ARIZONA STATE won its NCAA-record eighth women’s golf title and UTAH claimed its first skiing crown since 2003 and 11th all-time. WASHINGTON also recorded a record-setting victory in its title performance at the women’s rowing championship, becoming the first program in the 21-year history of the event to sweep all three grand finals.

This year’s impressive haul of titles adds to the Pac-12’s championship reputation. Conference teams have, by far, claimed the most national championships in the country all-time at 501, nearly 200 more than the next closest league (Big Ten - 309). Only three institutions across all divisions have won at least 100 NCAA titles all-time and all three are Pac-12 members: UCLA with 113, Stanford with 113 and USC with 104. The next closest program is the Big 12’s Oklahoma State, which has won 51 NCAA titles all-time.

The moniker “Conference of Champions®” has been earned by the number of titles, but also the depth of success. Pac-12 teams have won championships in 29 of the 37 Division I sports the NCAA sponsors and has reached double digits in 21 of those sports. The Pac-12 also leads the nation in NCAA titles in 14 NCAA sports.

Overall, the Pac-12 has claimed more NCAA titles in 51 of the last 57 years and finished second five times. It has also claimed at least six titles every year except one since the NCAA began sponsoring women's sports in 1981-82, winning an average of nine NCAA Championships per year.

A recap of all 13 NCAA team titles, along with the numerous other accomplishments be each Pac-12 university and Pac-12 student-athletes throughout the 2016-17 year, will be featured in the final Pac-12 Sports Report of the season this Thursday, June 29.  The special episode, "Pac-12 Sports Report: Year-End Spectacular," will be hosted by Mike Yam and Kate Scott and will premiere tomorrow evening at 7 p.m. PT / 8 p.m. MT on Pac-12 Network.

NCAA Championships Won by Pac-12 Institutions in 2016-17:
STANFORD (4): Women’s Volleyball, Men’s Soccer, Women’s Swimming, Women’s Water Polo
OREGON (3): Women’s Cross Country, Women’s Indoor Track & Field, Women’s Outdoor Track & Field
USC (2): Women’s Soccer, Beach Volleyball
ARIZONA STATE (1): Women’s Golf
CALIFORNIA (1): Men’s Water Polo
UTAH (1): Skiing
WASHINGTON (1): Rowing

About the Pac-12 Conference:
Recognized as the “Conference of Champions®” for its unequaled NCAA Championships, the Pac-12 Conference comprises the 12 leading universities located in the Western United States: The University of Arizona, Arizona State University, the University of California-Berkeley, the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA), the University of Colorado, the University of Oregon, Oregon State University, Stanford University, the University of Southern California, the University of Utah, the University of Washington and Washington State University. For more information on the Conference’s programs, member institutions, and Commissioner Larry Scott, go to pac-12.com/conference.