Pac-12 leads the nation with nine NCAA titles

SAN FRANCISCO -- For the 14th time in the last 15 years, the Pac-12 Conference has led all conferences in NCAA Championships won with its institutions capturing nine during the 2014-15 campaign. Living up to its well-deserved billing of "Conference of Champions®,” the nine NCAA titles came in the form of four men’s, four women’s and one combined team titles. The four men’s national championships also ties for the most of any league.

The Big Ten was second with seven NCAA titles this season, while the ACC and SEC each had five and the Big 12 had three. The ACC's four men's titles tied with the Pac-12 for the most this season.

In addition to the nine national crowns, Pac-12 teams recorded 11 runner-up finishes and, overall, at least one team placed in the top four in 19 championships. In nine sports, there were at least two teams among the final four, including in women’s water polo where all four were Pac-12 teams.

Seven teams in the country won multiple NCAA titles. OREGON was one of only two programs to win three along with Virginia. The Ducks successfully defended their men’s indoor track & field title, then swept the men’s and women’s outdoor crowns. It was the women’s first outdoor national championship in 30 years and the men’s second-straight after snapping a 30-year drought last year.

An additional five programs claimed two NCAA titles in 2014-15, two of which are from the Pac-12. COLORADO claimed the academic year’s first NCAA title, taking home its second-straight men’s cross country crown in dominating fashion, posting a 33-point margin of victory. The Buffs then grabbed the hardware in skiing, their third in five years. STANFORD extended its streak of winning NCAA Championships to 39 years, winning the women’s water polo championship for a second-straight year and the program’s first-ever women’s golf crown. Only Connecticut, Ohio State and Florida join the elite group of multiple NCAA Championship winners this season.

CALIFORNIA won its fourth NCAA women’s swimming and diving crown in seven years, while UCLA stood atop the podium after winning its first men’s water polo championship since 2004.

This year’s championships add to an impressive tradition for the Pac-12. With 478 total titles, Conference teams have, by far, claimed the most national championships in the country all-time, over 200 more than the next closest league (Big Ten - 273). Only three institutions across all divisions have won at least 100 NCAA titles all-time and all three are Pac-12 members. UCLA leads the way at 112, followed by Stanford with 107. USC (100) is the only other program in the country to reach the century mark. 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 28 of the 36 Division I sports the NCAA sponsors and has reached double digit titles in 19 of those sports. Overall, the Pac-12 has claimed more NCAA titles in 50 of the last 55 years and finished second five times. It has also claimed at least six titles every year but one since 1981-82.

2014-15 NCAA Titles By Conference

OREGON (3): Men’s Outdoor Track & Field; Women’s Outdoor Track & Field; Men’s Indoor Track & Field
COLORADO (2): Men’s Cross Country; Skiing
STANFORD (2): Women’s Water Polo; Women’s Golf
CALIFORNIA (1): Men’s Swimming & Diving
UCLA (1): Men’s Water Polo