Pac-12 leads the nation with 10 NCAA titles

SAN FRANCISCO -- For the 15th time in the last 16 years, the Pac-12 Conference led all conferences in NCAA Championships won with its institutions capturing 10 during the 2015-16 campaign, marking the eighth time the Conference has claimed double-digit titles, including two of the last three years.

Living up to its well-deserved billing of "Conference of Champions®,” the Pac-12 doubled up on the next league’s title count, with the ACC, Big 12 and Big Ten each accounting for five NCAA crowns this year. The Conference’s NCAA Championships came in the form of six women’s and four men’s titles, leading in both categories.

In addition to the 10 NCAA crowns, Pac-12 teams recorded 11 runner-up finishes and at least one team placed in the top four in 22 championships. In 12 sports, there were at least two teams among the final four.

Half of the Pac-12 membership won at least one NCAA Championship in 2015-16, including three that won multiple titles. OREGON was one of just two teams in the nation to claim three championships, sweeping the men's and women’s indoor track & field crowns for the second time in three years, then winning its first-ever title in men’s golf. Only Oklahoma had as many NCAA titles as Oregon.

Along with the Ducks, STANFORD and USC were among the seven programs in the country to win multiple titles, joining North Carolina, the Sooners, Penn State and Syracuse. The Cardinal extended its streak of winning a NCAA title to 40 years, holding up the national championship trophy for the first time ever in men's soccer. The Cardinal also added to its NCAA-record number of national championships in women’s tennis, winning the program’s 18th all-time. USC made history winning the inaugural NCAA Beach Volleyball title, then won the women's water polo championship where three of the four semifinal teams were Pac-12 members.

WASHINGTON also won its first-ever golf title, taking home the women's crown, while UCLA, the nation's leader in all-time NCAA titles, upped its all-time national championship count to 113 after successfully defending its men’s water polo title. CALIFORNIA won the women’s rowing championship, ending a 10-year drought, also giving the Conference a title in the sport for the first time since 2009.

This year’s championships add to an impressive tradition for the Pac-12. With 488 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 - 277). 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 109, and USC with 102. 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 20 of those sports. Overall, the Pac-12 has claimed more NCAA titles in 51 of the last 56 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 nearly nine NCAA Championships per year.

OREGON (3): Men’s Golf, Men’s Indoor Track & Field, Women’s Indoor Track & Field
STANFORD (2): Men’s Soccer, Women’s Tennis
USC (2): Beach Volleyball, Women’s Water Polo
CALIFORNIA (1): Women’s Rowing
UCLA (1): Men’s Water Polo
WASHINGTON (1): Women’s Golf