Cardinals Finish Ninth in the Capital One Cup Standings

graphic for No. 9 finish in Capital One Cup Standings

Cardinals Finish Ninth in the Capital One Cup Standings

July 19, 2022 | General

UofL women have stellar season

By: Nancy Worley

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – To cap off an historic sports season for the Cardinal women, the University of Louisville Athletic Department finished the 2021-22 year ranked ninth in the Capital One Cup women's standings which honors the top Division I college athletics programs in the country.

The Cardinals have amassed a total of 61 points to rank ninth behind Texas (145), Stanford (97), Oklahoma (92), Florida (79), Florida State (78), North Carolina (72), Wisconsin (64), South Carolina (63) The winter sports are comprised of Indoor Track and Field, swimming and diving and women's basketball. The spring sports include outdoor track and field, golf, lacrosse, softball, tennis, and rowing,

The rankings are based on a combination of championship results, national rankings and coaches' polls for all NCAA-sponsored sports including: field hockey, cross country, skiing, track and field, rifle, swimming and diving, ice hockey, fencing, bowling, water polo, tennis, golf, rowing, soccer, volleyball, basketball, gymnastics, beach volleyball, lacrosse and softball.

After tracking points throughout the year, the winner took the prize after the NCAA spring championships at the ESPY awards. The winning school for both men and women will receive $200,000 to their student athlete scholarship fund.

The spring season was highlighted by golfer Lauren Thibodeau winning the Honda Inspiration Award given to a deserving female student-athlete in Division I, II or III who has experienced extraordinary physical and/or emotional adversity, injury and/or illness, or experienced extraordinary personal sacrifice during her college enrollment as a student-athlete and yet returns to athletic success.
Track and field athlete Gabriela Leon was named The ACC Women's Outdoor Track and Field Scholar Athlete of the Year. The honor caps an impressive collegiate career for Leon, who became the program's first women's outdoor national champion when she cleared 4.60m (15' 1") to win the pole vault at the 2022 NCAA Outdoor Championships. With the mark, Leon became the fourth-ever collegiate women's pole vaulter with three clearances of 4.60m (15' 1") and the only one this season with three over 4.57m (15' 0").

Additionally, Leon captured her second straight ACC women's outdoor pole vault title and was named ACC Women's Field Performer of the Week three times in 2022. She went on to earn USTFCCCA NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Southeast Region Women's Field Athlete of the Year honors and was recently tabbed the ACC Women's Outdoor Field Performer of the Year.

University of Louisville lacrosse senior Hannah Morris and junior Nicole Perroni were named IWLCA All-Region Second Team, while graduate Caroline Blalock was named USA Lacrosse Magazine All-American Honorable Mention.

Rowing's Caitlin Bentley earned All-ACC honors as the No. 4 seed, the Cardinal Crew put up their best performance at the ACC Championship in years.

Two University of Louisville softball players earned National Fastpitch Coaches Association All-Southeast Region honors as Carmyn Greenwood was selected to the first team, while Taylor Roby was named to the second team. Greenwood led the team with a .400 batting average and stands first in the ACC with 70 hits. She also paced the league with 54 runs and is second with 52 RBIs, both career highs. The two-time all-ACC selection finished her career at Louisville with a school-record .408 batting average in the last three years and stands second with a .657 slugging percentage. Greenwood is also ranked in the top 10 for single season batting average, hits, runs, home runs and total bases. Roby, a redshirt senior from Mt. Washington also picks up her second consecutive All-Region award following a second team selection in 2021. The right-handed pitcher/designated player led the team with a career-best 15 home runs – good for third in the ACC - and collected 15 wins in the circle. She also stood second on the team with a career-high 45 RBIs.

UofL's winter season was highlighted by the Cardinals' women's basketball team. Louisville finished the season with a 29-5 record and entered the NCAA Tournament as a 1-seed for the third time in the past four tournaments. With a 62-50 win over Michigan in the regional final, they reached their fourth Final Four in program history. The Cards were led by Emily Engstler, who was named AP All-America honorable mention and a WBCA Coaches All America Team Regional Finalist. She was also named a Cheryl Miller Award Finalist, and a Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Semifinalist. She and teammate Kianna Smith, who was named a WBCA Coaches All America Team Regional Finalist, were both drafted into the WNBA.

The women's indoor track and field season was highlighted by Gabriela Leon's second team All-American performance at the NCAA Indoor Championships. The senior pole vaulter also set the school's indoor record in the event with a silver medal finish at the 2022 ACC Indoor Championships. Additionally, the Cardinal women tallied four all-ACC performance including podium finishes by Leon and Synclair Savage.

The Cardinals women's swimming and diving finished third in the ACC Championship and then placed sixth at the NCAA Championships. Diver Else Praasterink not only won silver in platform at ACCs, but qualified for NCAAs and earned HM All-American honors. At ACCs, the Cardinal women earned two silver and five bronze medals. For the women at NCAAs, the Cards had seven All-American swims and 10 Honorable Mention All-American performances.

UofL's fall season was highlighted by the Cardinals' volleyball team which finished third in the final American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) coaches' poll after being ranked No. 1 for the first time in program history. The Cardinals also made school history by advancing to the NCAA Final Four in their 30^th NCAA appearance after making AVCA National Coach of the Year Dani Busboom Kelly the first woman to finish the regular season undefeated, as the Cardinals won their fourth ACC title and had two named as first team All-Americans.

The field hockey team finished the 2021 season ranked sixth in the National Field Hockey Coaches' poll after earning their 10^th NCAA tournament bid. The Cardinals posted a 16-4 overall record, matching a school record for wins. Additionally, UofL won the 2021 ACC regular season title after compiling a program-best 6-0 record in league play.

The women's soccer team posted seven wins with Nina Nicosia earning ACC All-Freshman Team honors after recording three goals and four assists for 10 points in 16 contests for the Cardinals. Nicosia is just the second UofL women's soccer student-athlete to be named to the ACC All-Freshman Team, joining Emina Ekic in 2017.

Louisville women's cross country was led by redshirt senior Purity Sanga, who finished in the top-54 and as the Cardinals' top women's performer in all three meets she competed in this season. The season was highlighted by the emergence of freshmen, including Megan John who joined senior Ivine Chemutai as the only Cardinal women to score in all five meets.