University Of Louisville Athletic

THE UNIVERSITY OF LOUISVILLE ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION IS ORGANIZED TO DEVELOP INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETIC TEAMS COMPOSED OF STUDENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF LOUISVILLE AND TO SCHEDULE AND MANAGE INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETIC CONTESTS, ALL IN THE HARMONY WITH AND IN SUBJECTION TO THE GENERAL EDUCATION POLICY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF LOUISVILLE.

THE UNIVERSITY OF LOUISVILLE ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION (ULAA) ACHIEVED MANY IMPRESSIVE RESULTS DURING ITS 2020-2021 FISCAL YEAR. ULAA'S STUDENT ATHLETES EXCELLED ACADEMICALLY AND WERE AWARDED FOR COMMUNITY SERVICE EFFORTS. CARDINAL SPORTS TEAMS COLLECTIVELY ACHIEVED AN IMPRESSIVE 3.256 COMBINED GRADE POINT AVERAGE FOR THE 2020-21 ACADEMIC YEAR, INCLUDING A 3.289 GPA FOR THE 2021 SPRING SEMESTER. TWENTY OF 23 SPORTS PROGRAMS WERE ABOVE A 3.0 COLLECTIVE GPA FOR THE 2021 SPRING SEMESTER. A TOTAL OF 360 STUDENT-ATHLETES WERE 2020 RED AND BLACK SCHOLARS, REPRESENTING A CUMULATIVE GPA OF 3.25 OR BETTER, WHILE 399 STUDENTS WERE RECOGNIZED ON HONOR ROLL WITH OVER A 3.0 GPA FOR THE SPRING SEMESTER. THIS RANKED AS THE SEVENTH-HIGHEST TOTAL AMONG ANY SCHOOL IN THE LEAGUE. UOFL STUDENT-ATHLETES MATCHED A RECORD 91 PERCENT GRADUATION RATE IN THE LATEST GRADUATION SUCCESS RATE (GSR) REPORT. ULAA STUDENT-ATHLETES ALSO FINISHED SECOND AMONG ALL DIVISION I INSTITUTIONS IN THE 2021 NCAA TEAM WORKS SERVICE CHALLENGE. CARDINAL STUDENT-ATHLETES TOTALED 1,405 HOURS OF SERVICE THROUGHOUT THE DURATION OF COMPETITION AND HAD 94% OF STUDENT-ATHLETES PARTICIPATE IN A SERVICE OPPORTUNITY. FIELD HOCKEY AND WOMEN'S SOCCER LED THE DEPARTMENT THROUGHOUT THE COMPETITION, AVERAGING 7 HOURS PER STUDENT-ATHLETE, WHILE SEVENTEEN TEAMS HAD 100% PARTICIPATION AMONG THEIR STUDENT-ATHLETES. 629 VOLUNTEERS MANAGED TO AMASS AN ECONOMIC IMPACT OF OVER $38,222 EVEN WHILE COVID RESTRICTIONS WERE STILL IN PLACE. WITH THE SUCCESS OF MULTIPLE FALL AND WINTER SPORTS PROGRAMS, THE UNIVERSITY OF LOUISVILLE ATHLETICS DEPARTMENT ROSE TO 23RD IN THE NATION IN THE LEARFIELD IMG COLLEGE DIRECTORS' CUP DIVISION I STANDINGS. LOUISVILLE ACCUMULATED 429 POINTS THROUGH THE WINTER SPORTS SEASON, PLACING THE CARDINALS AS ONE OF SIX ACC SCHOOLS AMONG THE NATION'S TOP 30. MEN'S SWIMMING AND DIVING MATCHED ITS HIGHEST-EVER FINISH, RANKING FIFTH IN THE NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP, WITH TWO NATIONAL CHAMPION PERFORMANCES, WHILE THE CARDINALS' WOMEN'S SWIMMING AND DIVING TEAM FINISHED 13TH IN THE NATION. WOMEN'S TRACK & FIELD CAPTURED ITS THIRD NCAA NATIONAL INDIVIDUAL CHAMPION IN SCHOOL HISTORY AS MAKENLI FORREST WON THE NCAA INDOOR WEIGHT THROW NATIONAL TITLE. WOMEN'S BASKETBALL ADVANCED TO THE NCAA ELITE EIGHT, WITH ACC PLAYER OF THE YEAR DANA EVANS, A HONDA SPORT AWARD FINALIST, EARNING CONSENSUS FIRST TEAM ALL-AMERICA HONORS. THE 2021 KAY YOW ACC SCHOLAR ATHLETE OF THE YEAR, EVANS WAS THE 13TH OVERALL SELECTION IN THE WNBA DRAFT. IN A SEASON THAT SPANNED THE FALL AND SPRING, FIELD HOCKEY REACHED THE PROGRAM'S FIRST FINAL FOUR AS THE NATION'S NO. 3 SEED. MERCEDES PASTOR, ALLI BITTING AND CHARLIE VAN OIRSCHOT WERE NAMED ALL-ACC AND MEGHAN SCHNEIDER WON THE NCAA ELITE 90 AWARD WITH A 4.0 GPA. VOLLEYBALL, ALSO PLAYING IN BOTH THE FALL AND SPRING, REACHED THE NCAA SWEET 16 FOR THE SECOND STRAIGHT YEAR WITH THREE PLAYERS EARNING ALL-AMERICA ACCOLADES IN ADDITION TO HEAD COACH DANI BUSBOOM KELLY WINNING ACC COACH OF THE YEAR. LOUISVILLE'S MEN'S GOLF TEAM EARNED THE MOST POINTS OF ANY OF THE SCHOOL'S SPRING SPORTS. THE CARDINALS TIED FOR NINTH IN THE NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP - ITS BEST FINISH IN SCHOOL HISTORY -- AFTER ADVANCING TO THE PLAYOFF ROUND OF THE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP FOR ITS THIRD TIME EVER. HOSTING A REGIONAL FOR THE FIRST TIME IN SCHOOL HISTORY, UOFL'S WOMEN'S GOLF TEAM FINISHED IN A TIE FOR 11TH-PLACE IN THE NCAA REGIONAL COMPETITION. ULAA FINISHED 40TH NATIONALLY BY THE END, MARKING THE 11TH CONSECUTIVE SEASON IN THE TOP 40. INTERNALLY AND EXTERNALLY, ULAA HAS TAKEN STRIDES TO INCREASE DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION EFFORTS. ASSOCIATE ATHLETIC DIRECTOR, MARVIN MITCHELL, WAS NAMED TO THE ACC'S NEW COMMITTEE FOR RACIAL AND SOCIAL JUSTICE, HELPING TO LEAD OUR CONFERENCE IN DIVERSITY AND EQUITY STANDARDS, WHILE THE DEPARTMENT CREATED THE STRATEGICALLY ORGANIZING AGAINST RACISM (S.O.A.R.) COMMITTEE TO MEET WEEKLY TO ENHANCE KNOWLEDGE AND EMPOWER ACTION.