Bowlsby and Ogwumike sisters to attend ESPY awards
Wednesday, July 13th, 2011
From left, Chiney and Nnemkadi Ogwumike
Athletic Director BOB BOWLSBY and women’s basketball stars NNEMKADI and CHINEY OGWUMIKE will accept the inaugural Capital One Cup trophy on behalf of Stanford women’s athletics as part of the ESPY Awards, which will be televised live on ESPN Wednesday evening, July 13. The award will be presented by performer JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE, who has recorded a humorous video promoting the event that has gone viral.
The Capital One Cup trophy was created in 2010 to honor NCAA Division I athletics programs for their performances across 13 men’s and 13 women’s sports. The Capital One Cup is different from the Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup, which recognizes the top overall collegiate Division I sports program. The Cardinal has won that award 17 consecutive years.
The new Capital One Cup trophy includes a $200,000 donation to fund student-athlete graduate-level scholarships. Stanford women beat out runner-up Texas A&M by nine points. Cal placed third. The men’s trophy was won by the University of Florida, with the Cardinal men placing fifth. Points are earned throughout the year based on final standings of NCAA Division I Championships and final official coaches’ polls.
To win the Capital One Cup, Stanford women placed in the top 10 in nine championships, including soccer, volleyball, basketball, swimming and diving, lacrosse, tennis, softball, outdoor track and field and rowing—the most top 10 finishes of any program.
The Cardinal’s victory earned praise from BRANDI CHASTAIN, a former World Cup soccer player from Santa Clara University who sits on the Capital One Cup Advisory Board.
“The Stanford women and everyone who follows the athletics program should be proud of this accomplishment,” said Chastain. “Winning the Capital One Cup requires commitment, dedication and hard work at all levels of a Division I college athletics program, and the Cardinal rose above all other schools to claim the trophy. With nine top 10 finishes they are extremely deserving of this award.”
The ESPY Awards are presented annually by ESPN to recognize amateur and professional individual and team athletic performances throughout the year.