SOUTHEASTERN CONFERENCE
“The purpose of the Southeastern Conference is to assist its member institutions in the maintance of programs of intercollegiate athletics which are compatible with the highest standards of education and competitive sports.” The Southeastern Conference, with its storied 80-year history of athletic achievements and academic excellence, has built perhaps the greatest tradition of intercollegiate competition of any league in the country since its inception in 1933. The 2012-13 academic year was another season to remember for the SEC as conference teams captured seven national titles and five national runner-up finishes. The SEC has won consecutive national championships in football, gymnastics, men’s indoor track & field and men’s outdoor track and field. Since 1990, the SEC has won 156 national team championships for an average of more than six per year. Alabama won the SEC’s first national title of the year with its win in the BCS National Championship Game in football. It is the SEC’s seventh consecutive football national title. Florida won the league’s third consecutive gymnastics title and 16th overall. The Auburn equestrian team brought home the national title in the sport’s first year in the SEC. Alabama won its first ever national championship in the sport of men’s golf. Arkansas won its 12th national title in men’s indoor track & field. Florida and Texas A&M shared the national title in men’s outdoor track and field after both squads recorded 53 points at the national meet. Georgia’s women’s swimming and diving team brought home their fifth national title.
40 • MIZZOU SOCCER
Overall, the SEC finished in the top two in 11 of its 21 sponsored sports and in the top five in 13 of the 21 sports. Nine SEC teams participated in football postseason bowls with Alabama winning BCS Championship. Three men’s basketball teams were invited to the NCAA Tournament and seven women’s basketball teams were also invited to the NCAA Tournament. The SEC had nine teams advance to postseason play in baseball with LSU and Mississippi State advancing to the College World Series. With 171 teams advancing to NCAA postseason competition, the SEC continued to solidify its place as the nation’s premier conference. In addition to the seven team championships, 93 SEC studentathletes garnered individual national championships, while 559 individuals were awarded with First-Team All-America Honors. Student-athletes around the league continued to excel in the classroom as well with more than 3,100 earning recognition on the SEC Academic Honor Roll. On the national all-sport level, 12 SEC schools placed in the top 50 of the NACDA Director’s Cup rankings. Florida led the league with a second-place finish. Texas A&M placed fifth while Georgia was 10th; LSU finished 19th, Arkansas 21st, Kentucky 25th, Alabama 26th, Auburn 33rd, Tennessee 37th, Vanderbilt 46th and Mississippi State 49th to round out the league’s top-50 finishes.