Blue Hens
UNIVERSITY OF DELAWARE WOMEN’S TENNIS ABOUT THE CAA
ABOUT THE CAA With nearly three decades of success athletically and academically, the Colonial Athletic Association has built a reputation as one of the nation’s top collegiate conferences. The CAA encompasses many of the nation’s largest metropolitan areas with a geographic footprint that stretches from Boston to Charleston, S.C. The conference has produced 16 national team champions in five different sports, 33 individual national champions, 13 national players of the year, 12 national coaches of the year and 13 Honda Award winners. Just as impressive, however, are the honors accumulated away from competition, which include five Rhodes Scholars and 23 NCAA post-graduate scholars. In 2012-13, more than 1,900 of the league’s 4,000 student-athletes received the Commissioner’s Academic Award after posting at least a 3.2 grade point average while lettering in a varsity sport. The conference had 23 teams in 15 different sports receive NCAA Public Recognition Awards based on the latest Academic Progress Report released in 2013. The landscape of the conference stretches along the majority of the East Coast, and includes several of the nation’s top media markets – New York (1), Philadelphia (4), Boston (7), Washington, D.C. (9) and Baltimore (25). The number of television homes in the CAA market exceeds 20 million. The CAA conducts championships in 22 sports. Male athletes compete for championships in baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, lacrosse, soccer, swimming & diving, tennis and track & field. Female athletes battle for conference titles in basketball, cross country, field hockey, golf, lacrosse, rowing, soccer, softball, swimming & diving, tennis, track & field and volleyball. In 2012-13, 27 teams earned NCAA Tournament berths and 43 student-athletes received All-America honors in 14 different sports. The conference has made its presence known nationally in men’s basketball with two teams – George Mason (2006) and VCU (2011) – advancing to the NCAA Final Four over the past seven years. CAA teams have combined to win 41 games in postseason play since 2006, including 14 victories in the NCAA Tournament. The CAA has posted at least one NCAA Tournament win in six of the past eight years, including the last four in a row. The conference has seen five or more teams reach postseason play in four of the last five seasons. In women’s basketball, 2013 CAA champion Delaware defeated West Virginia and North Carolina to become the 12th CAA
team to reach the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. Behind the play of Honda Award winner Elena Delle Donne, the Blue Hens finished the season ranked #13 in the final USA Today Coaches Top 25 poll. Drexel captured the WNIT championship with a 46-43 victory over Utah and James Madison reached the quarterfinals of the WNIT. CAA teams have gone 20-9 in postseason play over the past two years. The conference also excels in many other sports. CAA squads have combined to win 10 field hockey national titles since the championship began in 1981. Three men’s soccer teams earned NCAA Tournament berths last season and each current member of the conference has reached the NCAA Tournament since 2006. In softball, Hofstra reached the NCAA Super Regionals in 2012 and the CAA placed two teams (Hofstra and James Madison) in the NCAA’s for the first time last season. At least two women’s soccer teams have reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament three times in the past six seasons. William & Mary’s men’s cross country squad has made the NCAA Championship in 12 of the past 14 years and the women’s team had two runners (Elaina Balouris and Emily Stites) earn AllAmerica honors in 2012. Delaware and Towson have each reached the Final Four of the NCAA Men’s Lacrosse Championship. The CAA sent three teams to the NCAA Baseball Championship in 2013 and has had at least 11 players selected in nine of the last 11 Major League Baseball drafts. The conference also had individuals earn All-America honors in women’s lacrosse, track and field and swimming & diving last season and had players nationally ranked in tennis and golf. CAA member institutions are committed to excellence in the classroom. The Colonial Academic Alliance was created in 2002 by the league’s presidents with a goal of expanding their partnership to all aspects of university education and life outside of intercollegiate athletics. Among the programs that have been established are an undergraduate research conference, coordination of study abroad programs, visiting faculty programs and a recent partnership with NBC Learn to provide educational videos to over 8,500 public schools across the United States. CAA schools are also very active in community service projects. The CAA Blood Challenge, which is held each fall, has raised more than 36,000 units of blood over the past 11 years. The firstever CAA Food Drive Challenge last winter resulted in over 9,500 pounds of donated food. Commissioner Thomas E. Yeager has guided the CAA since its inception. The conference traces its roots back to 1983 when two of its current members- James Madison University and the College of
24 2014 UNIVERSITY OF DELAWARE WOMEN’S TENNIS MEDIA GUIDE