The Capital One Cup has become one of the most sought after awards in collegiate athletics the past couple of years.
The award recognizes the athletic success for a school across all of its sports. The Florida Gators athletics program has won the award three times, with the men’s program winning it twice in back-to-back years from 2010-12 and the women’s program winning it last year.
Heading into the Women’s College World Series, the Gators women’s program is in the No. 5 position, but winning the WCWS would take Florida all the way to the No.1 spot and in the driver’s seat to win the award again.
The Gators would receive 60 points toward the cup should they win the WCWS.
Jennie Finch is the most famous softball player in history, according to a TIME article in 2008, and she serves as a member of the advisory board member for the Capital One Cup.
For a program that’s consistently at the top of the standing for the award each year, Finch said it take a long time for a program to become a national powerhouse.
“It takes many years of hard work,” Finch said. “Florida is definitely on its way especially this last decade, winning last year not only in softball, but the Capital One Cup just proves what athletic program they have.”
Only Stanford has ever won the Capital One Cup in back-to-back years on the women’s side and the Cardinal currently lead in points.
Finch also gives credit to the fans of the Gators. She said that with so many fans interacting with the program, they’ve helped expand the fan base across the country.
“Florida Gator fans are pretty pumped about anything to brag over and have such a strong following which is always exciting to see and watch especially the softball team,” she said.
The Capital One Cup has received a lot of attention the past few years as athletic programs have tried to get their hands on the cup. It’s also brought a lot of positive attention to collegiate athletics that is something Finch said can only benefit everyone involved.
“It’s exciting,” Finch said, “and I think it’s another reason to celebrate collegiate athletics on the men’s side and the women’s side.”
Follow Luis Torres on Twitter @LFTorresIII
