UNT 3rd in Bubas Cup!!!

UNTLifer · June 4, 2003

Hilltoppers claim Bubas Cup, but UNT gaining

Mean Green third in annual all-sports cup race

06/04/2003

By Mike McClendon / Denton Record-Chronicle

North Texas is apparently moving up in the Sun Belt Conference.

North Texas improved to third place in the 2002-03 Vic Bubas Cup, the Sun Belt's all-sports award, after finishing fifth last year. Final team standings were announced by the Sun Belt offices Tuesday.

"Anytime you're better than you were the year before, you're in good shape," said North Texas athletic director Rick Villarreal. "Our volleyball team has improved and we won three conference championships in other sports. If you look at the standings [of the Bubas Cup], we actually compete in fewer sports than the two teams who beat us. We're adding softball next year and that will give us an opportunity to score more points."

Bubas Cup points are awarded based on performances in all Sun Belt-sponsored men's and women's sports. Each school's totals in the individual sports are then added up to determine the winner.

For the second year in a row, Western Kentucky won the Bubas Cup. Western Kentucky, which scored 116 points, was boosted by the highest point total [on a scale of 1-11] in men's basketball, women's basketball and volleyball. The Hilltoppers also scored high in men's cross-country, women's cross-country, men's outdoor track and women's outdoor track.

"Basketball-wise, Western Kentucky has been the premier team in the conference for a while," said Villarreal. "Whoever is in the league, you have to chase. If our basketball teams improve next year, like we think they will, we'll be in the running. We're ready to kick this thing off again."

North Texas was boosted by the highest point totals in football, men's golf and women's outdoor track.

The Mean Green football team finished with a record of 8-5 last season, won its second consecutive Sun Belt title and its first bowl game in more than 50 years.

The North Texas men's golf team won the Sun Belt title and finished tied for 17th place at the NCAA Central Regional championships.

The women's track team made school history this season. The Lady Eagles amassed a school-record point total to claim its first women's outdoor conference track championship.

Latrecia Taylor and Ciji Brooks finished 1-2 in the women's shot for North Texas. Taylor qualified for the NCAA regional meet. Lakisha Gentry recorded the second-longest throw in school history and won the javelin throw with a toss of 137-4. Ananka Clark earned a second-place finish in conference in the 100-meter-dash, and will compete in the NCAA championships later this month.

MIKE McCLENDON can be reached at 940-566-6873. His e-mail address is mmcclendon@dentonrc.com.

Vic Bubas Cup All-Sports Standings

Rank Points

1. Western Kentucky 116

2. Middle Tennessee State 102

3. North Texas 93

4. New Mexico State 92.5

5. Arkansas-Little Rock 78

6. (tie) Louisiana-Lafayette 77.5

6. (tie) South Alabama 77.5

8. Florida International 69.5

9. Denver 69