June 25, 2009

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -

The Mountain West Conference celebrated its 10th Anniversary with unprecedented success in 2008-09, both in the athletic arena and classroom. Below is a list of highlights from the past year:

MOUNTAIN WEST CONFERENCE

• A total of 22 former and current student-athletes from Mountain West Conference institutions competed in the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing. St. Kitts and Nevis selected former TCU sprinter Virgil Hodge as its flag-bearer for the opening ceremonies.

• With San Diego State's Stephen Strasburg claiming the No. 1 pick in the 2009 Major League Baseball Draft, the Mountain West is the only conference to have the No. 1 selection in each of the NFL (Utah's Alex Smith in 2005), NBA (Utah's Andrew Bogut in 2005) and MLB drafts since the league was founded in 1999.

• The MWC ranks second in No. 1 draft picks in the NFL, NBA and MLB over the last five years with three overall, one behind the SEC's four.

• With the addition of The Mtn. - The MountainWest Sports Network to DIRECTV on August 27, 2008, the MWC enjoyed unprecedented national television exposure in 2008-09 with 46 football, 103 men's basketball and 32 women's basketball conference-controlled contests airing across the country through a combination of telecasts on The Mtn., CBS College Sports network and VERSUS.

• Largest revenue distribution to the membership in MWC history on June 30, 2009.

ACADEMICS AND AWARDS

• The MWC had two NFFCHF Scholar-Athletes and finalists for football's Draddy Award (Colorado State's Jeff Horinek, Utah's Louie Sakoda).

• The Mountain West had two consensus All-Americans in football (TCU's Jerry Hughes, Utah's Louie Sakoda) in the same season for the first time in league history.

• Sixty MWC student-athletes received All-American accolades in 2008-09.

• Fifteen student-athletes from MWC institutions were named ESPN The Magazine Academic All-Americans as announced by CoSIDA. That number includes five first-team honorees in football, which was the second-highest total of first-team selections behind only the Big Ten's seven honorees. The five first-team football accolades are the most in conference history, surpassing its previous high of three in 2004.

• Former University of New Mexico and MWC standout Danny Granger of the Indiana Pacers was named the 2008-09 NBA Most Improved Player Award presented by Kia Motors.

• San Diego State's Kelvin Davis was named the 2009 recipient of the U.S. Basketball Writers Association's Most Courageous Award.

• San Diego State's Steven Strasburg was the first MWC player to be named to an Olympic baseball team and presented with the Richard W. Case Award, given to the USA Baseball Player of the Year. Strasburg was also selected as the National Player of the Year by both Baseball America and Louisville Slugger.

• Air Force women's soccer player Roni Yadlin and BYU football player Kellen Fowler were awarded NCAA 2008 Fall Sports Postgraduate Scholarships.

• The MWC matched or set league-highs for its Fall 2008 and Spring 2009 Academic All-Conference awards, with a record-tying 379 and record-breaking 771 honorees, respectively. A league-record 549 individuals were also recognized as 2008-09 MWC Scholar-Athletes.

FOOTBALL

• Sixteen (16) football players were selected in the 2009 NFL Draft, equaling the MWC record set in 2005.

• The MWC ranked fifth in football APR (ahead of three BCS conferences), while Air Force ranked No. 2 overall.

• Five Mountain West football teams participated in postseason bowl games (Air Force, BYU, Colorado State, TCU and Utah), tying the league record set in 2007.

• Utah, TCU, BYU, Air Force and Colorado State were all bowl-eligible, marking the fourth year in a row, and fifth overall, the MWC has boasted five bowl-eligible teams.

• In the AP poll, Utah finished 87 points out of a share of a national title with BCS Champion Florida. The Utes' 16 first-place votes were the most for a team that didn't finish No. 1 since 2003 (LSU-17 first-place votes).

• Utah's No. 2 and TCU's No. 7 ranking in the final polls marks the first time that two teams from non-automatic-qualifying conferences have been ranked in the top 10 since 1984 (No. 1 BYU and No. 8 SMU).

• The No. 2 ranking by Utah in the final AP poll is the highest for a team from a non-automatic-qualifying conference since BYU was ranked No. 1 in 1984.

• The Mountain West posted the best record among the 11 Football Bowl Subdivision leagues against automatic-qualifying-BCS conferences with a 10-6 mark (includes Notre Dame).

• The MWC posted a 28-13 non-conference record, including a 22-12 mark against FBS opponents. The 28 non-conference victories surpassed the league's single-season record of 24 set in both 2003 and 2007.

• The MWC is the first non-automatic-qualifying conference in the BCS era to have three teams ranked in the top 25 of the final Associated Press and USA Today Coaches polls. It is also the first time two teams have finished in the top 10.

• The MWC became the first non-automatic-qualifying BCS conference to have three teams ranked all eight weeks of the BCS Standings. The MWC was one of three conferences with at least three teams ranked in the top 16 (Big 12 - 4, SEC - 3) of the final poll: Utah (12-0) ranked No. 6, TCU (10-2) 11th and BYU (10-2) at No. 16 in the final BCS Standings.

• Utah was the only undefeated Football Bowl Subdivision team in 2008 and currently holds the nation's longest win streak at 14.

• Utah boasts the nation's longest active bowl win streak with eight consecutive victories.

• Utah is the first team in the BCS era to have two undefeated seasons, compiling a perfect record for the second time in the last five seasons (13-0 in 2008; 12-0 in 2004).

• Utah is the first team from a non-automatic-qualifying conference to win two BCS bowls.

• Utah is one of 12 teams that has made multiple appearances in BCS bowl games since 2005 (Florida, Georgia, LSU, Michigan, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Penn State, Texas, USC, Virginia Tech and West Virginia). Of those 12 teams, Utah is one of six to have won two BCS games (Florida, LSU, Texas, USC and West Virginia).

• TCU is the first two-loss team from a non-automatic-qualifying conference to finish the regular season ranked inside the BCS AQ position of 12.

• Then-11th ranked TCU defeated #9 Boise State (17-16) in the San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl. The game featured the two remaining at-large teams in the BCS pool after the 10-team selection. The Broncos were undefeated at 12-0 going into the game.

• Since the BCS was established prior to the 1998 season, TCU (11-2) has the highest finish in the polls by a two-loss team from a non-automatic qualifying conference.

BASEBALL

• The MWC received an at-large berth into the NCAA Regionals for the first time in league history. In fact, the league earned two at-large bids and had a record three teams (San Diego State, TCU and Utah) participate in NCAA Regionals.

• TCU became the first Mountain West Conference baseball team to advance to the NCAA Super Regionals, forcing a third and deciding game with CWS runner-up Texas.

• TCU is one of only three teams nationally (Florida, Texas) to finish in the top 10 in football and have a Super Regional baseball team.

• For the first time in league history, the MWC had three baseball teams ranked in the top 25 of the national polls in the same week. Overall, the league had a record-high four teams ranked in the top 25 this season.

TRACK AND FIELD

• Three MWC student-athletes were crowned national champions at the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships. For the women, BYU's Amy Menlove captured the pentathlon title and fellow Cougar Lacey Cramer finished first in the 800-meter run. On the men's side, New Mexico's Lee Emanuel became the first Lobo to secure a national championship in the mile.

• One MWC student-athlete was crowned national champion at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships with BYU's Kyle Perry winning the 3,000-meter steeplechase title.

MEN'S BASKETBALL

• The MWC sent two men's basketball teams (BYU, Utah) to the NCAA Tournament, marking the ninth consecutive year the league has received multiple bids. Overall, the league sent six teams into postseason action for the third time in 10 years.

• San Diego State became the second MWC team (Air Force in 2007) in three years to advance to the semifinals of the National Invitation Tournament.

• Utah was the No. 5 seed and BYU was the No. 8 seed in the 2009 Men's Basketball NCAA Tournament, marking the two highest seeds the league has ever received in the same tournament. Utah's No. 5 seed was the highest for an MWC institution in the 10-year history of the league.

• The league's No. 7 ranking in the RPI marked the ninth time in the league's 10-year history it was ranked in the top 10 in conference RPI.

• Five MWC teams reached the 20+ win mark in men's basketball prior to the postseason for the first time in league history.

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL

• Three MWC women's basketball teams (San Diego State, TCU, Utah) advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the third consecutive year.

• The MWC went 2-1 in the first round as Utah routed Villanova, 60-30, allowing the third-fewest points in NCAA Tournament history.

GOLF

• Five men's golf teams (Colorado State, New Mexico, San Diego State, TCU, UNLV) earned bids to the NCAA Regionals for the ninth time in the last 10 years.

• TCU advanced to the NCAA Men's Championship and registered a ninth-place finish, marking the fifth time in the 10-year history of the league an MWC team has finished in the Top 10.

• TCU's Tom Hoge tied for third place, marking the highest finish by a MWC men's golf since UNLV's Ryan Moore won the 2004 NCAA individual title.

• Three MWC institutions were selected to participate in the NCAA Women's Golf Regionals (New Mexico, TCU, UNLV), with New Mexico and TCU advancing to the NCAA Championships.

TENNIS

• The men's tennis teams from New Mexico and TCU advanced to the 2009 NCAA Tennis Regionals, marking the first time in league history multiple men's teams qualified.

• Three women's tennis teams (San Diego State, TCU, UNLV) advanced, marking the eighth straight year that at least two teams made appearances in the NCAA Tennis Regionals.

VOLLEYBALL

• The MWC secured an at-large bid to the NCAA Women's Volleyball Tournament for the 10th consecutive year as Colorado State joined regular-season champion and automatic bid representative Utah.

• Mountain West volleyball teams have made two straight appearances in the NCAA Tournament Regional Semifinals with Utah advancing in 2008 and BYU making an appearance in 2007.

CROSS COUNTRY

• The BYU men's cross country team finished ninth at the NCAA Cross Country Championships, while the New Mexico women turned in an 18th-place effort in the 2008 NCAA postseason.

SOFTBALL

• Three Mountain West softball teams (BYU, San Diego State, UNLV) advanced to the NCAA Tournament, tying the most in league history (2006).

SOCCER

• BYU advanced to the NCAA Soccer Tournament for the ninth time in 10 years, and moved on to the second round for the first time since 2003.

SWIMMING AND DIVING

• Mountain West Conference men's and women's swimming and diving teams broke 24 all-time records at the league championships. The BYU men's team and the UNLV women's team both qualified for the NCAA Championships.