Hockey Scores First Learfield IMG College Directors' Cup Points

The Syracuse women's hockey team made history in 2019 earning the first NCAA Tournament invitation in program history and scoring National Association of Collegiate Director of Athletics [NACDA} Learfield IMG College Directors' Cup points for the first time ever. The Orange women's and men's basketball teams also advanced to the NCAA Tournament, which adds 100 Directors' Cup points to Syracuse's 2018-19 total. Through the fall and winter seasons, Syracuse has scored 308 points, which ranks 51st in the final winter standings.

On the ice, the Orange women won the College Hockey America tournament championship to earn an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. Syracuse lost to top-seed Wisconsin in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Senior Allie Munroe paced the Orange with 27 points, including five goals and 22 assists, while sophomore Emma Polaski led the team in goals with 11.

Head coach Quentin Hillsman and the Orange women's basketball team produced one of the best seasons in program history, finishing 25-9 overall and 11-5 in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Syracuse earned its highest NCAA Tournament seed (No. 3) and hosted the first and second rounds of the tournament. The Orange beat Fordham in the first round of the tournament before losing to South Dakota State in the second round. All-American point guard Tiana Mangakahia led the ACC in assists and was Syracuse's leading scorer and play maker.

The men's basketball team made its 40th NCAA Tournament appearance overall and the 34th under head coach Jim Boeheim. Syracuse lost to Baylor in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Junior Tyus Battle, a NABC All-District 2 selection, led the Orange to a 20-14 overall record. He averaged 17.2 points per game.

In the Fall, four Syracuse teams represented the Orange in the postseason, including football, men's cross country, men's soccer and women's volleyball.

Head coach Dino Babers' Orange football team closed the season ranked 15th nationally after its 34-18 victory against West Virginia in the Camping World Bowl. It's the first time Syracuse has appeared in the final college football rankings since finishing 14th at the conclusion of the 2001 season. Babers, who signed a long-term contract extension in December, was a finalist for three national coach of the year awards.

The Orange ranked 11th nationally in scoring offense (40.2 ppg) and shattered the program record with 523 points in 13 games. In addition, they matched the school single-season record with 62 total touchdowns, including a record 38 rushing scores. Defensively, Syracuse finished third in the FBS in turnovers gained (31), fifth in interceptions (18), fifth in fumbles recovered (13), and sixth in sacks (3.31 per game). The Orange's 43 sacks were the most in program history.

The men's cross country team earned its fourth consecutive NCAA Championship invitation. First-year head coach Brien Bell guided the squad to a 26th-place finish. Sophomore Joe Dragon paced the team with a 90th-place finish. Aidan Tooker, Simon Smith, Nathan Henderson and Noah Affolder all competed for the Orange.

Head coach Ian McIntyre led the Orange to their sixth NCAA Tournament, and fifth in the last seven years. The 16th-seeded Orange lost to eventual national finalist Akron in the first round, 3-1. Three Syracuse players earned All-ACC honors, including sophomore Tajon Buchanan (All-ACC First Team), senior Kamal Miller (All-ACC Third Team), and Ryan Raposo (ACC All-Freshman Team).

Senior goalkeeper Hendrik Hilpert earned Google Cloud/CoSIDA Academic All-America honors for the third consecutive year, becoming the third Syracuse student-athlete and the first men's soccer player to earn Academic All-America honors three times.

All-Americans Santita Ebangwese and Polina Shemanova led the Orange volleyball team to the program's first NCAA Tournament in history. Head coach Leonid Yelin's squad beat Yale, 3-0, in the first round of the tournament and then lost to eight-seed Penn State in the second round.

A Google Cloud/CoSIDA Academic All-American, Ebangwese is one of the most accomplished student-athletes in Syracuse volleyball history. She is a two-time All-ACC First Team selection and a 2018 Senior CLASS Award finalist. Ebangwese ranks in the top-10 on several Syracuse career record lists, including total blocks (567). Shemanova, the AVCA East Region and ACC Freshman of the Year, averaged 4.22 kills per set, which ranked 28th nationally and third among freshman.

Syracuse is matching its athletics success in the classroom. The more than 600 Orange student-athletes recorded a cumulative grade point average of 3.02 in the 2018 fall semester. In addition, Syracuse had its highest Graduation Success Rate (GSR) in school history – 92% – in the fall. The measurement reflects the entering freshman class in 2011-12 and those who graduated within six years. The NCAA started measuring the GSR, which also includes those who entered midyear, as well as student-athletes who transferred into the institution, in 2004.

Syracuse University Athletics

Hockey Scores First Learfield IMG College Directors' Cup Points

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Tyus Battle

Tiana Mangakahia

Allie Munroe

Emma Polaski

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