Rewarding athletic achievements

As a Cardinal fan, I have a very narrow view of athletic achievements. My focus is largely – almost entirely – on women's basketball.

But a recent article by Michelle Voepel caught my attention.

She explains why the Learfield Sports Director's Cup, which has been won by Stanford for the past 16 years — every one since the second award in 1993-94 —

has been replaced by the Capital One Cup.

Stanford will likely take home the inaugural women's Capital One Cup this year. They currently lead the standings, based largely on the achievements of Stanford women's basketball, volleyball and soccer. The award comprises a handsome trophy and a $200,000 donation to fund student-athlete graduate-level scholarships.

Do you want to know more?

• Competition heats up in Cap One race, Mechelle Voepel''s article for ESPN
• About the Capital One Cup, including the scoring structure.
• Capital One Cup current standings
• Capital One Cup is bad news for Stanford, an opinion piece by Jacob Jaffe in The Stanford Daily, written early in the 2010-11 athletic season.