Hawai‘i Pacific University has been ranked 19th among NCAA Division II universities in the 5th Annual National Collegiate Scouting Association (NCSA) Collegiate Power Rankings.

NCSA’s Collegiate Power Rankings rate colleges and universities comprehensively based on student-athlete graduation rates, academic strength, and athletic prowess of the university. HPU is in an elite group of less than 6 percent of colleges and universities across the nation to make NCSA’s Top 100 for 2007.

“With so many great colleges and universities to choose from, NCSA’s power rankings objectively help student-athletes compare collegiate opportunities so they know how institutions stack up pound for pound,” said NCSA CEO and Founder Chris Krause. “With this ranking, it shows us that Hawai‘i Pacific University not only places importance on winning games, but on academics and graduating players as well, especially in the last year.”

“HPU’s athletics department works with every student-athlete to assure they fulfill their responsibilities as students,” said HPU Athletics Director and Head Men’s Basketball Coach Darren Vorderbruegge. “We are proud to be listed in the top 20 of the Division II Collegiate Power Rankings, validating the importance we place on academics as part of HPU’s total educational program.”

A member of the PacWest Conference, HPU’s Sea Warrior sports program comprises the three-time national champion women’s volleyball team (1990, 1998, and 2000), the 1993 national champion men’s basketball team, the five-time national champion cheer and dance teams, as well as women’s basketball, men’s baseball, women’s softball, men’s golf, cross country, tennis, and soccer.

NCSA’s Collegiate Power Rankings [www.ncsapowerrankings.org] are calculated for each college and university at the NCAA Division I, II, and III levels, by averaging the U.S. News & World Report ranking, the U.S. Sports Academy Directors’ Cup ranking, and the NCAA student-athlete graduation rate of each school. The U.S. Sports Academy Directors’ Cup rating evaluates the strength of NCAA athletic departments, while the U.S. News & World Report rating recognizes institutions of academic excellence. The student-athlete graduation rates are provided by the NCAA.

In addition to the Collegiate Power Rankings, NCSA provides recruiting education to high school athletic directors, coaches, and families of student-athletes who are interested in competing at the college level.

“The backbone of NCSA is education,” said Krause. “The NCSA staff consists of more than 70 collegiate athletes and coaches whose focus is to match college coaches with qualified and committed student-athletes, maximizing their collegiate recruiting potential.”