SEWARD, Neb. – One of the NAIA’s leaders in combined athletic and academic performance, the Concordia University athletic department recently garnered recognition from Next College Student Athlete (NCSA). According to the organization’s formula, Concordia ranks as the 17th best NAIA institution for student-athletes. The NAIA is made up of more than 250 colleges.
According to the NCSA, its Power Rankings are calculated through a proprietary methodology using each school’s NCSA Favorites data, general academic ranking based off U.S. News and World Report Best Colleges and IPEDS graduation rate ranking. Further explanation of the organization’s methodology can be read HERE.
The NCSA Power Rankings provide further proof of the excellence achieved by the Concordia University athletic department under the guidance of Director of Athletics Devin Smith and Associate Director of Athletics Angela Muller. Some recent accomplishments include:
- Three-time GPAC All-Sports Trophy Champions (2003, 2005, 2015)
- Three-consecutive top 20 finishes in the NAIA Learfield Cup Standings (2014-15, 2015-16, 2016-17)
- All-time leader in NAIA Scholar-Athletes (1,391)
- 20 NAIA Scholar-Teams in 2017-18 (third most in the NAIA)
- 30 CoSIDA Academic All-Americans since the start of the 2012-13 academic year, including CoSIDA Academic All-Americans of the Year Chandler Folkerts (2016-17) and Samantha Liermann (2017-18)
- Nine-straight years of recognition as a Champions of Character Five-Star Institution (Gold Level in 2017-18)