USU athletics: Utah State ranks among most economically efficient athletic departments in the nation for fourth straight year

For the fourth year in a row, Utah State has been recognized as one of the most efficient athletic departments in the nation as it placed sixth for the Excellence in Management Cup, presented by Texas A&M’s Laboratory for the Study of Intercollegiate Athletics.

Utah State won the national championship in 2009, finished third nationally in 2010 and fourth in 2011.

The purpose of the Excellence in Management Cup is to determine which athletic departments win the most conference and national championships in accordance to financial expenditures.

Kent State is this year’s national champion, followed by Western Kentucky, Alabama, Tulsa, San Jose State and Utah State. Eight of the top ten universities in the final standings are from non-BCS affiliated universities.

“To be ranked among the top six economically efficient institutions in each of the last four years is a continued indicator of the return on investment that our university community, students and stakeholders receive in exchange for their support of Aggie Athletics,” USU Athletics Director Scott Barnes said.

During the 2011-12 academic year, Utah State won Western Athletic Conference championships in men’s cross country, women’s soccer and women’s indoor and outdoor track & field. USU finished second in football, women’s basketball and men’s indoor and outdoor track & field.

Scoring is calculated in a formula that accounts for total athletic department spending, number of sports played and the number of championships won by each Division I university. Because of the difficulty in winning national championships, the formula was adjusted two years ago to place more emphasis on programs that exceed on the national stage.

For a complete list of results and additional information of the Excellence in Management Cup results, please visit the Laboratory for the Study of Intercollegiate Athletics website.

Doug Hoffman is the assistant athletic director for Utah State University Athletic Media Relations.