Dartmouth recently received a ranking as one of the top schools for athletics and academics in the country by the National Collegiate Scouting Association. The College fell at number six in the annual NCSA power rankings list.
Dartmouth finished after Princeton University (first), Harvard University (second), and Yale University (fifth), but finished ahead of all the other Ivy League schools.
The rankings are a way for student athletes to identify and assess what colleges are most well equipped to fit their needs.
The list of 175 schools includes some of the most prestigious universities in the country. All members of the Ivy League rank within the top 25.
Although Dartmouth competes in Division 1, all schools are listed together regardless of division or conference.
Williams and Amherst, members of the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) both surpassed Dartmouth in the rankings (at third and fourth, respectively).
NCSA rankings are compiled based on a school's Sears Cup Rank, U.S. News rank and student-athlete graduation rank. Dartmouth's Sears Cup Rank of 11th, U.S. News rank of ninth and student athlete graduation rank of 13th gave it a high score of 33, beating out Middlebury (34) and Stanford (35).
"All Ivy League schools do a terrific job with balancing athletics and academics, and we work really hard at it," Josie Harper, Dartmouth's Athletics and Recreation Director, said.
"Coaches obviously stress high performance on the field, but academics are paramount -- and coaches always value high performance in the classroom as well," Harper said.
Harper expressed her admiration of the commitment, dedication and time that student athletes put into balancing academics and athletics. "I don't know of any athlete who gets out of academic obligations or assignments, for their sport," Harper said. "They are students first, and athletes second ... and they are passionate about both of these [pursuits]."
The NCSA could not be reached to comment on the recent rankings. NCSA rankings are online at www.ncsasports.org.
