CSM ranked third in NCSA’s 2009 NCAA Division II Collegiate Power Rankings

GOLDEN, Colo. - Colorado School of Mines has been ranked third in the Seventh Annual National Collegiate Scouting Association's NCAA Division II Collegiate Power Rankings, as announced today by the NCSA.

The NCSA's 2009 Collegiate Power Rankings rate colleges and universities comprehensively based on student-athlete graduation rates, academic strength and athletic prowess of the university.

Colorado School of Mines was the only Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) institution listed in the top 50 of the NCSA's 2009 NCAA Division II Collegiate Power Rankings.  Mines, which was ranked fourth in the NCSA's NCAA Division II Power Rankings in 2008, is in an elite group of less than 6% of colleges and universities across the nation to qualify for recognition from the NCSA in 2009.

The NCSA's Collegiate Power Rankings 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 Learfield Sports Directors' Cup rankings and the NCAA student-athlete graduation rate of each college / university.  The student-athlete graduation rates are based on those provided by the NCAA.

Colorado School of Mines finished 62nd (out of 232 institutions) in the 2008-09 Learfield Sports Directors' Cup final NCAA Division II standings.  Furthermore, CSM ranked 34th in the Top 50 Public National Universities and 77th among Best National Universities, both public and private, according to the 2010 edition of America's Best Colleges by U.S. News and World Report.  CSM also ranked 51st in U.S. News and World Report's 2010 rankings for Best Undergraduate Engineering Programs at schools whose highest degree is a doctorate.

CLICK HERE for more information about the NCSA's 2009 Collegiate Power Rankings.

For more information about CSM Athletics, please visit http://www.csmorediggers.com or contact Sports Information Director Jeff Duggan at jduggan@mines.edu.

-- OREDIGGERS --