March 14, 2001
GREENVILLE, SC -- The Furman women's soccer team finished the 2000 season ranked 28th in the nation in the RPI computer rankings released recently by the NCAA.
The Ratings Percentage Index (RPI) is one of the main measurements used by the NCAA for selecting tournament participants. Last season, Furman earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament.
The Lady Paladins finished the season 20-3 and also won the Southern Conference regular season title with a perfect 9-0 league mark. Furman also tallied a 20-3 record in 1999 and finished that season 25th in the RPI. Furman has been to two straight NCAA Tournaments.
The RPI figures Division I winning percentage, opponents success, opponents strength of schedule, and road success when determining the total RPI. Furman placed fourth in the nation in winning percentage in 2000.
The Southern Conference was positioned as the 13th-best conference in the nation out of 30 Division I conferences, up from 16th a year ago. Three other Southern Conference teams placed in the top 100, as UNCG was 53rd, Davidson 83rd, and Georgia Southern 87th.
"I am pleased to see that two years of hard work and success has led to two straight top 30 rankings in the RPI," said Furman head coach Brian Lee. "I thought the Southern Conference as a whole was the strongest its ever been last year and I think that is reflective in the overall conference rating and in the fact that for the first time ever four schools placed in the top 100. I believe that both our program and the conference as a whole will only continue to improve in years to come."