DU’s men’s athletics were ranked No. 7 in the most recent standings for the Capital One Cup. The standings, which are updated after NCAA championship official results are posted, add points to the individual schools’ in hopes of claiming the end prize of $400,000 combined student-athlete scholarships that are awarded in July.

The Capital One Cup splits the program nominations according to gender. The Pioneers men’s athletics are currently in seventh place, sitting with 30 points behind powerhouse schools like Clemson University  and Stanford University, who are both tied for first place with 78 points.

Remarkably, the Pioneers are by far the smallest institution of the top ten current contenders. With an undergraduate enrollment of a mere 5,758, Denver is miniscule in comparison to the largest of the competition, where the University of Southern California boasts a thundering student body of 44,000.

With 17 varsity athletics on-campus, eight of which are men’s programs, DU further establishes itself as an elite athletic institution despite its size.

Recent successes in winning the 2015 NCAA national men’s lacrosse championship, earning a berth to the Frozen Four for the first time since the back-to-back and most recent hockey national championships in 2004-2005, clinching the ski team’s 23 national title and for the first time in program history, men’s soccer remaining undefeated and making an appearance to the College Cup, the Pioneers have created a name for themselves on the national level.