Hornet men rank 11th in attendance
By The Emporia Gazette (Contact)
Originally published 02:13 p.m., June 13, 2008
Updated 02:13 p.m., June 13, 2008
The Emporia State men’s basketball team had its highest finish ever in the national attendance rankings, finishing 11th among the nearly 300 NCAA Division II basketball-playing schools.
It is the sixth straight year that ESU men’s basketball has been ranked in the top 25 nationally and the fourth straight year the Hornets have been in the top 15.
Emporia State outdrew 134 NCAA Division I schools during the 2007-08 school year, including six teams that made the Division I NCAA Tournament field.
ESU was one of just 11 D-II schools nationally to draw more than 2,000 fans per game. The Hornets averaged 2,156 fans per game in 14 home contests. ESU had a season-high 3,995 fans at its92-87 victory over Washburn on Jan. 9 and had a total of seven games with more than 2,000 fans in attendance.
ESU was among seven MIAA teams in the top 30 nationally. As a conference, the MIAA drew 231,767 fans to 139 games to lead all Division II conferences in total attendance. The MIAA’s 1,667 average ranked second to the North Central Conference.
Division II Men’s Basketball Attendance
Top 10 and other MIAA schools
Rank Institution Games Attendance Avg.
1. Northern State 18 58,869 3,270
2. Morehouse 14 42,816 3,058
3. Elizabeth City State 12 35,520 2,960
4. South Dakota 16 46,165 2,885
5. Augustana 15 40,882 2,725
6. Central Missouri 15 39,766 2,651
7. St. Cloud State 16 41,576 2,598
8. Winona State 23 57,490 2,499
9. Virginia State 12 29,664 2,472
10. Washburn 13 31,107 2,392
11. Emporia State 14 30,187 2,156
17. Missouri Western 14 25,668 1,833
21. Pittsburg State 13 20,844 1,603
24. Fort Hays State 16 25,080 1,567
30. Missouri Southern 14 19,298 1,378
Division II Men’s Basketball Conference Attendance Leaders
Conference Teams Attendance Avg.
1. North Central 7 204,328 1,946
2. MIAA 10 231,767 1,667
3. Northern Sun 9 184,699 1,378
4. CIAA 10 167,034 1,369
5. SIAC 12 167,626 1,075
6. GLVC 14 200,547 950
7. Lone Star 14 167,552 901
8. Great Northwest 10 125,914 887
9. Peach Belt 9 106,808 815
10. GLIAC 13 150,721 806
Rossbach finishes
as runner-up in 1,500
Emporia State national champion Jonel Rossbach placed second in the 1,500-meter run at the American Miler's Club High Performance Series on Wednesday to wrap up this week's action.
The series is for professional athletes, with select collegiate athletes allowed entry. Rossbach ran her race in 4 minutes, 35.84 seconds to finish behind former North Carolina State All-American and N.C. State record-holder Jemissa Hess.
On Monday, Rossbach ran a 2:14.28 to place 10th in the 800-meter run.