Elite 1-3-5

Through the 15 by 15 by 15 Plan – announced in 2008 – UK Athletics set out to accomplish the following by the year 2015:

• Reach the Directors’ Cup top 15
• Win 15 conference or national championships
• Pursue a 3.0 composite GPA
• Encourage even greater commitment to community service

In 2015, UK Athletics made the bold vision of 15 by 15 by 15 a reality. It wasn’t long before Mitch Barnhart charted an even more ambitious course: Elite 1-3-5.
 
The spirit of Elite 1-3-5 is simple: to establish UK Athletics among the truly elite athletics departments in America. Its specifics are as follows. By 2022, we will:

• 1 – Win a conference or national championship in every sport
• 3 – Sustain a 3.0 cumulative GPA
• 5 – Reach the Directors’ Cup top five

Reaching those goals won’t be easy, but we are already making progress:

• 1
  • Men’s soccer – 2015 C-USA regular season, 2018 C-USA regular season
  • Men’s basketball – 2016 SEC Tournament, 2017 SEC regular season and Tournament, 2018 SEC Tournament, 2020 SEC regular season
  • Volleyball – 2017 SEC regular season, 2018 SEC regular season, 2019 SEC regular season
  • Rifle – 2018 national title, 2020 GARC regular season, 2020 GARC Tournament
• 3
  • 16 consecutive semesters with GPA above 3.0
• 5
  • School-record 10th-place Directors’ Cup finish in 2016-17

By living out our Core Values and with the support of the Big Blue Nation, we will tirelessly pursue our goal to be elite in all we do.