RELEASED:  Thursday, June 25, 2009

Five Finish In Top 17 of Directors’ Cup Standings

MADISON, Wis.--Representing the strongest finish in Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) history, five schools have placed in the top 17 of the 2008-09 Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup Standings.

UW-Stevens Point led the quintet with a seventh-place finish after accumulating 779 points.  UW-La Crosse placed 11th with 732 points, UW-Eau Claire 12th with 731.50, UW-Whitewater 15th with 687.75 and UW-Oshkosh 17th with 624.

Additional WIAC finishes included:  UW-Platteville 55th with 273.63 points, UW-Stout 83rd with 213.50, UW-River Falls 180th with 94.50 and UW-Superior tied for 227th with 60.  A total of 310 institutions acquired points in this year’s standings.

The conference had four schools finish in the top 18 during the 2006-07 and 2007-08 academic years.

Williams College (Mass.) claimed its 11th consecutive Directors’ Cup title with 1066.50 points.  Middlebury College (Vt.) placed second with 923 points, Amherst College (Mass.) third with 910, Washington University (Mo.) fourth with 873 and State University of New York-Cortland fifth with 861.

The standings recognize the best NCAA Division III overall athletics programs in the country.  Points are awarded based on each institution’s finish in up to 18 sports - nine women’s and nine men’s.

The Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup was developed as a joint effort between the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) and USA Today. 

Click here for the complete standings.