Cavaliers Finish 13th in Sears Cup Rankings

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June 18, 1998

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — The University of Virginia intercollegiate athletic program ranked 13th in the final 1997-98 Division I Sears Directors’ Cup standings. It’s the highest ranking for the Virginia program in the five-year history of the Sears Directors’ Cup standings. Stanford University finished first among NCAA Division I schools based on the combined performances of women’s and men’s sports during the 1997-98 academic year.

Virginia was one of four Atlantic Coast Conference schools in the Sears Directors’ Cup Division I Top 25 standings. North Carolina tied for second, Maryland tied for 19th and Clemson tied for 25th.

Intercollegiate athletic highlights for UVa during the 1997-98 academic year include second place finishes by the men’s soccer and women’s lacrosse teams in NCAA Tournament competition, and a third place finish by the women’s rowing team at the NCAA Championships. In addition, the field hockey team reached the semifinals of the NCAA Tournament and the men’s lacrosse team reached the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament. UVa teams and individuals representing 16 sports competed in NCAA Championships during the 1997-98 academic year.

There are four Sears Directors’ Cup Awards, one to honor the institution with the best all-around athletics program in each of the NCAA’s Divisions I, II and III, and the NAIA. It is the first cross-sectional all-sports national recognition award program for both men and women.

The Sears Directors’ Cup program is administered by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) and sponsored by Sears, Roebuck and Company. A new scoring structure was implemented this year in which points are awarded based on each institution’s finish in up to 20 sports – ten for men and ten for women.

Virginia finished 22nd in the 1997 Sears Directors’ Cup standings. UVa was 21st in 1996, tied for 19th in 1995 and 19th in 1994.

UVa in 1997-98 Sears Directors’ Cup Standings

1997-98 Sears Directors’ Cup Division I Top 25 Rankings

        1)  Stanford            15) Penn State        2)  Florida                 Texas            North Carolina      17) Minnesota        4)  UCLA                18) Brigham Young        5)  Michigan            19) California        6)  Arizona                 Colorado        7)  Georgia                 Maryland        8)  Washington              Tennessee        9)  Nebraska            23) Ohio State        10) Louisiana State     24) Oklahoma State            Southern California 25) Auburn          12) Arizona State           Clemson        13) Virginia                Princeton        14) Arkansas