Story Links
Jan. 12, 2007
Director’s Cup Final Fall Results
Charlottesville, VA — The Virginia athletics program is seventh following the release of the 2007 U.S. Sports Academy Director’s Cup final fall sports standings. Thanks to strong showings by five programs in NCAA Championship competition last fall, the Cavaliers compiled 303 points and are the second highest ranked ACC school in the poll.
The ranking equals the second best showing in the Director’s Cup by the Cavaliers at the conclusion of the fall sports championships. Virginia was ranked sixth in 1997-98 when both the field hockey and men’s soccer teams reached the Final Fours of their respective sport. In 1995-96 UVa also stood in seventh place in the Director’s Cup’s final fall results.
California is first in the final fall Directors’ Cup standings for the first time in the 13-year history of the program. The Golden Bears earned 364.5 overall points highlighted by the national championship in men’s water polo. Stanford, the 12-time defending Director’s Cup champion, is second with 334 points. Duke, the top-ranked ACC program, is third at 316. UCLA and Wisconsin are tied for fourth with 309 points and Colorado is one point ahead of the Cavaliers in sixth place at 304. Wake Forest is the only other ACC school ranked in the top-10. The Demon Deacons are eighth with 300 points.
Virginia’s fall athletics season was highlighted by the men’s soccer team’s run to the College Cup where it lost in the semifinals to UCLA. Using the Director’s Cup scoring system, the Cavaliers were credited with a third-place finish. The UVa field hockey team was fifth in this year’s NCAA Tournament, women’s soccer placed ninth and the Cavalier men’s and women’s cross country teams both turned in 14th-place performances.
“Our program’s standing going into the winter sports season is impressive,” said Virginia athletics director Craig Littlepage. “Our goal would be to remain in the top 10 going into the spring seasons, traditionally when we have a number of teams competing for national championships each year.”
The Sports Academy Directors’ Cup was developed as a joint effort between the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) and USA Today. The United States Sports Academy, based in Daphne, Alabama, is the program’s sponsor. Points are awarded based on each institution’s finish in up to 20 sports – 10 women’s and 10 men’s.
Last year the Cavalier program was 26th in the standings, the program’s 13th consecutive top-30 finish. Virginia is one of just 15 Division I schools to post a top-30 finish in every year of the Director’s Cup’s existence.
2007 U.S. Sports Academy Director’s Cup
Final Fall Standings
Team Points
1. California 364.5 2. Stanford 334 3. Duke 316 4. UCLA 309 4. Wisconsin 309 6. Colorado 304 7. Virginia 303 8. Wake Forest 300 9. Florida 280 10. Notre Dame 279
Other ACC Schools 17. Maryland 209 20. North Carolina 187 22. Florida State 174 24. Clemson 162 33. Boston College 132 43. Virginia Tech 119 68. NC State 78115. Miami 45124. Georgia Tech 25