Virginia Finishes Seventh in Final Directors? Cup Standings

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CLEVELAND, Ohio-Virginia finished seventh in the final 2010-11 Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup competition for Division I schools. The final results were announced Friday by the National Association of Directors of Athletics (NACDA). The finish is the second best for the Cavaliers in the 18-year history of the Directors’ Cup program and marks the fourth time the school has posted a top-10 finish. Virginia’s best finish was third last year. UVa was eighth in both 1999 and 2009.

It marks the 18th consecutive year, since the program’s inception, the Cavaliers have recorded a top-30 finish. UVa is one of 15 schools to rank in the top 30 of the final Directors’ Cup standings in each year of the program’s existence.

“The manner in which our programs have represented the University of Virginia this year is truly impressive,” UVa Athletics Director Craig Littlepage said. “Earning another top-10 finish in this year’s Directors’ Cup demonstrates a true team effort, including the work of dedicated coaches, student-athletes and athletics department staff, support from the University administration and faculty, and the generosity of our donors. Winning conference and national championships are among our department goals and our third consecutive top-10 finish in the Directors’ Cup standings reflects our continuing effort regarding our 10-year goals.”

Teams or individuals in 21 of Virginia’s 25 intercollegiate athletics programs advanced to postseason competition in 2010-11. UVa won two team national championships and two individual national titles. Virginia won the NCAA title in men’s lacrosse and a fourth consecutive ITA National Team Indoor Championship in men’s tennis.

A year after capturing the NCAA 800 meter crown indoors, sophomore Robby Andrews won the 800 meter outdoor title this spring at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Matt McLean won the 500 meter freestyle at the NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships to become the fourth Cavalier swimmer to win a NCAA title.

The Cavaliers also won five Atlantic Coast Conference championships in 2010-11, which tied with Maryland as the most by any league school this year. UVa won ACC titles in baseball, women’s rowing, men’s and women’s swimming and diving and men’s tennis. Virginia has won 47 ACC championships in the last nine years, the most of any school in the conference during that period.

There were 10 Cavalier student-athletes who earned some form of ACC player of the year honors in their respective sport. That list includes: McKenzie Adams (volleyball freshman of the year), Alex Domijan (men’s tennis freshman of the year), Sinead Farrelly (women’s soccer offensive player of the year), Danny Hultzen (baseball pitcher of the year), Ben Kohles (men’s golfer of the year), Anthony Kostelac (indoor and outdoor track and field freshman of the year), Matt McLean (men’s swimmer of the year), Ariana Moorer (women’s basketball sixth player of the year), Lauren Perdue (women’s swimmer of the year) and Steele Stanwick (men’s lacrosse player of the year).

Additional highlights of Virginia’s 2010-11 athletics year included:

• Four coaches were named ACC coach of the year (rowing – Kevin Sauer; men’s and women’s swimming and diving – Mark Bernardino; men’s tennis – Brian Boland; baseball – Brian O’Connor).
• Assistant women’s golf coach Brian Bailie was the National Golf Coaches Association’s assistant coach of the year.
• Steele Stanwick became the third Cavalier men’s lacrosse player to win the Tewaaraton Trophy as the nation’s top player
• Men’s golfer Ben Kohles repeated as the ACC Golfer of the Year.
• Emil Heineking won his second consecutive ACC men’s cross country individual title.
• Baseball pitcher Danny Hultzen became the first player in ACC history to win the Pitcher of the Year Award in back-to-back seasons. A first-team All-American and a first-team CoSIDA Academic All-American, he was the second pick in the Major League Baseball draft
• The women’s cross country team won the NCAA Southeast Regional title.
• The Cavalier women’s golf team’s fourth place finish at the NCAA Championships was its best postseason performance.
• Baseball pitcher Tyler Wilson won the Lowes Senior CLASS Award as the most outstanding senior student-athlete in Division I baseball
• The men’s tennis team’s Michael Shabaz was the ITA National Senior Player of the Year, Alex Domijan was the ITA National Rookie of the Year and Sanam Singh received the ITA Sportsmanship Award
• The Virginia baseball team was the No. 1 national seed for the NCAA baseball championships and made its second College World Series appearance
• Wrestler Chris Henrich became the program’s first three-time All-American
• Paige Selenski was a Honda Award semifinalist for field hockey
• The men’s tennis team won its fifth consecutive ACC title and placed second at the NCAA Championships, its best finish ever
• The Cavalier men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams won their fourth straight ACC titles
• Men’s swimming finished eighth at the NCAA Championships, its best finish ever
• Women’s tennis advanced to the round of 16 at the NCAAs for the first time
• Junior Lindsey Hardenbergh became the first women’s tennis player to earn All-America honors
• Former Cavalier women’s soccer players Becky Sauerbrunn and Lori Lindsey were named to the U.S. Women’s World Cup soccer team

Stanford finished first in the NCAA Division I Directors’ Cup standings for the 17th consecutive year with 1550.25 points and Ohio State was second with 1277.05 points.

UVa was one of four ACC programs to finish in the top-10 of the Directors’ Cup standings. Other ACC schools in the top 10 of the Directors’ cup standings were Duke (5th, 1171.50), North Carolina (6th, 1160.75) and Florida State (9th, 1079.00).

There are four Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup awards, one to honor the institution with the best overall athletics program in each of the NCAA’s Divisions I, II and III, and the NAIA. The Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup was developed as a joint effort between NACDA and USA Today.

2010-11 Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup Final Top 30 Point Standings

1. Stanford 1550.25

2. Ohio State 1277.05

3. California 1219.50

4. Florida 1212.25

5. Duke 1171.50

6. North Carolina 1160.75

7. Virginia 1092.00

8. Texas A&M 1090.50

9. Florida State 1079.00

10. Oklahoma 1064.75

11. UCLA 1020.25

12. Texas 996.75

13. Penn State 996.05

14. Southern California 990.25

15. Michigan 954.75

16. Arizona 906.00

17. Maryland 858.00

18. Notre Dame 833.00

19. LSU 831.05

20. Georgia 829.00

21. Washington 779.30

22. Tennessee 763.50

23. Illinois 731.50

24. Arkansas 726.75

25. Alabama 726.25

26. Wisconsin 706.25

27. Arizona State 692.50

28. Indiana 687.75

29. Minnesota 657.25

30. Oregon 640.75

ACC Schools in Final 2010-11 Directors’ Cup Standings

5. Duke 1171.50

6. North Carolina 1160.75

7. Virginia 1092.00

9. Florida State 1079.00

17. Maryland 858.00

45. Virginia Tech 500.50

47. Clemson 485.50

51. Miami (Fla.) 416.50

59. Georgia Tech 350.75

64. Boston College 322.00

67. NC State 312.00

74. Wake Forest 261.50

Schools Ranked in the Top-30 of All 18 Directors’ Cup Point Standings (1994-2011)

Arizona

Arizona State

California

Florida

Georgia

Michigan

North Carolina

Ohio State

Penn State

Southern California

Stanford

Tennessee

Texas

UCLA

Virginia

Virginia’s Final Position in Each of the Directors’ Cup Rankings

2011 7th

2010 3rd

2009 8th

2008 17th

2007 13th

2006 26th

2005 13th

2004 30th

2003 19th

2002 27th

2001 30th

2000 13th

1999 8th

1998 13th

1997 22nd

1996 21st

1995 19th (tie)

1994 19th