Virginia Finishes 20th in Final Directors' Cup Standings
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June 27, 2013
CLEVELAND, Ohio – Virginia finished 20th in the final 2012-13 Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup competition for Division I schools. The final results were announced Thursday (June 27) by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA). The finish marks the seventh consecutive year the Cavaliers’ program has placed in the top 20. Virginia’s best finish came in 2010 when it was third.
It marks the 20th consecutive year, since the program’s inception, the Cavaliers have recorded a top-30 finish. UVa is one of 14 schools to rank in the top 30 of the final Directors’ Cup standings in each year of the program’s existence.
“Our first NCAA championship in men’s tennis highlighted another successful year of UVa athletics,” Virginia athletics director Craig Littlepage said. “We finished fifth nationally in rowing and also 19 sport programs had teams or individuals participate in NCAA postseason competition. We expect postseason success and to be ranked in the top 30 nationally for the 20th consecutive year is a good achievement upon which we’ll strive to improve in 2013-14.”
Virginia’s first NCAA championship in men’s tennis capped an athletics season in which teams or individuals from 19 of the Cavaliers’ 25 intercollegiate athletics programs advanced to NCAA postseason competition in 2012-13. Other team highlights from the year included the rowing team’s fifth-place national finish, baseball’s fourth NCAA Super Regional appearance in the last five years and the men’s tennis team winning the ITA National Team Indoor Championship for the fifth time in the past six years.
UVa won five Atlantic Coast Conference Championships and now has won 56 in the last 11 years. Virginia’s total is the highest number of championships won among the ACC’s 12 member institutions. UVa won ACC Championships in rowing (13th in 14 years), men’s swimming and diving (sixth consecutive and 14th in 15 years), women’s swimming and diving (sixth consecutive), men’s tennis (seventh consecutive and ninth in the last 10 years) and women’s soccer.
Two Virginia coaches, Kevin Sauer in rowing and Brian O’Connor in baseball, earned ACC Coach of the Year Awards in 2012-13.
Women’s soccer player Caroline Miller, a first-team All-American, was named the ACC’s Offensive Player of the Year. Field hockey’s Paige Selenski, the ACC Offensive Player of the Year, finished her four-year Cavalier career with 238 points, the highest career mark in Virginia and ACC history. Men’s tennis standout Jarmere Jenkins was the Intercollegiate Tennis Association’s national senior of the year. Freshman Julia Elbaba was selected as the ITA’s national rookie of the year.
Additional highlights of Virginia’s 2012-13 athletics year included:
• The UVa men’s soccer team extended the nation’s longest current streak of participating in the NCAA Tournament by receiving its 32nd consecutive bid
• Women’s Soccer reached the round of 16 of the NCAA Tournament for the eighth consecutive year and Caroline Miller became the first Cavalier to be named a finalist for the Hermann Trophy
• Football’s Oday Aboushi and Steve Greer headlined six All-ACC selections as first-team honorees, giving UVa at least one member on the first team for six straight seasons
• Men’s Cross Country won the NCAA Southeast Regional and finished 14th at the NCAA Championships
• Men’s Basketball, led by All-ACC first team guard Joe Harris, finished the season with a 23-12 record and made its 13th NIT appearance, advancing to the NIT quarterfinals for the first time since 1992
• Led by All-ACC junior guard Ataira Franklin, the Cavalier women’s basketball team had two victories over top-25-ranked teams (No. 17 Vanderbilt and No. 25 Florida State)
• The field hockey team advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament, finishing with a 16-6 record and No. 7 rank in the NFHCA poll
• The wrestling team finished 21st at the NCAA Championships (23.5 points) and Jedd Moore (6th at 157 pounds) and Nick Sulzer (8th at 165 pounds) each earned All-America honors at NCAAs
• Lauren Perdue was named the Women’s ACC Swimmer of the Championships for the third time in her career
• Swimmers Luke Papendick and Courtney Bartholomew were named the Men’s and Women’s ACC Freshman of the Year, respectively
• The UVa women’s lacrosse team participated in the NCAA Tournament for the 18th consecutive season, advancing to the quarterfinals by defeating a pair of higher-seeded teams
• Five Cavalier men’s lacrosse players were named USILA All-Americans, highlighted by Scott McWilliams and Matt White on the second team
• Softball’s Melanie Mitchell broke the school records for wins (79), strikeouts (1,101), complete games (117), innings pitched (942), appearances (161) and starts (144)
• Rowing’s Kristine O’Brien was named CRCA First-Team All-American for third consecutive year
• Jarmere Jenkins and Mac Styslinger became the third men’s tennis duo in the past five years to win the NCAA Doubles Championship
• The women’s tennis team advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the fifth straight season and the NCAA Round of 16 for the third consecutive year
• Julia Elbaba became UVa’s second women’s tennis All-American after becoming the first Cavalier women’s tennis player to earn a seed (No. 9-16) at the NCAA Singles Championship
• Virginia sophomore Denny McCarthy finished 22nd at the NCAA Championships after tying for second at the NCAA Columbus Regional. McCarthy received All-ACC, All-East Region and honorable mention All-America honors
• Senior Brittany Altomare became the first Cavalier to win the ACC Individual title, be named the ACC’s Golfer of the Year and earn first-team All-America honors.
• Baseball participated in the NCAA Tournament for the 10th consecutive year and played in a Super Regional for the fourth time in the last five seasons
• In June of 2013, Blake Miller was named head coach of the softball program
Stanford finished first in the NCAA Division I Directors’ Cup standings for the 19th consecutive year with 1261.25 points and Florida was second with 1244.75 points.
UVa was one of four ACC programs to finish in the top 20 of the Directors’ Cup standings. Other ACC schools in the top 20 of the Directors’ Cup standings were North Carolina (8th, 1075.33), Florida State (11th, 987.75) and Duke (12th, 969.60).
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.
2012-13 Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup Final Top 25 Point Standings
1. Stanford 1261.25
2. Florida 1244.75
3. UCLA 1227.25
4. Michigan 1138.25
5. Texas A&M 1131.25
6. Penn State 1100.00
7. Oklahoma 1078.25
8. North Carolina 1075.33
9. Notre Dame 1015.50
10. Georgia 1006.75
11. Florida State 987.75
12. Duke 969.60
13. Texas 966.75
14. USC 945.00
15. Oregon 929.75
16. Ohio State 868.50
17. California 858.83
18. Arizona State 852.08
19. LSU 847.00
20. Virginia 845.50
21. Arkansas 830.00
22. Minnesota 819.50
23. Arizona 786.58
24. Nebraska 772.33
25. Kentucky 748.00
ACC Schools in Final 2012-13 Directors’ Cup Standings
8. North Carolina 1075.33
11. Florida State 987.75
12. Duke 969.60
20. Virginia 845.50
34. NC State 633.60
36. Virginia Tech 629.00
44. Maryland 503.00
52. Clemson 440.50
71. Miami 303.00
74. Georgia Tech 282.00
76. Boston College 263.00
98. Wake Forest 172.50
Schools Ranked in the Top-30 of All 19 Directors’ Cup Point Standings (1994-2013)
Arizona
Arizona State
California
Florida
Georgia
Michigan
North Carolina
Ohio State
Penn State
USC
Stanford
Texas
UCLA
Virginia
Virginia’s Final Position in Each of the Directors’ Cup Rankings
2013 20th
2012 15th
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