RELEASED:  Monday, April 7, 2008

Five Institutions Ranked In Top 20 of Directors’ Cup Standings

Madison, Wis.--Five Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) institutions are ranked in the top 20 of the United States Sports Academy Directors’ Cup NCAA Division III winter standings.  The standings recognize the best NCAA Division III overall athletics programs in the country.

UW-La Crosse leads the conference members, placing sixth with 468.50 points.  UW-Whitewater is eighth with 442 points, followed by UW-Stevens Point in 11th with 399.50, UW-Eau Claire in 15th with 351 and UW-Platteville in 20th with 314.50. 

UW-Oshkosh also earned a spot in the listings, ranking 23rd with 308 points.  UW-Superior is 126th with 92 points, while UW-River Falls is 130th with 88.75 and UW-Stout is tied for 182nd with 51.  A total of 271 institutions have earned points in the national competition.

Washington University (Mo.) leads the rankings with 693.50 points, while Amherst College (Mass.) is second with 647, Williams College (Mass.) third with 617.25, the College of New Jersey fourth with 516 and Middlebury College (Vt.) fifth with 508.50.

The WIAC has placed at least two institutions in the top 10 of the final U.S. Sports Academy Directors’ Cup NCAA Division III standings in nine of the last 11 years.

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 sponsor. Points are awarded based on each institution's finish in up to 18 sports -- nine women’s and nine men’s.

Click here for the complete standings.