ACC Well Represented in Director’s Cup Final Standings

by Press Release - Mon Jul 10 09:37:27 GMT-04:00 2006

CLEVELAND, OHIO – On June 29, 2006, the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA), the U.S. Sports Academy and USA Today announced the final standings of the 2005-06 U.S. Sports Academy Directors’ Cup. The Atlantic Coast Conference was the only conference in the nation to rank all its member institutions in the top 55 of the final standings. The University of North Carolina was the highest finisher among ACC schools for the 11th time in the 13-year existence of the Directors’ Cup, ranking fourth tallying 952.75 points. Duke University, which was the top ACC finisher during the 1998-99 and 2004-05 seasons, registered 851.25 points to finish in eighth place overall.

North Carolina ranked in the top 10 for the 11th time in the competitions’ 13-year history after finishing as the national runner-up at the men’s College World Series, placing fourth at the women’s Indoor Track & Field Championship and making an appearance in the women’s Final Four. The Tar Heels’ finish was their highest finish since placing fourth during the 2001-02 academic year.

Duke earned its second consecutive top 10 finish, placing eighth place in this year’s cup standings. Last year, the Blue Devils placed fifth, recording their highest finish in school history. For the second time in as many years, Duke claimed the women’s golf national championship. The Blue Devils also finished as the national runner-up in women’s basketball, field hockey and women’s cross country.

Florida State University had its highest finish in school history tallying 713 total points to place 17th overall. The Seminoles claimed their first men’s outdoor track and field national title, while placing a school-best third at the indoor championships. The Florida State women’s soccer team advanced to its second College Cup in the last three years joining UCLA as the only other school to make the national semifinals twice during that span.

The Virginia Cavaliers and Maryland Terrapins placed 26th and 27th overall, respectively. The Cavaliers recorded a top 30 finish for the 13th straight year after registering its fourth NCAA men’s lacrosse championship with a 15-8 win over Massachusetts. The Terrapins accumulated their fourth straight top 30 finish recording national titles in men’s soccer, field hockey and women’s basketball.

Other ACC school finishes included NC State (34th), Clemson (39th), Miami (42nd), Wake Forest (44th), Virginia Tech (45th), Georgia Tech (50th) and Boston College (51st).

Along with Florida State, Virginia Tech and Boston College each recorded its best finish in school history in the Directors’ Cup standings. The Hokies tallied 430.75 points to place 45th, 13 spots better than last year’s school record finish. The Eagles’ 51st place finish matched the previous school record set during the 2000-01 season.

Below is a list of the top 10 finishers as well as the complete ACC results from the 2005-06 Directors’ Cup standings:

Rank, Team Points Conference

1. Stanford 1197.375 Pac-10

2. UCLA 1071.375 Pac-10

3. Texas 966.00 Big XII

4. North Carolina 952.75 ACC

5. Florida 913.00 SEC

6. Notre Dame 905.50 Independent

7. California 865.50 Pac-10

8. Duke 851.25 ACC

9. Georgia 850.75 SEC

10. Southern Cal 840.00 Pac-10