Wheaton Athletics posts first-ever top 20 finish in USSA Directors' Cup Final Standings
June 15, 2004
LLAS, TX - The National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) has announced that Wheaton College finished 17th overall in the prestigious United States Sports Academy (USSA) Directors' Cup in NCAA Division III competition for the 2003-04 academic year. Presented annually to the best overall collegiate athletics programs in the country, the Lyons earned their highest ranking in the nine-year history of the award and topped the 450-point plateau for the first time.
The 2003-04 USSA Directors' Cup winners were announced at the NACDA Convention in Dallas and the four winning institutions -- one in each of the NCAA Divisions (I, II and III) and the NAIA -- were awarded their Directors' Cups and scholarships. Williams College (Mass.) defended its title as the best athletics program in NCAA Division III by winning its eighth USSA Directors' Cup.
Wheaton totaled 458.75 points, placing 23.25 points ahead of New York University and 10.75 points behind Johns Hopkins University (Md.). The Lyons recorded the fourth highest standing in New England behind Williams, third-place Middlebury College (Vt.) and sixth-place Amherst College (Mass.). Wheaton was the national runner-up in women's indoor track and field. Five teams landed top eight finishes, including men's soccer (3rd), women's lacrosse (5th), women's soccer (5th), softball (5th) and men's indoor track and field (8th). The Lyons tallied points in four women's and two men's sports.
Several team milestones highlighted the year, including Paul Souza's women's track and field program continuing a very impressive streak of seven straight top three finishes in both the indoor and outdoor seasons. The indoor squad had its national championship run of five straight years halted after finishing second, while the outdoor team saw its title streak of three consecutive seasons come to an end following its third-place standing. Matt Cushing's men's soccer program became the school's first male team to reach the NCAA Tournament national semifinal round with a 19-3-2 record. Competing in their fourth NCAA Tournament and third in four years, the Lyons secured their 12th straight winning season.
Rebecca Begley's women's lacrosse team and Gina Loudenburg's softball program also exceeded last year's finishes. Setting a program record for victories in a season, Wheaton women's lacrosse advanced to the NCAA Tournament national quarterfinal round and completed its season with a 15-3 mark. Softball reached the national tourney for the third time in program history, as the Lyons appeared in their seventh NCAA Tournament over the last eight seasons. Wheaton posted a 33-12-1 record. Luis Reis' women's soccer squad equaled its best finish with a national quarterfinal round appearance and record of 23-2, while Souza's men's indoor track and field team placed eighth at the national meet.
Developed as a joint effort between USA Today and NACDA, the USSA Directors' Cup program is the only all-sports competition that recognizes the institution in each of the four categories with the best overall athletics program. Of the 430 eligible colleges and universities in the NCAA Division III, a total of 283 (66 percent) scored points in the USSA Directors' Cup competition. Complete final rankings on all of these institutions are available on NACDA's web site at www.nacda.com.
For summary of final standings, click here (pdf format).
