Wheaton athletics place 41st in USSA Directors' Cup standings

LAKE BUENA VISTA, FL- The National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) has announced that Wheaton College finished 41st in the prestigious United States Sports Academy (USSA) Directors' Cup in NCAA Division III competition for the 2004-05 academic year. Presented annually to the best overall collegiate athletics programs in the country, the Lyons totaled 284 points in this year's competition and had finished in the top 25 the last four years.

The 2004-05 USSA Directors' Cup winners were announced at the NACDA Convention in Lake Buena Vista 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 Division III by winning its ninth Directors' Cup.

A mere 6.5 points separated the 39th through 43rd slots, as Wheaton finished 1.75 points ahead of Carthage College (Wis.) and one point behind the University of California at Santa Cruz. The Lyons had four teams tally points, including a trio of top-nine finishes with women's soccer (3rd), men's soccer (9th) and baseball (9th). The men's swimming and diving program captured 36th place overall.

Luis Reis' women's soccer team advanced to the NCAA Tournament Final Four for the first time in program history, tying its all-time single-season win total with a 23-1-2 record and program-high 25-game unbeaten streak. Wheaton set a Division III record with an astounding 22 shutouts.

The men's soccer program, under the direction of head coach Matt Cushing, used a 17-4-2 record en route to its fourth NCAA Tournament appearance in five seasons. Reaching the round of 16 for the third straight time, the Lyons posted an impressive 13-game unbeaten streak last season.

Eric Podbelski's baseball squad returned to the national stage for the fifth time in six seasons, advancing to the NCAA New England Regional Tournament title game with a 33-12 record. Posting their second-highest win total in program history, the Lyons finished the year ranked 12th nationally.

Head men's and women's swimming and diving coach J.P. Gowdy led the men's squad to its first national point showing in school history, with Wheaton taking 36th overall at the national championship. The Lyon men had their most successful season in program history with an 8-4 mark.

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. There are presently 433 colleges and universities in NCAA Division III eligible to score 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.