Wheaton climbs into a tie for 35th in NCAA Division III United States Sports Academy Directors' Cup rankings

CLEVELAND, OH- Wheaton College climbed 15 spots to finish the 2005-06 winter season tied for 35th in the NCAA Division III United States Sports Academy Directors' Cup standings. The Lyons are ranked ninth in New England. The institution finished 41st last academic year, and this year's final rankings will be revealed following the spring season. The program is presented by the nation's athletics directors.

Wheaton's point total of 237 ties it with Nebraska Wesleyan University, two points ahead of 37th-place Ithaca College (N.Y.). The Blue and White trails Johns Hopkins University (Md.) and New York University by just 2.25 points and Hobart and William Smith Colleges (N.Y.) by 2.5. Only two other New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) schools cracked the top 50, as Springfield College stands 20th and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) 46th.

The College of New Jersey finished its second straight season in first place, completing the winter with 626.26 points and edging out second-place Williams College by 0.75 points. Williams, which has won nine of the 10 cups, moved up four spots after top-five national finishes in both men's and women's swimming and diving, as well as a runner-up showing in women's indoor track and field. The University of Wisconsin La Crosse, Washington University (Mo.) and Tufts University round out the top five with 479, 454.5 and 432 points, respectively. La Crosse's men's indoor track and field team earned an NCAA title, and men's wrestling finished second.

The United States Sports Academy Directors' Cup was developed as a joint effort between the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) and USA Today. NACDA administers the program and the United States Sports Academy, based in Daphne, Alabama, is in its third year sponsoring the program. Winter standings are based on the completion of men's and women's basketball, fencing, men's and women's ice hockey, skiing, men's and women's swimming and diving, men's and women's indoor track and field, and men's wrestling.

After a pair of soccer teams tallied all of Wheaton's fall points, the Lyons were boosted by their men's and women's indoor track and field teams and men's swimming and diving squad scoring at the NCAA Championship for each sport. A five-time national champion, the women's indoor track and field team picked up 61.5 points after a pair of athletes scored during a 14th-place finish. On the men's side, Wheaton notched 50.5 points by placing 22nd as a quartet of athletes combined for points.

For the third straight season, the men's swimming and diving team scored points at the NCAA Championship due to the efforts of junior Barrett Roberts (Portland, ME/Deering), the lone athlete in the program's history to appear at the national meet. Roberts scored in two events, bringing the Lyons a 37th-place team finish and 36 points in the NACDA Cup standings.

Cup points are awarded based on each institution's finish in up to 18 sports - nine for the men and nine for the women. Each national champion receives 100 points. Winter standings that are published mid-year are unofficial, as official standings will be published upon the completion of the spring season. Complete standings and the scoring structure can be found on NACDA's web site at www.nacda.com.