Wheaton finishes 35th among NCAA Division III athletic departments in final United States Sports Academy Directors' Cup standings
NEW ORLEANS – Wheaton College moved up six spots from a year ago to complete the 2005-06 academic year ranked 35th among NCAA Division III institutions in the final United States Sports Academy (USSA) Directors’ Cup standings.
NEW ORLEANS - Wheaton College moved up six spots from a year ago to complete the 2005-06 academic year ranked 35th among NCAA Division III institutions in the final United States Sports Academy (USSA) Directors' Cup standings. The Lyons rank ninth in New England for an annual program that recognizes the best overall collegiate athletics programs in the country.
The 2005-06 USSA Directors' Cup winners were announced at the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) Convention in New Orleans 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 defended its title as the best athletics program in Division III by winning its 10th Directors' Cup.
Wheaton accumulated 327 total points during the year, which was 2.75 points ahead of Johns Hopkins University (Md.), a school the Lyons trailed by just 2.25 points at the conclusion of the winter season. The Blue and White was a mere 0.75 points behind regionally-based Wesleyan University (Conn.), a point shy of the University of Wisconsin at Oshkosh and 5.5 points short of Washington & Lee College (Va.). Wheaton joined Springfield College as the only two New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) schools to crack the top 50.
Williams claimed its 10th cup in the 11-year history of the Division III program by amassing 920.5 points. The College of New Jersey, which held the top spot through the fall and winter seasons, fell to second with 790.25 points. Middlebury College took third with 758 points, followed by Emory University's (Ga.) 751.5 points and Cortland State College's (N.Y.) 654.
The USSA Directors' Cup was developed as a joint effort between NACDA and USA Today. NACDA administers the program and the USSA, based in Daphne, Alabama, is in its third year sponsoring the program. Final standings are based on the completion of baseball, men's and women's golf, men's and women's lacrosse, women's rowing, softball, men's and women's tennis, men's and women's outdoor track and field, and women's water polo.
Wheaton's soccer teams combined to tally all of the school's fall points, while men's and women's indoor track and field and men's swimming and diving contributed valuable points in the winter. The highest point total of the year came from the baseball program, as the Lyons advanced to the school's first national championship game under head coach Eric Podbelski.
Baseball's epic season included a program-record 42 wins after reaching its sixth NCAA Tournament field in the last seven seasons. Wheaton went 42-10, captured its first NCAA New England title, seventh NEWMAC Tournament championship and eighth straight conference regular season crown.
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. Complete final standings and the scoring structure can be found on NACDA's web site at www.nacda.com.
