BYU ranks No. 11 in Directors’ Cup fall standings

PROVO, Utah  — BYU wrapped up the 2013 fall sports season ranked No. 11 nationally in the Division I Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup standings with a score of 265. It’s the Cougars best fall ranking since the 2003-04 season, when BYU ranked fifth with 248 points.

All five fall sports teams — men’s cross country, women’s cross country, women’s soccer, women’s volleyball and football — contributed to the score, with three teams finishing in the top 20 in the country.

“We had a very successful fall with all five of our teams competing in the postseason and earning points in the Director's Cup,” said BYU Director of Athletics Tom Holmoe. “It’s a tribute to the hard work of our athletes, coaches and staff and the exceptional support from our fans. We're hoping for continued success with our teams that compete in winter and spring in hopes of finishing high in the final standings.”

Men’s cross country placed fourth at the NCAA championships to earn 80 points, while the women’s team finished 28th, good for 46 points.

Women’s volleyball finished 13th in the national standings, reaching the round of 16 at the NCAA championships for the second year in a row. The volleyball team ended the 2013 season with a 27-7 record and scored 64 Director’s Cup points.

Women’s soccer finished the year with a 16-5-2 record and advanced to the second round of the NCAA championships. A final national ranking of No. 17 earned 50 points in the Director’s Cup.

Facing the toughest schedule in school history, the football team finished the 2013 season 8-5 and played in its ninth-straight bowl game. A top-45 finish was good enough for 25 Director’s Cup points.

The Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup was developed in 1993 as a joint effort between the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) and USA Today. Points are awarded based on each institution’s finish in up to 20 sports — 10 women’s and 10 men’s.

Since the Director’s Cup inception 21 years ago, BYU has finished the fall season ranked in the top 25 nationally 17 times.

Stanford leads the 2013 Division I fall standings with 461.25 points. The rest of the top 10 include Stanford, Michigan State, Florida State, North Carolina, Virginia, Penn State, Wisconsin, Notre Dame, Duke and Colorado.

For more information on the Director’s Cup, visit the NACDA website.