Add Comment    Aug 06, 2010

SALT LAKE CITY The final results of the Learfield Sports Directors Cup standings were released by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) this week and Westminster College finished 118th overall.  A total of 195 NAIA programs were ranked in the standings that rewards teams based on their finish in the postseason of sports that the NAIA sponsors a championship. 

Westminster finished with 106 total points in the rankings.  All 106 points came during the winter sports season based on ninth place finishes by both mens and womens basketball in their respective national championship tournaments.  Last season, Westminster finished a school-best 96th overall after placing 120th in 2008.  This years 118th-place finish is the third best result in the schools history behind 2009 and the 105th from 2007. 

The Learfield Sports Directors Cup was developed as a joint effort between NACDA and USA Today. The Directors Cup is presented annually to the best overall collegiate athletics programs in the country in NCAA Divisions I, II, and III and the NAIA. Points are awarded based on each institutions finish in up to 12 sports six womens and six mens. The 2009-10 winners were honored at the Directors' Cup Awards Luncheon at the 45th annual NACDA Convention in Anaheim, Calif. 

Points are earned by a school's postseason advancement in each intercollegiate sport. A national championship collects 100 points for a university. A second-place finish garners 90 points. Each place below second earns a designated amount of points depending on the size of the field. Only the six top mens teams and six top womens teams are tallied in a schools final results. 

Westminster finished third among Frontier Conference schools behind Lewis-Clark State College in 30th and Rocky Mountain College in 110th.  Great Falls finished 130th while Carroll College placed 132nd.  Montana State-Northern finished in 149th followed by Montana Western and Montana Tech in 151st and 173rd respectively. 

Azusa Pacific (Calif.) won the overall title with 820 total points.  They edged out Simon Fraser (B.C.) by three points with Fresno Pacific (Calif.) coming in third with 801.75 points.  Concordia (Calif.) with 724.5 points and Lindenwood (Mo.) with 715.5 points round out the top five.

-Utah College Sports News staff and wire reports

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Utah College Sports Wire