University of Minnesota Athletics
Minnesota Ranks 13th in Director's Cup Standings
1/20/2009 12:00:00 AM | Athletics
With five fall sports teams advancing to postseason competition, the University of Minnesota ranks 13th in the final fall standings of the Learfield Sports Director’s Cup, which measure the nation’s top overall athletics program.
The Gophers totaled 239.5 points during the fall to rank third among Big Ten schools. Stanford, which has won 14 straight Director’s Cup titles, holds a commanding 71-point lead through the 2008-09 fall season with 394 points. Points are accumulated based on finishes in NCAA postseason competition.
Minnesota’s women’s soccer team advanced to the “Sweet 16,” while both cross country teams earned high finishes with the men’s team placing 11th and the women finishing in 15th place. The Gopher volleyball team advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament and the football team earned points for its postseason appearance in the Insight Bowl.
Along with Minnesota, several other schools scored in five different sports, while no school scored in more than five. Oregon ranks second in the latest rankings and Southern California is third. Michigan State is the top Big Ten school in seventh place and Penn State is in 10th place. The Gophers finished 28th in last year’s standings and were in 39th place at the end of the fall season.
The Gophers are off to another strong start during the winter season with nationally-ranked teams in men’s basketball, men’s and women’s hockey, men’s and women’s swimming and diving, men’s and women’s gymnastics, women’s indoor track and field and wrestling.
