Final 2012-13 Learfield Cup Standings Announced
The National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) released the final Division III standings for the
Learfield Directors Cup and seven Empire 8 schools finished in the top 225 among the approximately 440 eligible NCAA Division III programs competing nationally for the prestigious honor.
The Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup was developed 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 18 sports -- nine women’s and nine men’s.
Ithaca College was the top Empire 8 finisher and ranked second among New York Division III schools with 563.00 points for 19th place. Stevens Institute of Technology finished in 27 place and Nazareth College completed the year ranked 79th.
Utica (123), St. John Fisher (134), Elmira (181) and Hartwick (225) completed the rankings for Empire 8 schools.
Williams won its 16th Cup with 1273.75 points, followed by Emory (GA) with 986.50 and Middlebury (VT) with 941.75.
Ithaca had eleven teams participate in NCAA postseason competition in 2012-13 with seven top-20 finishes. The baseball team earned an at-large bid and made its 12th trip to the Division III World Series and finished third nationally for the third time in program history. The women’s tennis team earned automatic qualification to the national tournament and advanced to the second round four the fourth time in history.
Stevens earned 177 points in the fall season and 225.50 during the winter but it was men’s lacrosse, men’s volleyball and men’s tennis that brought home cup points in the spring.
The men's lacrosse team earned an at-large berth to the NCAA Tournament and advanced to the second round for a third-straight year. Men's volleyball also earned an at-large berth to the tournament where they fell in the National Quarterfinals. The men’s tennis team earned their fourth-straight Empire 8 title to earn an automatic berth to the national tournament where they advanced to the program's first-ever appearance in a Regional Final.
Nazareth had two teams finish in the top 10, led by the men’s volleyball team who completed an outstanding season with a second place finish. The men’s lacrosse team earned the automatic bid to the NCAA tournament and advanced to the second round.
Utica had three teams compete in the NCAA post-season during the year. Field hockey and men’s ice hockey had top 10 showings and the softball team earned points for the first time in history as they earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Regional.
St. John Fisher had a strong spring season to enter the standings for the first time all year and finish 134th. The men’s golf team tied ninth nationally to finish in the top ten for the second straight year. Softball finished third in the Regional tournament and women’s lacrosse earned the automatic bid for the second straight season.
Elmira and Hartwick made post-season appearances in the winter as the Soaring Eagles won the national championship in women’s ice hockey and the Hawks earned points in men’s and women’s swimming and diving.
The standings are compiled based on schools' national finishes in different sports. Teams earn points by qualifying for the NCAA postseason and additional points for advancing in the playoffs. The national champion in each sport receives 100 points.??There are four Directors' Cup Awards, one to honor overall champions in each of the NCAA's Divisions (I, II and III) and the NAIA. It is the first-ever cross-sectional all-sports national recognition award for both men and women. NACDA, which is now in its 48th year, is the professional and educational association for more than 6,100 college athletics directors, associates, assistants and conference commissioners at more than 1,600 institutions throughout the United States, Mexico and Canada.
19 - Ithaca, 563.00
27 - Stevens, 466.50
78 - Nazareth, 222.20
123 - Utica, 161.00
134 - St. John Fisher, 150.25
181 - Elmira, 100.00
225 - Hartwick, 70.50