Tampa Finishes 12th in Division II Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup Standings
WESTLAKE, Ohio - The University of Tampa athletic program led all Sunshine State Conference institutions with a No. 12 showing in the final NCAA Division II Learfield Sports Directors' Cup standings.
The finish marks UT's top effort since placing a school-record No. 5 in 2007-08. This also marks the second-best finish in the standings since its beginning in 1995-96.
Tampa finished with a total of 562 points, as Grand Valley State captured the crown with 1,030 total points. The Lakers were followed by West Texas A&M (708), Central Missouri (653.75), Indianapolis (649.75) and Ashland (637) to make up the top five.
In the fall season, Tampa earned points from women's cross country (46), women's soccer (50) and volleyball (73). All four winter teams earned points for the Spartans, including women's basketball (64), men's basketball (25), women's swimming (53) and men's swimming (63). In the spring, UT collected from baseball (83), men's lacrosse (55) and softball (50).
Among SSC schools, the Spartans were joined by Saint Leo in the top-20 as the Lions accumulated 490 points to finish at No. 18. Other SSC schools include Nova Southeastern (27th), Rollins (28th), Barry (34th), Florida Southern (44th), Lynn (47th), Florida Tech (128th) and Eckerd (228th).
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 14 sports -- seven women's and seven men's.
Complete standings and the scoring structure can be found on NACDA's website at www.directorscup.org. In addition, please visit www.thedirectorscup.com, like us on Facebook at facebook.com/lsdirectorscup or follow us on Twitter @lsdirectorscup.
In its four decades, Learfield has developed trusted, long-term relationships with some of the most revered institutions and associations in the world of collegiate athletics. Learfield Sports owns the exclusive multimedia rights to more than 90 collegiate athletic programs in the country and has prominence in all of the major conferences. Learfield's rights encompass all athletic department media and sponsorships components, including stadium signage and numerous content distribution platforms. Those platforms deliver the passion of college athletics over radio, television and digital networks to fans globally. This marks the sixth consecutive year for the company to title the prestigious Learfield Sports Directors' Cup. To learn more, visit www.learfieldsports.com.