SMU finishes 41st in 2003 NACDA Directors' Cup Division I final standings
SMU top WAC school for fourth straight year
CLEVELAND, Ohio - SMU finished the 2002-03 athletic season ranked 41st in the 2002-03 NACDA Directors' Cup Division I final standings, in an announcement made Thursday. The Mustangs compiled 461.5 points during the course of the year. For the fourth consecutive season, SMU topped all WAC schools. Boise State was the next highest-ranked WAC school with 281 points - good for 63rd place. SMU placed third among Texas schools and is ranked seventh among private schools.
Stanford University continued its record winning streak in the NACDA Directors' Cup competition for the NCAA Division I by winning its ninth consecutive award, presented annually by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) to the best overall collegiate athletics programs in the country.
The Cardinal won the NACDA Directors' Cup with a total of 1,420.5 points, surpassing the runner-up, the University of Texas by 326.5 points. Stanford won its ninth straight NACDA Directors' Cup with a national championship in men's cross country and 16 top 10 finishes, including nine teams that finished in the top five.
Developed as a joint effort between USA TODAY and NACDA, the NACDA Directors' Cup program is the only all-sports competition that recognizes the institution in each of the four categories with the best overall athletics program.
Through the NACDA Directors' Cup program, NACDA awards $40,000 in postgraduate academic scholarships. One $5,000 scholarship in each division is awarded to a student-athlete, while one $5,000 scholarship in each division is presented to a student-athlete from the institution that wins the NACDA Directors' Cup.
Of the 318 eligible colleges and universities in the NCAA Division I, a total of 268 (84 percent) scored points in the NACDA Directors' Cup competition.
NACDA, which is now in its 38th 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. Through its series of management seminars, clinics and workshops and publication of the bi-monthly magazine Athletics Administration, NACDA offers educational opportunities to its members. More than 1,200 athletics administrators annually attend the NACDA Convention.
Additionally, the Association operates the NACDA Directors' Cup program, which honors the all-sports champion in each of the NCAA Divisions -- I, II, III -- and the NAIA, for a total of four trophies.
For the complete final standings and release, go to: <A HREF="http://www.nacda.com" TARGET=_blank>www.nacda.com</A>
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