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SMU Ranks 49th in Final 2005-06 Directors' Cup Standings
SMU Tops in Conference USA

June 29, 2006
CLEVELAND (SMU) - SMU is the top-ranked Conference USA school and rates 49th nationally in the final 2005-06 U.S. Sports Academy Directors' Cup Division I standings, NACDA announced on Thursday. SMU has been ranked as the top school in its conference for eight straight years in the Director's Cup standings.

In addition, SMU ranks fourth among Texas schools (Texas - 3rd; Texas A&M - 23rd; Baylor - 32nd) and 10th among private schools.

At No. 49 nationally, SMU rates ahead of the three other C-USA schools in the top 100 - Rice (65), UTEP (76), and Tulsa (82) - and ahead of Metroplex rival TCU (55).

With the conclusion of the College World Series, Stanford secured its 12th consecutive award. Developed as a joint effort between USA Today and NACDA, the United States Sports Academy 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.

With some rather quick and unscientific calculations, let's assume that Orsini, Doherty, Bennett, and Rompola are sucessful in getting our 3 "major" sports up to the top 25, that would only put SMU around 35th in the Nation. Our moving much above that mark would take adding more sports or being Top 5 in several more than we are today. Point being, thanks to our "Olympic", "non-revenue" sports teams we are doing pretty well.

Both golf teams should be primed to do well next year. The soccer team is fully loaded. With that many players, Schellas could probably play three games the same day and win all three games (remember when our swimming team used to do that?). The women's soccer team should improve as well. Our swimming teams look stronger next year. Tennis is a question mark next year. Men's basketball will not be good next year. There are way too many gaps in the line-up. Women's should be pretty good and football could improve. I see us doing a little better next year in the Sears Cup. Volleyball, Equestrian, Rowing, who knows?

EastStang wrote:Both golf teams should be primed to do well next year.

Especially the women's team, with that cute little chickadee who shall remain nameless here.

Sorry, I can't really get too excited about the Diaper's Cup results. I want to see big time winning in FB and BB. I want to see SMU in the limelight. I just don't see ESPN talking about the top 25 results week in and week out on the Diaper's Cup standings. I do see that with FB and BB.

ponyte wrote:Sorry, I can't really get too excited about the Diaper's Cup results. I want to see big time winning in FB and BB. I want to see SMU in the limelight. I just don't see ESPN talking about the top 25 results week in and week out on the Diaper's Cup standings. I do see that with FB and BB.

Couldn't agree more. The "country club" sports are nice, but get me some bragging rights with football and basketball. It's a shame we don't have baseball, as that is really beginning to become popular.

Look at our soccer roster. Because we chose soccer over baseball we're it in Texas. We have something like 36 players with Premier club experience on our roster most of them from Texas. Dallas is more of a soccer mecca and we made the decision to hitch our wagon to that sport. Title IX makes it too expensive when you would add baseball without adding 1.5 women's sports. (Think softball and archery). To be competitive in baseball we would need to add 15 scholarships. We would then need to add about 20 women's scholarships. That's $1,150,000 without buying equipment or hiring staff, or having a field for them to play on or paying for travel. Unless some alum comes forth with about $40 Million to endow baseball and softball, I don't see it happening.