UW-Oshkosh Places 34th In Directors' Cup Standings
Highlighted by top 10 national finishes in football, softball and women’s basketball, UW-Oshkosh accumulated points in 10 of its 19 sports to place 34th in the 2017 Learfield Directors' Cup standings.
The competition, which began in 1996, is designed to recognize the best overall National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III athletics program in the country.
Williams College (Mass.) tallied points in all 18 (9 men’s & 9 women’s) sports scored, including 100 with its national championship in women’s tennis, to capture its fifth straight Learfield Directors’ Cup title and 20th overall. The Ephs concluded the competition with 1,335.25 points.
Washington University-St. Louis (Mo.) counted 1,227 points to place second among the 325 schools that scored. Tufts University (Mass.) finished third with 926.75 points, Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges (Calif.) fourth with 895 and Johns Hopkins University (Md.) fifth with 864.5.
UW-Oshkosh totaled 432.5 points to rank 34th and in the top 35 for the 20th time in 22 years. The Titans own 14 top 20 finishes in the Learfield Directors' Cup standings.
UW-Oshkosh scored 90 points with its second-place finish in football, 64 with its ninth-place finish in both softball and women’s basketball, 58.5 with its 16th-place finish in women’s cross country and 40.5 with its 33rd-place finish in wrestling.
The Titans also earned 25 points with their 33rd-place finish in both men’s basketball and women’s volleyball, 29 with their 42nd-place finish in men’s indoor track & field, 20.5 with their 51st-place finish in men’s outdoor track & field and 16 with their 56th-place finish in women’s indoor track & field.
In addition to UW-Oshkosh, the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference had UW-Whitewater finish sixth with 843.75 points, UW-La Crosse 12th with 659.75, UW-Eau Claire 31st with 462.25, UW-Stevens Point 46th with 369.25, UW-Platteville 73rd with 272.5, UW-River Falls 116th with 167.75 and UW-Stout 178th with 104.
UW-Oshkosh finished 17th in last year's chase for the Learfield Directors' Cup with 606.5 points.
The Titans obtained top-10 finishes in 1996 (third), 1997 (fifth), 2001 (seventh), 2002 (eighth), 2003 (eighth) and 1999 (10th). UW-Oshkosh's other placements were 11th in 1998, 12th in 2007 & 2011, 15th in 2004, 17th in 2009, 2012 & 2014, 21st in 2008 & 2013, 23rd in 2010, 29th in 2000, 33rd in 2006, 38th in 2005, 44th in 2015.
The Learfield Directors' Cup was developed as a joint effort between the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics and USA Today. Points are awarded based on each school's national postseason finish in up to nine sports for men and nine for women. Each national champion received 100 points.
2017 Learfield Directors' Cup Standings