June 19, 2008

CLEVELAND, OHIO . . . All nine Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC) institutions were ranked in the final United States Sports Academy Division III Directors’ Cup standings for the 2007-08 academic year as announced recently by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA).

Wartburg College led five IIAC schools in the top 100 by finishing 8th out of the over 400 Division III institutions with 722 points. The Knights had six top-10 national championship finishes during the 2007-08 season, including the National Championship in wrestling, a runner-up finish in women's indoor track and field, and a third-place finish in women's outdoor track and field. Wartburg scored points in 12 of the 19 sports sponsored by the institution.

Luther College, with top-10 finishes in wrestling (sixth), men's cross country (eighth), and women's cross country (10th) tied for 29th with 438.50 points, while Loras College, with top-10 finishes in men's soccer (third) and men's indoor track and field (eighth), was 56th with 312.50 points. Central College, which reached the quarterfinal round in football, placed 88th with 228.50 points, and Coe College, with a fourth-place finish in wrestling, was the final IIAC school in the top-100 with a 93rd-place total of 199.50 points.

Other IIAC institutions placing in the final Directors' Cup Standings were: Buena Vista University (127th place, 152.5 points); Simpson College (149th place, 126.5 points); University of Dubuque (173rd place, 99.5 points); and Cornell College (212th place, 72 points).

Williams College (Mass.) won its 10th consecutive Division III Directors' Cup title with 1120.25 points. Washington University (Mo.) followed in second, the College of New Jersey was third, Amherst College (Mass.) was fourth and Middlebury College (Vt.) was fifth.

The Directors' Cup is a program that honors institutions maintaining a broad-based program, achieving success in many sports, both men's and women's, in which all sports that the NCAA or NAIA offers a championship, along with Division I-A football, and all student-athletes that compete in those sports, are treated equally. Points are awarded based on each institution's finish in up to 18 sports -- nine women’s and nine men’s.

The Sports Academy Directors’ Cup was developed as a joint effort between the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) and USA Today. The prestigious competition is sponsored by NACDA, the United States Sports Academy, and USA TODAY, and seeks to recognize the top overall collegiate athletics programs in the country.

Final 2007-08 NCAA Division III Directors' Cup Standings

-30-