Messiah Takes 11th In Directors' Cup Final Standings
Posted: 6/19/2008
A runner-up finish in women's basketball was only part of a tremendous year in Messiah College athletics.

Dallas, TX — With the help of three Final Four appearances and a top 10 finish in outdoor track and field, Messiah College claimed 11th place in the 2007-2008 NCAA Division III U.S. Sports Academy Directors’ Cup standings, the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) announced last week.

The finish was Messiah’s best in the 13-year history of the Directors’ Cup, an award using a mathematical formula to calculate the nation’s best all-sport institutions. Messiah earned 615.25 total points — its highest amount ever — coming just 12.75 points away from 10th place.

“This is a real tribute to our coaches and our student-athletes,” said Jerry Chaplin, Messiah director of athletics. “This is by far our best finish ever, and we appreciate the commitment that is shared by all that are involved in supporting athletics here at Messiah.”

Major points were accumulated from the Falcons’ women’s soccer (90 points) and women’s basketball (90 points) teams, as each competed in their respective national championship game. Messiah’s men’s soccer team competed in its seventh Final Four in the last nine years to pick up 83 points, while the Falcons’ track and field teams accounted for a total 218.75 points between the indoor and outdoor seasons. A 10th-place finish from the women’s team in the latter earned 66 points, while a 13th-place finish during the indoor season brought Messiah 62.25 points in the Cup standings.

Under the Directors’ Cup format, only teams competing in NCAA post-season play qualify for points. Messiah’s field hockey (53 points), baseball (25 points) and men’s tennis (25 points) teams all met that requirement, while Falcons’ sophomore wrestler Trent Zempel helped pick up another 30.5 points in coming just one win away from All-American status.

Messiah’s 11th-place Directors’ Cup finish bettered a 15th-place result in the 2005-2006 academic year, the institution’s previous high mark. It was the fifth time Messiah finished in the top 25 among all NCAA Division III institutions — 307 schools were eligible in this year’s Directors’ Cup.

Williams College (Williamstown, Mass.) claimed its 10th consecutive Division III Directors’ Cup, earning a total 1120.25 points behind 19 post-season finishes. Stanford University claimed its 14th straight Cup at the NCAA Division I level. Grand Valley State University (Grand Rapids, Mich.) earned the Division II title, while Azusa Pacific University (Azusa, Cal.) secured the NAIA’s top spot.

The winners were honored at the Directors’ Cup Awards Luncheon last week in Dallas. The NACDA press release is available at the organization’s official website. A detailed chart of both past and current results from the Directors’ Cup is also available.

The U.S. Sports Academy Directors' Cup was developed as a joint effort between NACDA and USA Today. The United States Sports Academy, based in Daphne, Alabama, is the program's sponsor.