The SUNY Cortland men’s and women’s intercollegiate athletic program finished fifth in the 2008-09 Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup competition among the approximately 440 eligible NCAA Division III programs competing nationally for the prestigious honor. The award is presented annually by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA), Learfield Sports and USA Today recognizing overall excellence among collegiate athletic programs.
Cortland is one of only six schools nationwide, and the only New York institution, to place in the top 20 each of the 14 years the standings have been compiled on the Division III level. The Red Dragons finished in the top five for the third time in four years and are in the top 10 for the fourth straight year and seventh time overall.
Cortland had 14 teams participate in NCAA postseason competition in 2008-09, 11 of which placed in the top 20 nationally. The men’s lacrosse and men’s cross country teams each won national titles. The field hockey and football teams each tied for fifth place, the softball team tied for seventh place, the women’s cross country team finished ninth and the women’s lacrosse team tied for ninth.
Men’s outdoor track and field tied for 14th, the men’s soccer and women’s basketball teams each tied for 17th, and the wrestling team finished 19th. The women's gymnastics team finished sixth nationally at the National Collegiate Gymnastics Association (NCGA) Division III Championships, but that result is not counted in the Directors' Cup standings.
The standings are compiled based on schools’ national finishes in different sports. Teams earn points by qualifying for the NCAA postseason and additional points for advancing in the playoffs. The national champion in each sport receives 100 points.
Cortland finished with a total of 861 points. Williams College of Massachusetts won its 11th straight Cup with 1,066.5 points, followed by Middlebury (Vt.) College with 923 points. Amherst (Mass.) College (910), Washington University (Mo.) (873) and Cortland rounded out the top five.
There are four Directors’ Cup Awards, one to honor overall champions in each of the NCAA’s Divisions (I, II and III) and the NAIA. It is the first-ever cross-sectional all-sports national recognition award for both men and women. NACDA, which is now in its 44th 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.
2008-09 LEARFIELD SPORTS DIRECTORS’ CUP
Final Division III Standings
| Rank |
School |
Points |
| 1. |
Williams (Mass.) |
1,066.5 |
| 2. |
Middlebury (Vt.) |
923 |
| 3. |
Amherst (Mass.) |
910 |
| 4. |
Washington (Mo.) |
873 |
| 5. |
CORTLAND (N.Y.) |
861 |
| 6. |
Emory (Ga.) |
809.5 |
| 7. |
Wisconsin-Stevens Point |
779 |
| 8. |
Gustavus Adolphus (Minn.) |
765 |
| 9. |
College of New Jersey |
759.5 |
| 10. |
Tufts (Mass.) |
759.25 |
| 11. |
Wisconsin-La Crosse |
732 |
| 12. |
Wisconsin-Eau Claire |
731.5 |
| 13. |
St. Thomas (Minn.) |
702 |
| 14. |
Messiah (Pa.) |
696.75 |
| 15. |
Wisconsin-Whitewater |
687.75 |
| 16. |
Wartburg (Iowa) |
669 |
| 17. |
Wisconsin-Oshkosh |
624 |
| 18. |
Johns Hopkins (Md.) |
620.5 |
| 19. |
St. Lawrence (N.Y.) |
592.13 |
| 20. |
Ithaca (N.Y.) |
577 |
| |
Other New York schools in Top 100: |
|
| 49. |
Farmingdale |
290 |
| tie 52. |
Hobart/William Smith |
283 |
| 64. |
Geneseo |
251.5 |
| 65. |
NYU |
250.5 |
| 68. |
Hamilton |
240.25 |
| 72. |
Skidmore |
230.75 |
| 94. |
Fredonia |
198 |
Complete standings are online at:
www.nacda.com
2008-09 CORTLAND TEAMS PARTICIPATING IN NCAA DIVISION III POSTSEASON PLAY
(national finish in parentheses)
Men’s Cross Country (1st)
Men’s Lacrosse (1st)
Field Hockey (tied for 5th)
Football (tied for 5th)
Softball (tied for 7th)
Women’s Cross Country (9th)
Women’s Lacrosse (tied for 9th)
Men’s Outdoor Track and Field (tied for 14th)
Men’s Soccer (tied for 17th)
Women’s Basketball (tied for 17th)
Wrestling (19th)
Women’s Indoor Track and Field (tied for 28th)
Baseball (tied for 31st)
Women’s Outdoor Track and Field (tied for 51st)
(NOTE: Women's gymnastics finished sixth nationally at the NCGA Div. III Championships, but that finish is not counted in the Directors' Cup standings.)
CORTLAND’S DIRECTORS’ CUP FINISHES
1995-96: 19th
1996-97: 8th
1997-98: 2nd (tied)
1998-99: 8th
1999-00: 17th
2000-01: 13th
2001-02: 12th
2002-03: 15th
2003-04: 8th
2004-05: 13th
2005-06: 5th
2006-07: 3rd
2007-08: 9th
2008-09: 5th