The SUNY Cortland men's and women's intercollegiate athletic program finished in 16th place in the 2010-11 Learfield Sports Directors' Cup competition among the approximately 440 eligible NCAA Division III programs competing nationally for the prestigious honor. The National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA), Learfield Sports and USA Today present the award annually to recognize overall excellence among collegiate athletic programs.

Cortland is one of only five schools nationwide, and the only New York institution, to place in the top 20 each of the 16 years the standings have been compiled on the Division III level. The other schools that hold that distinction are Williams College (Mass.), Amherst College (Mass.), Middlebury College (Vt.) and The College of New Jersey. Wisconsin-La Crosse was on that list through last season but finished 32nd this year.

The Red Dragons were the top finisher this season among New York Div. III schools with 604.5 points. Williams won its 13th straight Cup with 1,147 points, followed by Middlebury with 1,063.17 points and Washington University (Mo.) with 964 points.

Cortland had 11 teams participate in NCAA postseason competition in 2010-11, nine of which placed in the top 20 nationally. The women's lacrosse team tied for third in the nation, the softball team finished fourth and the men's lacrosse team tied for fifth. The baseball, field hockey and football teams each tied for ninth, the wrestling team placed 14th, the women's cross country team finished 15th and the women's volleyball team tied for 17th. The women's gymnastics team tied for fourth 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.

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 46th 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.

2010-11 LEARFIELD SPORTS DIRECTORS' CUP
Final Division III Standings

Rank School                                   Points
 1.     Williams (Mass.)                    1,147
 2.     Middlebury (Vt.)                     1,063.17
 3.     Washington (Mo.)                     964
 4.     Amherst (Mass.)                       889.5
 5.     Calvin (Mich.)                           762.25
 6.     Wisconsin-Whitewater               722.75
 7.     Emory (Ga.)                             692
 8.     Johns Hopkins (Md.)                  688
 9.     Wisconsin-Stevens Point            686.25
10.    College of New Jersey                660.75
11.    Mass. Institute of Tech.              643.5
12.    Wisconsin-Oshkosh                   636.75
13.    Stevens Inst. of Tech. (N.J.)       626
14.    Wisconsin-Eau Claire                 615.5
15.    Wartburg (Iowa)                       605.5
16.    CORTLAND (N.Y.)                   604.5
17.    North Central (Ill.)                    597.75
18.    Illinois Wesleyan                       596.5
19.    Ithaca (N.Y.)                             590
20.    Christopher Newport (Va.)         585.75

Other New York schools in Top 100:

39.      Geneseo                                370.67
43.      New York Univ.                       340.67
tie 46. Rochester Inst. of Tech.           324.5
tie 46. St. Lawrence                           324.5
48.      Buffalo St.                              319.5
52.      Rochester                               302.5
62.      Skidmore                                260
65.      Farmingdale                            251.5
93.      Merchant Marine Academy       197.75

Complete standings are online at: www.nacda.com


2010-11 CORTLAND TEAMS PARTICIPATING IN NCAA DIVISION III POSTSEASON PLAY
(national finish in parentheses)

Women's Lacrosse (tied for 3rd)
Softball (4th)
Men's Lacrosse (tied for 5th)
Baseball (tied for 9th)
Field Hockey (tied for 9th)
Football (tied for 9th)
Wrestling (14th)
Women's Cross Country (15th)
Women's Volleyball (tied for 17th)
Men's Outdoor Track and Field (tied for 35th)
Women's Outdoor Track and Field (tied for 82nd)

(NOTE: Women's gymnastics tied for fourth nationally at the NCGA Div. III Championships, but that finish is not counted in the Directors' Cup standings since it is not an NCAA championship.)


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
2009-10: 17th
2010-11: 16th