Dec. 2, 2010
Cleveland, Ohio — The University of New Mexico is currently tied for 10th place in the first Learfield Sports Directors Cup Standings, announced the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA). The first fall standings released are composed of three of the eight fall championships, as men’s cross country, women’s cross country, and women’s field hockey have been completed.
The Lobos finished fifth in women’s cross country and 16th in men’s cross country, giving the team 117 points, garnering 75 for the women and 42 for the men. Florida State leads the initial standings with 180 points based on the strength of second place nation finishes in men’s and women’s cross country.
The Lobos will get more points when the next standings come out on December 16th as those will factor in the men’s and women’s soccer championships. New Mexico had both soccer teams qualify and earn points at the NCAA championships, a first in school history. The Lobos will eventually earn points for women’s volleyball as the team qualified for their second straight NCAA Tournament. In all, a record five teams in the fall competed in NCAA championships in a fall, bettering the four that made it last year.
Last year the Lobos finished 47th in the Learfield Sports Cup standings, its highest finish ever and New Mexico ranked fourth among non-BCS schools as well. Last year the Lobos recorded a school record 522 points. This year the only other Mountain West schools listed in top 50 in the initial standings is BYU, who is ranked 38th.
The Learfield Sports Directors Cup was developed as a joint effort between the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) and the USA Today. Points are awarded based on an institution’s finish in up to 20 sports – 10 men’s and 10 women’s.
Top 10 in the Learfield Sports Director's Cup Standings1. Florida State 180 pts2. Syracuse 160 pts3. Princeton 159 pts4. Stanford 156 pts5. Virginia 155 pts6. Oklahoma State 139 pts7. North Carolina 138 pts8. Villanova 128 pts9. Oregon 126 pts10. New Mexico 117 pts Colorado 117 pts