Azusa Pacific (Calif.) Takes the Lead in the Final Winter NAIA Learfield Sports Directors' Cup Standings

March 25, 2010

For Immediate Release
NACDA Contact: Julie Work, Director of Communications, jwork@nacda.com  
NAIA Contact: Staci Schottman, Director of Public Relations & Communications, sschottman@naia.org

Cleveland, Ohio – Azusa Pacific (Calif.) claims the top seed in the final winter NAIA Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup Standings with 663 points. The Cougars recorded a winter-high 432 points after finishing in the top-10 for five sports: men’s and women’s Division I basketball, men’s and women’s track and field and women’s swimming.

Simon Fraser (B.C.) drops to second place with 583.50 points. The Clan placed third in women’s track & field, fifth in women’s swimming, sixth in men’s swimming, 22nd in wrestling and 33rd in men’s track and field for a total of 323.50 winter points.

Biola (Calif.) moves into third after earning 302 points in the winter standings for a total of 521.33 points. The Eagles recently recorded a fifth place finish in men’s Division I basketball and 17th place finish in women’s Division I basketball. They also placed in the top-10 for women’s track & field and men’s and women’s swimming.

In fourth place with 514 points is Lindenwood (Mo.). The Lions earned 349 points in the winter standings after finishing third in men’s swimming, sixth in women’s track & field, seventh in men’s wrestling, 10th in women’s swimming and 16th in men’s track & field.

Rounding out the top-5 is Fresno Pacific (Calif.) with 485 points. The Sunbirds recently finished ninth in men’s Division I basketball. Additionally, the Sunbirds captured the men’s swimming championship and finished third in women’s swimming, 25th in women’s track & field and 27th in men’s track & field for a winter total 332 points.

The nine winter NAIA championships have been completed with the following institutions capturing titles: Union (Tenn.) (women’s Division I basketball); Northwestern (Iowa) (women’s Division II basketball); St. Francis (Ind.) (men’s Division II basketball); Savannah College of Art and Design (Ga.) (women’s swimming); Fresno Pacific (Calif.) (men’s swimming); Oklahoma Baptist (women’s track & field and men’s Division I basketball); Azusa Pacific (Calif.) (men’s track & field); and Notre Dame (Ohio) (men’s wrestling).

The Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup was developed as a joint effort between the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) and USA Today. Points are awarded based on each institution's finish in up to 12 sports – six women’s and six men’s. 

Click HERE for the final winter NAIA Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup Standings (as of 03/25/10).

The first spring NAIA standings will be released on Thursday, June 3, 2010.

Please note, standings published midseason are unofficial. Official standings will be published upon the completion of the spring season. Complete standings and the scoring structure can be found on NACDA’s Web site at www.nacda.com.

About Learfield Sports: Learfield Sports enters its second year partnership of the Learfield Sports Directors' Cup. For nearly four decades, the company has been a preeminent leader in the collegiate sports marketplace. It currently manages the multimedia and sponsorship rights for more than 50 collegiate institutions, conferences, associations and venues. These ever-expanding relationships feature various strategic sponsorship platforms including radio and television programming, stadium/arena signage, official university publications, Internet sites, digital media, hospitality and at-event impact. Learfield Sports is an operating unit of Jefferson City, Mo.-based Learfield Communications, Inc., which made its initial foray into the world of sports marketing in 1975 as the radio rights holder for the University of Missouri, a client still today. To learn more, visit learfieldsports.com.