June 29, 2015
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - For the third consecutive year and the 11th time in the past 22 years, Penn State has earned a Top 10 finish in the Learfield Sports Directors' Cup standings.
The Nittany Lions placed No. 8 in the final 2014-15 Directors' Cup rankings, remaining one of only nine programs nationwide to have finished in the Top 25 in all 22 Learfield Sports Directors' Cup final standings.
Penn State has earned three consecutive Top 10 Directors' Cup finishes for the first time since the initial three years of the program, from 1993-94 through 1995-96. The Nittany Lions were No. 4 in the fall 2014 standings, earning their highest fall finish in five years, and No. 2 in the final winter Directors' Cup standings.
"We are thrilled with our accomplishments this year and a Top 10 finish in the Learfield Sports Directors' Cup," said Sandy Barbour, Director of Athletics. "This recognition is further evidence of the comprehensive excellence everyone on Team ICA strives for in their daily interactions. It's a tribute to the students, coaches and support staff who are dedicated to empowering student achievement and success with honor. A Top 10 finish in the Directors' Cup is outstanding, but our drive is to continue climbing and compete for the top spot."
Penn State earned 1,060.75 Directors' Cup points, tallying more than 1,000 Directors' Cup points for the third consecutive year and fourth time overall. Points are awarded based on each institution's finish in up to 20 sports -- 10 women's and 10 men's.
Twenty Penn State teams competed in their respective NCAA Championships in 2014-15, led by the women's volleyball winning its seventh national title, in addition to the football team winning the New Era Pinstripe Bowl. A total of 30 teams participated in post-season competition. Nine Nittany Lion squads finished in the top 10 in their respective NCAA Championships this year, with four teams placing in the top four.
Penn State Three Consecutive Top 10 Learfield Sports Directors' Cup Finishes
1993-94 -- 5th; 1994-95 -- 8th; 1995-96 -- 9th
2012-13 -- 6th; 2013-14 -- 5th; 2014-15 -- 8th
Penn State's 11 Top 10 finishes in the 22 years of the Directors' Cup rank No. 2 in the Big Ten Conference and No. 8 nationally.
Stanford won the 2014-15 Learfield Sports Directors' Cup with 1,448 points and was followed by UCLA (1,236), USC (1,209), Florida (1,188.5), North Carolina (1,152), Virginia (1,129.5), Ohio State (1,087), Penn State (1,060.75). Texas (1,057.5) and Notre Dame (1,010.25).
The ACC (3), Pac-12 (3), Big Ten (2), Big 12 (1) and SEC (1) claimed the top 10 spots in the final Directors' Cup standings.
Penn State won the 2014 NCAA Women's Volleyball Championship and earned Big Ten titles in men's gymnastics, women's lacrosse and women's soccer in 2014-15. Three Nittany Lions won individual NCAA Championships this season: Senior wrestler Matt Brown won the 174-pound national championship, freshman Thad Lawson captured the individual title on the floor exercise and freshman fencer Andrew Mackiewicz won the men's sabre national title.
The Nittany Lions have won 74 national championships and 92 Big Ten titles all-time, including five NCAA titles and 19 Big Ten crowns since September 2012. Penn State student-athletes have an NCAA Graduation Success Rate of 89 percent and rank No. 3 among all Division I schools with 189 CoSIDA Academic All-Americans all-time.
Institutions in Learfield Sports Directors' Cup Top 25 Every Year (1994-2015)
Penn State, Florida, Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio State, Southern California, Stanford, Texas and UCLA.
The Learfield Sports Directors' Cup standings were 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 20 sports -- 10 women's and 10 men's.
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