Central finishes in top-100 of Division III schools

Central College

PELLA — The spring and winter sports carried the load for Central College on their way to a 100th place finish in the Learfield Sports Division III Directors’ Cup standings.

Central has finished in the top-100 21 times out of a possibly 22 since the inception of the Director’s Cup after the 1995-96 season, including 13 top-50 finishes. There are more than 450 Division III schools and 324 landed spots in this year’s final rankings.

The standings are developed by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA). Points are awarded on each school’s national finish in up to 18 sports. Each national champion receives 100 points.

Central earned 201.50 points based off the five Dutch programs that placed nationally. In the winter season, Central took 18th at the NCAA wrestling championships and 37th at the NCAA men’s indoor track and field championships. A 16th place finish by the women’s golf team in the spring was the best performance nationally by the Dutch. Also in the spring, the softball team finished 49th and the men’s outdoor track and field squad was 32nd.

For the 20th time in 22 years, the Williams College (Mass.) Ephs captured the Division III title after compiling 1,335.25 points. Washington University in St. Louis (Mo.) was second with 1,227.00 points.

Seven of the other eight schools in the Iowa Conference earned a spot on the rankings, Wartburg College led the way at 26th. Other schools on the list included Loras College (45th), Luther College (71st), Nebraska Wesleyan University (87th), University of Dubuque (91st), Coe College (92nd) and Simpson College (280th)

Central’s highest Directors’ Cup finish in the 22 seasons the standings have been compiled was 12th in 2000-01. The Dutch have been in the top 25 three times.