Strong Winter Propels Statesmen to 26th in Directors’ Cup Standings

Oskaloosa–Five winter sports teams scored points at the national level, helping the William Penn athletics department to move to its highest-ranking ever as the Learfield Directors’ Cup final winter NAIA standings were released Wednesday.

WPU, which concluded the fall with 57 points from the men’s soccer team, collected 258.5 points in the winter and is now 26th with 315.5 points.

The biggest point-getters were the men’s and women’s bowling squads which both earned 71.5 points. The men’s basketball team gathered 50 points, while men’s wrestling notched 37.5 points and men’s indoor track and field posted 28 points.

The 258.5 winter points collected by the Statesmen were the 16th most for any institution. WPU’s 315.5 points are also the most ever in school history with the spring season still to go.

William Penn currently ranks third in the Heart of America Athletic Conference.

Guided by five top-10 finishes during the winter, Indiana Wesleyan leads the nation with 647 points. Marian (Ind.) is second with 620.75 points, while Grand View (617.25), Indiana Tech (614.5), and Midland (579) complete the top five.

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 13 sports, four of which must be men’s basketball, men’s soccer, women’s basketball, and women’s volleyball. The next nine sports for each institution, regardless of gender, will be used in the standings.