William Penn Leaps to 54th in Directors’ Cup Standings

NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics)

Oskaloosa–Big points from three men’s winter teams not only got William Penn on the board nationally, but moved it into one of the highest positions in the NAIA as the final winter Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup Standings were released Thursday.

The Statesmen earned 160 points in the winter to be currently tied for 54th in the NAIA. A total of 173 NAIA institutions have scored points thus far, while nearly 300 schools comprise the division.

The navy and gold men’s basketball squad reached the NAIA Division II quarterfinals to pick up 70 points, while the wrestling program’s 22nd-place finish garnered 51.5 points. The indoor track and field team notched an additional 38.5 points with its 34th-place showing.

Defending champion Oklahoma Baptist had an incredible 430-point winter season, including winning national titles in men’s and women’s swimming and women’s indoor track and field to take over first place with 598 points. Olivet Nazarene (Ill.) is a close second with 574.5 points, while Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) (470.5), Morningside (453.5), and Concordia (Calif.) (445.5) round out the top five.

Complete standings can be found at http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/nacda/sports/directorscup/auto_pdf/2013-14/misc_non_event/March27NAIA.pdf

William Penn ranks second among all Midwest Collegiate Conference institutions, while Grand View heads the group in tenth place with 381 points. St. Ambrose is 85th with 105 points and Mount Mercy is 171st with ten points.

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 men’s and women’s.

For complete standings and the scoring structure, go to http://www.nacda.com/directorscup/nacda-directorscup-current-scoring.html