WUSTL Athletics in First Place in Division III Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup

TEAM STANDINGS

St. Louis, Mo., December 9, 2010 – The Washington University in St. Louis Department of Athletics sits in first place in the Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup fall standings, as announced by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA).

Washington University totaled 336 points in the fall season, and has an 11 point lead over second-place Calvin College (327 points). Middlebury College sits in third place with 325 points, with Messiah College (280 points) and Williams College (236 points) rounding out the top five.

The Bears had five teams advance to the NCAA Championship in the fall, led by a second-place finish in women’s cross country and a third-place finish in women’s volleyball. The men’s cross country team placed ninth, while the men’s and women’s soccer teams recorded 17th place finishes.

Six of the seven fall NCAA championships have been completed with the following institutions capturing titles: men’s cross country - Haverford (Pa.); women’s cross country - Middlebury (Vt.); women’s volleyball - Calvin (Mich.); field hockey – Bowdoin (Maine); men’s soccer – Messiah (Pa.); women’s soccer – Hardin-Simmons (Tex.).

The Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup was developed as a joint effort between NACDA and USA Today. Points are awarded based on each institution's finish in up to 18 sports -- nine women’s and nine men’s.

The final Division III fall standings will be released Thursday, December 23.