CLEVELAND -- The 2008-09 athletic seasons are in the books; the results are in. And according to the all-sports Directors' Cup standings, as published by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) and USA Today, the Falcons are soaring. (NACDA release/standings)
Notre Dame earned a 34th-place ranking in the final release of the broad-based ranking, which accounts for performance on a national level in 21 sports (11 men's and 10 women's). NDC tallied 394.5 points in the 2008-09 standings, with their No. 34-ranking marking the College's best-ever finish.
Azusa Pacific (Calif.) earned the No. 1-ranking on the NAIA rolls for a fourth straight year; APU earned 915 points, scoring points in 14 of the 21 sports.
Falcon teams tallied points in Men's Soccer (T-9th at national tournament), Men's and Women's Swimming & Diving, Wrestling (fifth at nationals), Men's and Women's Track & Field, and Softball (T-5th).
“This is a marvelous achievement not only for our athletics department but for the College as a whole,” said Director of Athletics Susan Hlavacek. “This recognition is a testament to the hard work of all our coaches and student-athletes”
In placing 34th, Notre Dame has now made an ascent in the national ranking in seven consecutive years (2002-03 through 2008-09), and the College's athletic programs have enjoyed a meteoric rise in the Director's Cup competition for the better part of a decade. Falcon programs placed 48th last year (2007-08) and 69th the year before (2006-07). In 2001-02 and 2002-03, NDC failed to even crack the Top-200. The 2008-09 rankings included a field of 287 NAIA institutions.
The Director's Cup program honors institutions maintaining a broad-based program, achieving success in many sports, both men's and women's. Began in 1993-94 for NCAA Division I by NACDA and USA Today, it was expanded in 1995-96 to include Division II, III and the NAIA. Each institution is awarded points in a pre-determined number of sports for men and women. The overall champion is the institution that records the highest number of points in their division's Directors' Cup standings. The program is sponsored by Learfield Sports.
Notre Dame College is a co-educational liberal arts institution in South Euclid, Ohio. The Notre Dame Department of Athletics sponsors the Falcons' participation in 21 men's and women's intercollegiate sports. The College is affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and the American Mideast Conference (AMC).
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