Irish Move Up In Sears Directors’ Cup Standings
Fall NCAA competition earn the Irish 171 points.

March 25, 2002

NOTRE DAME, Ind. — The University of Notre Dame has jumped four spots to 10th place in the first set of winter sports standings released in the 2001-02 Sears Directors’ Cup all-sports competition.

The latest standings include NCAA competition in men’s and women’s indoor track and field, rifle and skiing. Notre Dame has earned 111.5 winter points from a 21st-place finish in men’s indoor track (62.5 points) and a 34th-place finish in women’s indoor track (49 points). Additional winter points will come from Notre Dame’s second-round appearances in men’s and women’s basketball, its 19th-place NCAA finish in women’s swimming and its third-place finish in fencing.

Fall NCAA competition earned the Irish 171 points based on their sixth-place finish in men’s cross country (68), their 19th-place finish in women’s cross country (33 points), their advancement to the second round of the NCAAs in women’s soccer (30 points) and their first-round NCAA participation in both volleyball and men’s soccer (20 points each).

Notre Dame and Stanford were the only schools to score in each of five traditional fall Olympic sports – men’s and women’s cross country, men’s and women’s soccer and women’s volleyball. Stanford (645.5 points) leads the competition thanks to its NCAA championships in men’s water polo and women’s volleyball and its second-place finish in men’s cross country. Second is Colorado (’01 men’s cross country champion, ’02 skiing runnerup), followed by North Carolina (’01 NCAA men’s soccer champion and women’s soccer runnerup), BYU (’01 NCAA women’s cross country champion) and UCLA. The current standings include results from NCAA fall competition in women’s volleyball, field hockey, men’s and women’s soccer, men’s water polo, Division I-A and I-AA football, and men’s and women’s cross country.

In previous years in which the Sears Directors’ Cup competition has been held, Notre Dame has finished 11th in 1993-94, 30th in 1994-95, 11th in 1995-96, 14th in 1996-97, tied for 31st in 1997-98, 25th in 1998-99, 21st in 1999-2000 – and 11th again in 2000-01.

Here are the current standings:
1. Stanford 645 1/2, 2. Colorado 481, 3.North Carolina 454 1/2, 4.BYU 361 1/2, 5. UCLA 361, 6. Florida 348, 7. Texas 297 1/2, 8. Arkansas 289, 9. Nebraska 285, 10. Notre Dame 282 1/2.