Irish In 19th In Sears Directors’ Cup Standings

Yet to come are points for Notre Dame’s 2000 NCAA involvement in baseball, softball and men’s and women’s track.

June 8, 2000

NOTRE DAME, Ind. — The University of Notre Dame stands 19th in the first set of spring sports standings released in the 1999-2000 Sears Directors’ Cup all-sports competition.

Spring NCAA competition has earned the Irish points based on their quarterfinal appearance in men’s lacrosse (40 points), their third-round appearance in women’s tennis (50 points) and their second-round appearance in men’s tennis (30 points), giving Notre Dame 534 points. Yet to come are points for Notre Dame’s 2000 NCAA involvement in baseball, softball and men’s and women’s track.

Winter sports points came from Notre Dame’s NCAA runnerup finish in fencing (85 points), a final 16 appearance in women’s basketball (50), an 18th-place finish in women’s swimming (50) and a 47th in men’s indoor track and field (34) — giving the Irish 414 overall points.

Thanks to the Irish women’s soccer team’s NCAA runnerup finish, the men’s cross country team finishing eighth and the women’s cross country team finishing 29th at the NCAA championships – plus the volleyball team advancing to the NCAA tournament, Notre Dame earned 195 points during the fall sports season.

Stanford (1250 points) leads the competition thanks to its NCAA championship in men’s tennis and runnerup finishes in women’s tennis, women’s golf, water polo and men’s indoor track and field. Second is UCLA, followed by Michigan, Penn State, Nebraska, North Carolina and Florida.

The current standings include results from NCAA fall competition in field hockey, men’s and women’s cross country, men’s and women’s soccer, water polo, volleyball and I-AA football — plus winter competition in men’s and women’s basketball, fencing, men’s and women’s gymnastics, hockey, rifle, skiing, men’s and women’s swimming, men’s and women’s indoor track and field, and wrestling — along with spring competition in women’s golf, men’s and women’s lacrosse, women’s rowing, men’s and women’s tennis and men’s volleyball.

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 and 25th in 1998-99.

Here are the current standings:

1. Stanford 1250, 2. UCLA 976.5, 3. Michigan 865.5, 4. Penn State 807.5, 5. Nebraska 803, 6. North Carolina 760, 7. Florida 754.5, 8. Ohio State 642, 9. Texas 629, 10. Wisconsin 625, 11. Arizona 619.5, 12. Georgia 610.5, 13. Arizona State 594.5, 14. LSU 592, 15. BYU 590, 16. Virginia 588.5, 17. Tennessee 576, 18. Minnesota 535, 19. Notre Dame 534, 20. Michigan State 531.