Irish Start 24th In Directors’ Cup
Current standings include results from NCAA fall competition in field hockey, and men’s and women’s cross country.

Dec. 8, 2003

The University of Notre Dame stands 24th in the first set of fall sports standings in the 2003-04 Division I United States Sports Academy Directors’ Cup all-sports competition (formerly known as Sears Directors’ Cup) sponsored by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics.

Fall NCAA competition so far has earned the Irish 60 points from their 10th-place finish in the NCAA women’s cross country championships. Yet to come are fall points from Notre Dame’s second-round NCAA appearance in women’s soccer, its third-round NCAA appearance in men’s soccer (best ever performance for the Irish in that sport) and their first-round NCAA appearance in volleyball.

The current standings include results from NCAA fall competition in field hockey, and men’s and women’s cross country.

The second set of fall standings will be released Dec. 18, a third fall set on Dec. 30 and the final fall standings on Jan. 8.

Michigan is the early leader with 226 points, thanks to top-10 finishes in both men’s and women’s cross country and field hockey. Stanford is second; thanks to NCAA titles in both men’s and women’s cross country.

In previous years in which the Directors’ Cup competition has been held, Notre Dame 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.
* 11th in 2000-01.
* 13th in 2001-02.
* Tied for 13th in 2002-03.

Here are the current standings: 1.Michigan 226, 2.Stanford 200, 3.Colorado 147, 4.(tie)North Carolina State and Wake Forest 132, 6.Northern Arizona 130, 7.BYU 125, 8.Duke 124, 9.Villanova 114, 10.Wisconsin 112, 11.(tie)Georgetown and Providence 111, 13.Michigan State 100, 14.North Carolina 91, 15.Penn State 88, 24.Notre Dame 60.