June 16, 2003

The University of Notre Dame finished tied for 13th place in the 2002-03 Division I NACDA Directors’ Cup all-sports competition (formerly known as Sears Directors’ Cup) sponsored by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics.

The 13th-place finish matches Notre Dame’s final standing from 2001-02 – and stands behind only three previous 11th-place finishes for the Irish.

Notre Dame had stood in third place following the end of the 2002 fall sports seasons. That marked the highest ranking for Notre Dame since the Irish were third in the ’96-’97 final fall standings.

The Irish were fifth following the final winter standings. Notre Dame’s previous highest standing at the end of the winter seasons was 10th in ’96-’97 (the Irish ended up 14th overall that year).

During the spring season, Notre Dame earned:
… 50 points from its second-round appearance in NCAA women’s tennis.
… 50 from its NCAA regional runnerup finish in baseball.
… 50 from its NCAA regional appearance in softball.
… 49 from a 25th-place finish in NCAA women’s outdoor track (actually a net addition of 8.5 points, compared to the 40.5 points earned from women’s indoor track, since NACDA takes whichever total is higher between indoor and outdoor track).

During the winter, the Irish earned 345 points:
… 100 points from the combined NCAA men’s and women’s fencing title.
… 64 from the NCAA Sweet 16 appearance by the women’s basketball team.
… 64 from the NCAA Sweet 16 appearance by the men’s basketball team.
… 40.5 from a 32nd-place NCAA finish in women’s indoor track and field.
… 39 from a 33rd-place NCAA finish in women’s swimming.
… 37.5 from a 34th-place NCAA finish in men’s indoor track and field.

Fall NCAA competition earned the Irish 319 points:
… 85 points (most ever for the Irish in that sport) from their third-place finish in women’s cross country.
… 64 from their third-round appearance in women’s soccer.
… 50 from their second-round appearances in men’s soccer.
… 50 from their second-round appearance in volleyball.
… 40 from their 17th-place finish in football in the final USA Today/ESPN poll.
… 30 from their 22nd-place finish in men’s cross country.

Notre Dame was the only school in the country to make postseason appearances in all six of those fall sports during the 2002 season. Notre Dame and Texas were the only schools in the country to play in football bowl games and also advance to the Sweet 16 in both men’s and women’s basketball.

Stanford (1330.5 points, pending final College World Series baseball results) won the competition thanks to its NCAA championship in men’s cross country and its second-place finishes in volleyball, women’s cross country, men’s soccer and women’s tennis.

The standings include results from NCAA fall competition in volleyball, field hockey, men’s and women’s cross country, men’s and women’s soccer and football – plus winter competition in fencing, men’s and women’s swimming, wrestling, skiing and men’s and women’s indoor track and field, men’s and women’s basketball, men’s ice hockey and men’s and women’s gymnastics – and spring competition in men’s and women’s tennis, men’s and women’s lacrosse, men’s and women’s golf, softball, baseball (pending final College World Series finishes), women’s rowing, and men’s and women’s outdoor track and field..

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.

Here are the final standings: 1.Stanford 1330.5 plus CWS finish, 2.Ohio State 1074.8, 3.Michigan 1034.3, 4.Texas 1011 plus CWS finish, 5.Penn State 993, 6.Florida 935.75, 7.North Carolina 933.5, 8.UCLA 933.25, 9.California 884.75, 10.Arizona State 860.75, 11.Minnesota 845, 12.Auburn 822.75, 13.Notre Dame and USC 822.5, 15.Georgia 784.