Jan. 13, 2009

NOTRE DAME, Ind. – The University of Notre Dame moved to 14th place in the final set of fall sports standings released in the 2008-09 Learfield Sports Division I Directors’ Cup all-sports competition sponsored by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics.

Fall NCAA competition earned the Irish 237 points — 90 points from their national runner-up finish in women’s soccer, 50 from a second-round appearance in NCAA men’s soccer, 52 more based on their 19th-place finish in men’s cross country (36 points) and their 29th-place finish in women’s cross country (16 points) – and 45 from Notre Dame’s postseason football victory in the Sheraton Hawai’i Bowl.

Stanford (394 points) leads the competition, thanks to an NCAA runner-up finish in men’s water polo, a third-place finish in men’s cross country and a national semifinal slot in women’s soccer. The Cardinal is followed by Oregon (323, including the men’s cross country crown and a runner-up finish in women’s cross country), USC (304, including the men’s water polo title) and North Carolina (290, including the women’s soccer title).

The current standings include results from NCAA fall competition in women’s volleyball, women’s field hockey, men’s water polo, men’s and women’s soccer, men’s and women’s cross country – and Football Championship Subdivision and Football Bowl Subdivision play.

In previous years in which the 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, 11th in 2000-01, 13th in 2001-02, tied for 13th in 2002-03, 19th in 2003-04, 16th in 2004-05, a best-ever sixth in 2005-06, 22nd in 2006-07 and 21st in 2007-08.

Here are the current standings:

1.Stanford 394, 2.Oregon 323, 3.USC 304, 4.North Carolina 290, 5.(tie) Florida and Wake Forest 268, 7.Michigan State 265.5, 8.Washington 261, 9.Maryland 245, 10.Penn State 244.5, 11.Virginia 244, 12.California 241, 13.Minnesota 239.5, 14.Notre Dame 237, 15.Florida State 230.

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