April 10, 2009

NOTRE DAME, Ind. – The University of Notre Dame stands in 21st place in the second set of winter sports standings released Thursday in the 2008-09 Learfield Sports Division I Directors’ Cup all-sports competition sponsored by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics.

Winter sports NCAA competition so far has earned Notre Dame 180.63 points – 90 points from a national runner-up finish in men’s and women’s fencing (combined championship), 43 from a 31st-place finish in women’s swimming, 25 from a first-round appearance in women’s basketball, 12 from a 60th-place finish in women’s indoor track and field and 10.63 from a 59th-place finish in men’s indoor track and field. Still to come for the Irish are winter points from their NCAA appearance in hockey.

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 (854.75 points) leads the competition, thanks to an NCAA runner-up finish in men’s water polo, third-place finish in men’s cross country and men’s swimming, and national semifinal slots in women’s soccer and women’s basketball. The Cardinal is followed by North Carolina (694.25, including the women’s soccer and men’s basketball titles), Minnesota (683.75, including a national semifinal slot in women’s ice hockey), Florida (615.75, including the runner-up spot in men’s indoor track and field) and California (606.50, including the women’s swimming 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 – along with NCAA winter competition in men’s and women’s basketball, fencing, women’s ice hockey, rifle, skiing, men’s and women’s swimming, men’s wrestling and men’s and women’s indoor track and field.

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 854.75, 2.North Carolina 694.25, 3.Minnesota 683.75, 4.Florida 615.75, 5.California 606.50, 6.Texas 605.50, 7.Penn State 578, 8.Michigan 541, 9.Florida State 514.50, 10.Washington 505, 11.USC 502, 12.Texas A&M 495, 13.Virginia 492, 14.Oregon 491.25, 15.Ohio State 490.50, 21.Notre Dame 417.63.

— ND —