Orlando, FL — A pair of team national championships and another three individual titles helped Messiah remain near the top of the Learfield Sports Directors' Cup standings once again, as the Falcons' athletics program finished 19th overall among all NCAA Division III institutions in 2009-2010, the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) announced Thursday.
Back-to-back national championships in both men's and women's soccer and a trio of titles from senior track superstar Kristen Bates led the way, as Messiah finished with 580.75 total points in the Directors' Cup final standings — making an appearance in the list's top 25 for the seventh time in its 15-year history.
“It really is incredible what our coaches and student-athletes continue to do,” said Cory Furman, Messiah Assistant Athletics Director for Public Relations and Marketing. “To repeatedly finish near the top of these standings demonstrates a true standard of excellence across the board. With 447 institutions competing at the NCAA Division III level this year, it is an honor to be among the elite.”
The Directors' Cup utilizes a mathematical formula to calculate the nation's best all-sport institutions, awarding points to teams and individuals competing in NCAA post-season play.
Each of the Falcons' soccer teams earned 100 points for their respective national championships, while Bates — who claimed the 55-meter hurdles and pentathlon national championships in this year's indoor track season along with the 100-meter hurdles title during the outdoor campaign — single-handedly reeled in another 125.25 points. Behind Bates' efforts, Messiah's women's track team finished sixth overall at the indoor national championships and 21st at the outdoor competition.
Messiah's field hockey team advanced to the national championship game for the seventh time in school history, picking up 90 points, while an appearance in the regional championship from the Falcons' softball team was good for 64 points.
Messiah's women's basketball team advanced to the NCAA Tournament Second Round for the 11th consecutive season, earning 50 points, while 46.5 points came via the Falcons' golf program — a squad that qualified for the NCAA Championships for the first time in its history.
Senior wrestler Trent Zempel collected the remaining five points for the Falcons' cause, advancing to the NCAA Championships for the second time in his career.
“It was clearly another outstanding year for our department, on a variety of levels,” Furman said. “To continually appear in NCAA post-season competition is a direct reflection not only on our current student-athletes and coaches, but on all of those who came before them. There is a strong sense of tradition throughout our programs. That is especially rewarding.”
Messiah's 19th-place result was just eight spots off its best-ever finish, coming following the 2007-2008 academic year. The Falcons' program finished 14th last year, picking up a school-record 696.75 points.
Again, however, Messiah finished as the top school in Pennsylvania within the Division III standings, as Carnegie Mellon University (364 points) was next-best at 40th. A total of 311 schools were eligible in this year's Directors' Cup at the NCAA Division III level.
Williams College (Williamstown, Mass.) claimed its 12th consecutive Division III Directors' Cup, earning a total 1292.25 points behind 19 post-season finishes. Stanford University claimed its 16th straight Cup at the NCAA Division I level. Grand Valley State University (Grand Rapids, Mich.) earned the Division II title, while Azusa Pacific University (Azusa, Cal.) secured the NAIA's top spot. It was the sixth consecutive year that the same four institutions claimed their respective Directors' Cup. A detailed chart of past and current results from the Directors' Cup is available at the official website of NACDA.
The Learfield Sports Directors' Cup was developed as a joint effort between NACDA and USA Today in 1993. Learfield Sports, a Dallas-based sports marketing organization, is in its second year as the program's sponsor. website of NACDA.
Messiah All-Time Final Directors' Cup Rankings
2009-2010 — 19th (580.75 points)
2008-2009 — 14th (696.75)
2007-2008 — 11th (615.25)
2006-2007 — 23rd (466.50)
2005-2006 — 15th (474.25)
2004-2005 — 20th (380)
2003-2004 — 34th (313)
2002-2003 — 16th (478.5)
2001-2002 — 26th (348)
2000-2001 — 26th (352.5)
1999-2000 — 54th (223.5)
1998-1999 — 59th (110)
1997-1998 — 45th (140)
1996-1997 — 134th (78)
1995-1996 — 40th (172.5)
