By Staff
CLEVELAND – The Cardinal of Stanford took home its 15th straight Learfield Sports Directors' Cup, tallying 1455.00 points.
The Directors' Cup is presented annually by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA), Learfield Sports and USA Today to the best overall collegiate athletics programs in the country in NCAA Divisions I, II, and III and the NAIA.
The 2008-09 winners were announced and awarded their Directors' Cups at NACDA's 44th Annual Convention in Orlando, Florida. The winning institutions were Stanford in Division I, Grand Valley State (Mich.) in Division II, Williams (Mass.) in Division III and Azusa Pacific (Calif.) in the NAIA.
Stanford tallied points in 22 total sports, but could only count the maximum 10 men's and 10 women's sports. Stanford boasted an impressive 14 top-10 finishes this season – taking home the men's gymnastics and the women's rowing titles.
The points from the sports of women's golf and women's outdoor track and field did not count to the overall total.
North Carolina finished second overall with 1184.25 points, scoring in the maximum 10 men's and 10 women's sports. The Tar Heels captured the women's soccer title and the men's basketball championship.
The points from the sports of women's field hockey, football and women's outdoor track and field did not count to the overall total.
The Gators of Florida finished third overall with 1172.75 points, scoring in 17 of a possible 20 sports. The Gators scored in 11 women's sports, but only 10 sports could be counted.
The 27 points in women's golf does not count in the overall point total. Florida's highest finish came in football with 100 points.
Scoring 1137.75 points for a fourth place finish is Southern California. The Trojans scored in 17 total sports, nine men's sports and eight women's sports. Southern California took home the men's water polo and men's tennis championships.
Rounding out the top five is Michigan with 1131.80 points. The Wolverines scored in 22 sports, but could only count 10 men's and 10 women's sports toward their total.
The 8.6 points earned in men's outdoor track and field and the 23.5 points earned in women's golf do not count in the final tally. Michigan's highest finish came in men's gymnastics, second.