June 23, 2010
BERKELEY -
With a strong finish to the spring, California has moved up to eighth place in the latest Directors' Cup standings and is poised for its fifth consecutive top-10 finish in the rankings of best overall collegiate athletic programs in the country.
In this latest update, the Golden Bears gained points in men's golf, women's rowing, softball and outdoor track & field. Points for women's golf, men's and women's tennis and women's water polo were awarded earlier in June (see here). Since the final winter rankings were announced in late April, Cal has jumped 10 spots from the 17th position. The final results will be released July 1 after baseball's College World Series.
The Bears were seventh overall the past two years, as well as in 2006, while they were ninth in 2007. Cal earned its first showing in the top 10 in 2003 with a ninth-place finish and repeated the placing in 2004.
For 2009-10, the Bears are third among Pac-10 institutions behind No. 1 Stanford and No. 4 UCLA. Other conference schools in the top 30 are USC (12th), Oregon (16th), Washington (22nd), Arizona State (24th) and Arizona (30th).
In the spring, Cal has received points for national NCAA finishes in women's golf (31st), men's golf (23rd), women's crew (2nd), softball (T9th), women's tennis (T9th), men's tennis (T17th), men's outdoor track (T21st) and women's water polo (T3rd). Overall, the Bears have accumulated 988.50 points, including 486.00 so far in the spring, their strongest season of the year. Cal will add to its total once the baseball results are tabulated.
The Directors' Cup was developed as a joint effort between the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) and USA Today. Points are awarded based on each institution's finish in up to 20 sports - 10 women's and 10 men's. Because they are not NCAA-sponsored sports, Cal's national championship in rugby and runner-up team finish in men's crew are not counted.
For a complete list of the Directors' Cup standings, click here.
Cal's Recent Directors' Cup Finishes
2008-09 7th
2007-08 7th
2006-07 9th
2005-06 7th
2004-05 15th
2003-04 9th
2002-03 9th
