Mizzou Ranks 24th in Learfield Directors' Cup Standings
12/23/2016 9:54:00 AM | General
Tigers score big in volleyball, women's cross country and soccer
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Based on the strength of outstanding seasons by its volleyball, women's cross country and soccer programs, the University of Missouri Department of Athletics is ranked 24th nationally in the latest fall standings for the 2016-17 Learfield Directors' Cup.
Mizzou's volleyball team turned in an outstanding 2016 season, going 27-6 with a Southeastern Conference title (16-2 SEC mark), while reaching the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. The women's cross country team finished 16th at the NCAA Championships – led by national champion and USTFCCCA National Athlete of the Year Karissa Schweizer – after the team won its first NCAA Regional meet since 2004. The soccer team went 11-7-2 on the year, reaching the NCAA Tournament, where they lost in double overtime in the opening round following a fifth-place finish in the SEC.
Among the SEC, only Arkansas (17th place) and Kentucky (21st) rank ahead of Mizzou in the latest fall standings. The final fall standings will be released on January 12th. The Learfield 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 NCAA Championships. The Directors' Cup Committee is reviewing the scoring structure for 2016-17 which will be finalized prior to the winter sports standings.
Mizzou finished 43rd in the 2015-16 Learfield Cup, scoring points in 10 of the 20 allotted sports, including seven top-25 finishes. It's average finish over the last five years has been 46th place, finishing 49th in 2011-12, 53rd in 2012-13, 46th in 2013-14 and 42nd in 2014-15 prior to last year. Mizzou's all-time best finish was a 36th-place showing in the 2008-09 competition year.
Complete Division I standings can be found at the following link:
Complete standings and the scoring structure can be found on NACDA's website at www.directorscup.org. In addition, please visit www.thedirectorscup.com, like them on Facebook at facebook.com/ldirectorscup or follow on Twitter @ldirectorscup.
For all the latest on Mizzou Athletics, stay tuned to MUTigers.com and follow the department on Twitter @MizzouAthletics and on Facebook.
