Dec. 4, 2003

Columbia, Mo. - The first set of standings have been released for the United States Sports Academy Directors' Cup (formerly the NACDA Directors' Cup), and the University of Missouri rates quite well, as MU stands 28th thus far with 54 points. These standings are based upon the completion of women's and men's cross country and field hockey.

The 28th-place standing marks MU's highest rank at anytime since the standings were introduced for the 1993-94 academic year. Mizzou ranked 31st at this juncture last season (its previous highest rank), on its way to a 37th-place showing in the year-end standings in 2002-03 - marking its best final finish ever.

Mizzou scored all 54 points it currently owns in the Directors' Cup from its women's cross country squad, which recently finished 12th in the NCAA Championships. The Tigers are scheduled to score points in three additional fall sports - women's soccer, volleyball and football, all of which have qualified for NCAA post-season play. Last fall, MU scored points in only two fall sports, and stood 52nd after the fall season on the way to its 37th place final finish.

The United States Sports Academy Directors' Cup was developed as a joint effort between the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) and USA Today. The United States Sports Academy, based in Daphne, Ala., is in its first year of sponsoring the program. Points are awarded based on each institution's finish in up to 20 sports - 10 women's and 10 men's. Each national champion receives 100 points.

Complete standings and scoring structure can be found on NACDA's web site at www.nacda.com.