Jan. 5, 2004

Columbia, Mo. - Mizzou Athletics has jumped two spots in the United States Sports Academy Directors' Cup (formerly the NACDA Directors' Cup) standings, to 25th place overall. Mizzou moved up from 27th, from the previous set of standings, and the move leaves MU in its highest-ever place in the history of the Directors' Cup.

The Tiger women's volleyball team accounted for the upward climb in the latest standings, as Team Kreklow reached the NCAA Tournament for the fourth straight year. Their appearance gave MU 25 points in the Directors' Cup standings, leaving MU with 129 points now on the season.

These standings are based upon the completion of women and men's cross country, field hockey, Division I-AA football, women and men's soccer and volleyball.

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, Alabama, is in its first year 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 the scoring structure can be found on NACDA's web site at www.nacda.com.