March 24, 2005

Columbia, Mo. - Mizzou Athletics stands 36th in the latest United States Sports Academy Directors' Cup (formerly the NACDA Directors' Cup) standings. Mizzou moved up from 48th, from the previous set of standings.

The Tiger wrestling team's recent 11th-place finish at the NCAA Championships accounted for a large portion of MU's climb in the standings, as that showing gave MU 66 points toward its new season total of 216.75 points. Also adding to the latest total were the men's and women's indoor track teams, which scored points for 34th and 64th place finishes at the NCAA Indoor Championships, respectively.

Mizzou's best finish in the yearly standings was a 37th-place showing in 2002-03. Since Director of Athletics Mike Alden came to MU prior to the 1998-99 season, MU's average yearly finish in the standings has been 51st. In the four years prior to his arrival (1994-95 through 1997-98), MU's average yearly finish was 111th overall.

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 second 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.