Mizzou Athletics Turns in Record Performance in Director’s Cup Standings
6/30/2018 11:37:00 AM | General
Success across the board helps Mizzou rank 33rd in annual poll that ranks overall performance of athletic departments
COLUMBIA, Mo. – After another banner year across all 20 varsity athletic programs, Mizzou Athletics tied its best finish ever in the Learfield Director's Cup standings following the conclusion of the 2017-18 NCAA athletic season. Mizzou totaled 660.75 total points, just two shy of its total from a season ago, to finish 33rd nationally, matching its best finish ever, which was set during the 2016-17 athletic year.
Mizzou had a record 17 of its 20 athletic programs represented in postseason competition with a school-record 15 of those 17 programs earning Director's Cup points. Mizzou earned a pair of conference championships (Mizzou Wrestling won the MAC regular season and tournament crowns) while 11 programs ranked in the nation's top 25 of their respective sports (or finished in the top 25) at some point in 2017-18.
"Mizzou Athletics enjoyed another outstanding all-around year, academically and athletically, capped off by its best finish in the Learfield Directors' Cup standings," said second-year Mizzou Director of Athletics Jim Sterk. "Our success is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our coaches, student-athletes and staff, and I'm confident that even greater things are in store for our program in future years."
#ShowMe success across the board at #Mizzou ??
— Mizzou Athletics (@MizzouAthletics) June 30, 2018
Tigers turn in best two-year stretch in @LDirectorsCup standings with an all-time best 33rd-place finish this year. #MIZ #ShowMe ?? pic.twitter.com/A4Zr4Qr1Ns
Ranking 33rd in back-to-back years is Mizzou's best two-year finish since the Director's Cup was established in 1993-94. Prior to this two-year stretch, Mizzou had averaged a finish of 58th in the annual competition as the school's 20 programs have shined since Sterk took the helm of the athletic department.
Mizzou had Top-25 NCAA Championship finishes in wrestling (sixth), women's indoor track & field (9th), women's outdoor track & field (11th), women's swimming and diving (15th), Volleyball (Sweet 16) and men's swimming and diving (23rd).
Mizzou had eight teams finish the year ranked among the nation's Top 25: Wrestling (Finished sixth at 2018 NCAA Championships), Women's Indoor Track & Field (Finished ninth at 2018 NCAA Championships), Women's Outdoor Track & Field (11th at NCAA Championships), Women's Swimming & Diving (Finished 15th at 2018 NCAA Championships), Women's Basketball (No. 17 in Associated Press/No. 22 in USA Today Coaches Poll), Volleyball (No. 20, second-straight NCAA Sweet 16 appearance), Women's Gymnastics (No. 23) and Men's Swimming & Diving (Finished 23rd at 2018 NCAA Championships). In addition, Women's Cross Country (No. 14), Women's Outdoor Track & Field (No. 16), Baseball (No. 18) and Men's Golf (No. 21) were in the Top 25 earlier to give Mizzou 11 ranked programs at some point during the 2017-18 academic year.
One of the ultimate measuring sticks for departments is the number of teams that qualify for the postseason and 17 of 20 Mizzou teams earned 2017-18 postseason bids with 13 registering winning records. Mizzou Volleyball has been to back-to-back Sweet 16s and Mizzou Softball earned its 12th-straight NCAA Tournament bid, the longest active streak of any team on campus. Mizzou Wrestling has claimed seven straight conference titles and has earned a top-10 finish at the NCAA Championships in four consecutive seasons.
The 2017-18 year also marked the first time since 1981-82 that Mizzou Football played in a bowl game and both Tiger Basketball teams reached the NCAA Tournament in the same academic year.
Mizzou also had three NCAA Individual Champions won by Track & Field standout Karissa Schweizer (3,000m and 5,000m at the NCAA Indoor Championships; 5,000m at NCAA Outdoor Championships). She finished her collegiate career with six NCAA titles.
Mizzou also produced five season-ending conference award winners, 14 individual conference champions, 53 All-Conference award winners and 40 All-America honors in 10 different sports.
In the classroom, 265 Mizzou student-athletes received SEC Honor Roll recognition, 332 garnered University Dean's List status for at least one semester and 13 teams registered a 3.00 grade-point average for the Spring 2018 term. Tiger student-athletes also spent over 4,400 hours volunteering with more than 50 organizations in Columbia and the surrounding communities. The student-athlete body posted an overall GPA of 3.04 in 2017-18 and 103 student-athletes graduated in 2017-18. Mizzou saw 71 student-athletes post a 4.00 GPA in 2017-19, including 39 in the fall 2017 term.
Stanford won the Directors' Cup for the 24th consecutive year, followed by UCLA, Florida, USC and Texas to complete the top five. Among SEC schools, Mizzou ranked 10th, ahead of Tennessee, Ole Miss, Mississippi State and Vanderbilt.
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 up to 20 sports in Division I – 10 men's and 10 women's, four of which must be men's and women's basketball, baseball and volleyball)
Mizzou's All-Time Directors' Cup Finishes
Year Place Points
1993-94 50th 245.00
1994-95 105th 119.50
1995-96 133rd 88.50
1996-97 119th 115.50
1997-98 85th 80.00
1998-99 70th 120.00
1999-2000 52nd 320.50
2000-01 49th 365.50
2001-02 53rd 344.50
2002-03 37th 483.50
2003-04 46th 411.00
2004-05 41st 462.25
2005-06 48th 379.625
2006-07 53rd 391.33
2007-08 38th 560.50
2008-09 36th 585.30
2009-10 49th 454.00
2010-11 41st 535.80
2011-12 49th 458.50
2012-13 53rd 432.00
2013-14 46th 492.20
2014-15 42nd 544.75
2015-16 43rd 501.75
2016-17 33rd 662.75
2017-18 33rd 660.75
