June 28, 2012

The University of Arizona finished the 2011-12 year with a No. 19 rating in the Learfield Sports Directors' Cup measure of schools' overall athletic programs.

For Arizona it was a second consecutive Top 20 finish, boosted in part by its NCAA Baseball Championship earned Monday night in Omaha. Neb. The UA has been in the Top 10 nine times and in the Top 20 a total of 15 years in the since the rankings progream started in 1994. The UA was No. 16 in 2010-11.

Pac-12 institutions rated strongly, led by Stanford's 18th-consecutive first-place finish. Six institutions finished in the top 25. Here is the league's release:

WALNUT CREEK, Calif. - Six Pac-12 Conference institutions finished the 2011-12 academic year ranked in the final Learfield Sports Directors' Cup top 25, the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) announced. Three institutions, STANFORD, UCLA, and USC were in the top 10, the most of any conference.

The Cardinal won its 18th-consecutive cup after claiming national championships in women's soccer and women's water polo, and top four finishes in men's and women's swimming, women's basketball and women's gymnastics, accumulating an impressive 1,448.25 points.

UCLA and USC were among eight teams to tally better than 1,000 points, finishing third (1,142.75 points) and seventh (1,006.75 points), respectively. Together, the Bruins and Trojans each posted top four finishes in women's volleyball, women's water polo, and men's and women's tennis. CALIFORNIA placed 11th overall with 979.00 points after sweeping the men's and women's swimming and diving titles. ARIZONA's national title in baseball pushed the Wildcats into the top 20, where they placed 19th (827.75), OREGON rounded out the top 25, finishing 24th (747.25).

ARIZONA STATE placed 30th with 625.25 points, with WASHINGTON right behind in 31st with 622.50 points. COLORADO was 57th overall (391.50), followed by OREGON STATE (66th, 300.91), UTAH (74th, 260.0), and WASHINGTON STATE (106th, 171.00).

The success of the Pac-12 in the Director's Cup was bolstered by the capturing of nine NCAA titles, most among all conferences. In addition, 10 of the Pac-12`s league members finished among the top four in 24 NCAA championships, while the ACC was next with its league members placing among the top four in 16 NCAA championships.

The 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 - 10 women's and 10 men's.

Complete standings and the scoring structure can be found on the NACDA website at www.directorscup.org

CONFERENCE BREAKDOWN
Conference (number of teams) (Top-25 Schools)
1. Pac-12 (12)  6
2. Big Ten (12)  5
3. SEC (12) 5
4. ACC (12) 4
5. Big 12 (10)  4
6. Big East (15)  1
Arizona's Year-by-Year Ranking in the Director's Cup:
2012  19th
2011  16th
2010  30th
2009  24th
2008  27th
2007  24th
2006  11th
2005  18th
2004  12th
2003  16th
2002  9th
2001  5th
2000  8th
1999  9th
1998  6th
1997  6th
1996  7th
1995  4th
1994  6th