Wednesday, June 12, 2019

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Leading an improved season across the board for many GNAC teams, Simon Fraser and Alaska Anchorage both accomplished top-20 finishes in the final 2018-19 Learfield IMG College Directors’ Cup standings for Division II.

Simon Fraser led all GNAC teams with a 15th place finish and a total of 541 points. The Clan was No. 2 among West Region teams in the standings and jumped 15 spots over last year. Alaska Anchorage finished in 19th place with 493 points, improving from a 42nd place finish last year.

Rounding out GNAC teams in the Directors’ Cup top-100 was Western Washington, finishing 41st with 392.50 points, and Seattle Pacific with a 70th place finish and 284 points. The Vikings jumped 23 places from last year’s 64th place finish while the Falcons leaped up from a 185th place finish in 2017-18.

This marked the second straight year that Simon Fraser has led the GNAC in the Directors’ Cup standings, which evaluates a program’s overall performance based on finishes in a number of NCAA championship events.

After a strong winter season, Simon Fraser picked up spring Directors’ Cup points in both men’s and women’s golf and women’s track and field. The Clan scored 60 points with a 15th place women’s track and field finish, 51.5 points with a 21st place finish in women’s golf and 25.5 points with a 46th place finish in men’s golf.

All of Alaska Anchorage’s spring points came in track and field, gaining 72 points with a seventh-place finish in women’s track and 47 points for a 27th place finish on the men’s side.

The bulk of spring points for both Western Washington and Seattle Pacific came from women’s rowing, with the Vikings placing third for 85 points and the Falcons placing fourth for 80 points. Western Washington also picked up 11.5 points for a 61st place finish in the standings for men’s golf. Seattle Pacific added 42 points for a 32nd place finish in women’s track and field.

The GNAC joined the California Collegiate Athletic Association as West Region conferences with four top-100 finishes in the Directors’ Cup standings, with the GNAC as the only one of the three West Region conferences with two top-20 finishers.

Once again, Grand Valley State won the Division II Directors’ Cup with 1,004 points. The Lakers were followed by UC San Diego (826 points) and West Texas A&M (730.75).

The Learfield IMG College Directors’ Cup evaluates an athletic program’s success based on each institution’s finish in the NCAA Championship. The winter standings included points gained from finishes in basketball, fencing, ice hockey, rifle, skiing, swimming, indoor track and field and wrestling.

The Learfield IMG College 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 NCAA and NAIA Championships. Separate standings are published for each of the NCAA’s three divisions as well as the NAIA.