Wednesday, June 4, 2014

PORTLAND, Ore. – Alaska Anchorage and Western Washington each earned points in nine sports and had Top 20 finishes in the final Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup 2013-14 standings.

The Cup measures the overall success nationally of an institution’s sports program by awarding points in up to 14 sports – seven men’s and seven women’s – based on performances in NCAA regional and national play.

Alaska Anchorage finished 16th with 505 ½ points and Western Washington placed 20th with 489 points.  Grand Valley State finished first for the ninth time in the last 11 years with 1,030 points.

UAA scored points this spring in women’s track and field and men’s track and field placing 16th and 22nd, respectively. 

Earlier they earned points in women’s cross country (4th), men’s cross country (7th), skiing (8th), men’s indoor track and field (9th) and women’s indoor track and field (13th). They were also awarded 33rd place points for qualifying for the West Region volleyball and women’s basketball tournaments.

UAA’s 16th place finish matched its highest in school history.  It also placed 16th during the 2011-12 season.

Western Washington scored points in the spring in four sports placing third in women’s rowing, 11th in women’s track and field, 15th in men’s track and field and 38th in men’s golf.

Earlier this season, they placed third in women’s soccer, 18th in women’s cross country, 20th in men’s cross country and 33rd in volleyball and women’s basketball.

Western Washington finished in the Top 20 for the seventh year in a row.  It has had two Top 10 finishes placing sixth in 2009-10 and seventh in 2010-11 with a GNAC-record 653 ¾ points.

Final Standings – 1. Grand Valley State 1030; 2. West Texas A&M 708; 3. Central Missouri 653 ¾; 4. Indianapolis 649 ¾; 5. Ashland 637; 16. Alaska Anchorage 505 ½; 20. Western Washington 489; 56. Simon Fraser 322 ½; 77. Seattle Pacific 250 ½; 96. Alaska Fairbanks 211 ½; 159. Central Washington 110; 199. Montana State Billings 64; 221. Western Oregon 49.