Cleveland, Ohio ---  Minnesota State had five teams score points in NCAA postseason competition during recently-completed winter sports championships and the result was a dramatic push for the Mavericks up the 2009-10 Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup standings.

MSU received points from wrestling (sixth), men’s indoor track (8th) women’s indoor track (16th), men’s swimming (26th) and women’s swimming (26th) in racking up an additional 272.50 points and now ranks sixth in the overall standings.

MSU will receive additional points for its men’s basketball program, which advanced  to the NCAA Division II basketball regional semi-finals.

The Mavericks, who ranked 54th in the standings after the fall sports seasons, have totalled 347.50 points for the year.  Defending champion Grand Valley State tops the current list with 660.5 points.

MSU, which finished second in last year’s final standings, is the top-ranking team in the NSIC in the current Directors’ Cup standings.   Minnesota Duluth ranks 15th, Augustana is 19th, St. Cloud State is 20th, Bemidji State is 85th, Wayne State (Neb.) is 122nd and Winona State ranks 134th.

There are 288 schools that compete in NCAA Division II and complete standings for the Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup can be found here.

Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup General Information
A program that honors institutions maintaining a broad-based program, the Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup honors those programs achieving success in many sports, both men’s and women’s. Began in 1993-94 for Division I by NACDA and USA Today, it was expanded in 1995-96 to include Division II, III and the NAIA. Each institution is awarded points in a predetermined number of sports for men and women. The overall champion is the institution that records the highest number of points in their division’s Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup standings.


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