Chico State in fourth place in latest Directors' Cup standings

CLEVELAND – Another productive season for Chico State’s fall sports programs has vaulted the Wildcats to fourth place in the latest Division II Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup standings. Strong campaigns by the men’s soccer team and men’s and women’s cross country squads have given Chico State a positive start in the school’s quest for its eighth straight top 25 Directors’ Cup finish and fourth top 10 showing since 2004.

With six of the seven fall NCAA championships completed, Chico State has collected 220 points, trailing only perennial Division II powerhouse Grand Valley State (Mich.), Shippensburg (Pa.) and Tampa (Fla.). The Wildcat men’s and women’s cross country teams each picked up 75 points for their finishing fifth nationally in the NCAA Championships, while men’s soccer, returning to postseason play after a year absence and reaching the NCAA Championship Tournament quarterfinals, contributed 70 points to Chico State’s fall tally.

The Directors’ Cup, a joint effort between Learfield Sports, the National Association of College Directors of Athletics (NACDA) and USA Today, is designed to recognize the top athletic departments among the over 280 schools that participate in NCAA Division II athletics.

Other CCAA schools in the Directors’ Cup standings include UC San Diego (tied for 18th, 140 points), Cal State San Bernardino (tied for 32nd, 98 points), Cal State L.A. and Sonoma State (tied for 71st, 50 points), Cal Poly Pomona (tied for 90th, 36 points), and San Francisco State (tied for 96th, 25 points). The final Division II fall standings will be released Dec. 23.

The Wildcats finished 12th in the final 2009-10 Directors’ Cup standings and have notched seven consecutive Top 25 rankings, including three straight Top 10 finishes in 2003-04 (fifth), 2004-05 (third), and 2005-06 (eighth).