UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State Athletics is off to another strong start in the Learfield Sports Directors' Cup, earning the No. 4 spot in the first rankings for 2014-15.
Six Penn State fall teams competed in their respective NCAA Championships to earn Directors’ Cup points and the football team won the New Era Pinstripe Bowl.
The Nittany Lions are seeking their eighth consecutive Top 10 finish for the fall sports season and 18th overall Top 10 fall finish in the 22 years of the Directors’ Cup. Penn State won the 2014 NCAA Women's Volleyball Championship and earned the Big Ten women’s soccer title last fall.
Penn State has 338 Directors’ Cup points. Stanford leads with 500 points and is followed by UCLA (430), North Carolina (405.50), Penn State and Virginia (303). Washington, Syracuse, Michigan State, Colorado and Florida State round out the Top 10.
The Learfield Sports Directors' Cup final fall standings will be announced later this month.
Coach Russ Rose’s women’s volleyball team captured its second consecutive NCAA Championship and sixth in the past eight years. The Nittany Lions defeated BYU in the title match, becoming the first school to win seven NCAA Women’s Volleyball Championships (all since 1999). Senior Micha Hancock was selected the American Volleyball Coaches Association National Player of the Year, the fourth Nittany Lion so honored.
The Penn State women’s soccer team won its 16th Big Ten championship and third outright title in the last four years. Coach Erica Walsh’s squad advanced to the Elite 8 in the NCAA Championship, falling at No. 1 seed Texas A&M.
The men’s soccer team made its 32nd NCAA Championship appearance. Coach Bob Warming’s squad fell to No. 9 seed Syracuse in the second round.
Coach Char Morett’s field hockey squad made its 30th NCAA Championship appearance. The Nittany Lions advanced to the NCAA Championship quarterfinals, falling to No. 4 Syracuse.
In his first year as head coach, John Gondak saw senior Matt Fischer and freshman Jillian Hunsberger qualify for the the NCAA Cross-Country Championships. Fischer was named the 2014 Mid-Atlantic Region Men’s Athlete of the Year after winning the 10,000-meter Mid-Atlantic men’s race.
Penn State finished No. 5 in the final 2013-14 Learfield Sports Directors' Cup standings, its fifth Top 5 finish.
Penn State has won 26 NCAA Championships since 1993-94, its first full year in the Big Ten Conference, more than double every other Big Ten institution. The Nittany Lions have won 74 team national championships all-time, including three in 2013-14, and 90 Big Ten crowns since 1992-93.
Penn State is one of only nine programs nationwide to have finished in the final Top 25 in every Directors' Cup standings, joined by Florida, Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio State, Southern California, Stanford, Texas and UCLA.
The Learfield Sports Directors' Cup standings were 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.