CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- Seven America East schools ranked in the Learfield Sports Directors' Cup final standings released this week at the NACDA Convention in Dallas, Texas, including two in the top-100, to cap off one of the most memorable years in recent history.
Stony Brook University finished in 68th place as the highest-ranking America East school as well as fifth among schools from Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) and Division I-AAA conferences. The Seawolves only trailed Princeton, Harvard and Cornell of the Ivy League and Pepperdine of the West Coast Conference.
Stony Brook completed the 2011-12 year with 276 points, scoring 149 in the spring season and 73 points for the baseball team's run to the College World Series. The Seawolves also received points this spring in men's lacrosse, women's tennis and women's track and field.
Boston University ranked 83rd overall and second among America East schools, scoring points in softball and men's track & field during the spring season.
University of New Hampshire (102nd), University of Vermont (132nd), Binghamton University (147th), University at Albany (154th) and University of Maine (163rd) rounded out the conference's representatives in the standings.
Stanford took home its 18th straight Directors' Cup title.
America East schools celebrated two national championships in 2011-12 with Stony Brook runner Lucy Van Dalen claiming the gold in the indoor one mile and the Catamounts' ski team earning the NCAA crown.
The Learfield Sports 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 up to 20 sports -- 10 women's
and 10 men's.
America East men's sports also ranked 17th with 22 points in the 2011-12 Conference Vs. Conference Athletics' Success Survey, which is based on NCAA and final football top 25 ratings. The survey includes 22 sports in which most Division l conferences compete.
These conference compilations are patterned after the Knoxville (Tenn.) Journal's initial National All-Sports
competition among Division I schools in 1974-75,
followed by USA TODAY rankings and the NACDA Directors Trophy (all divisions) recognition
for individual schools in national competition, and came into being in 1986 as the
brainchild of Southwest Conference Commissioner Fred Jacoby, late commissioner also
of the Wisconsin States, Mid-American, Lone Star, and American Southwest
Conferences.