June 18, 1997

Stanford, California-Davis and Williams repeat as Sears Directors' Cup Champions, Simon Fraser - Lone Candadian Institution - Wins NAIA Race

Cleveland, Ohio -- Stanford University, shattered the 1,000-point mark for the first time in the four-year history of the competition, collecting its third consecutive Sears Directors' Cup, presented annually by the nation's athletic directors. The University of California-Davis and Williams College (Mass.) also repeated as champions for NCAA Division II and III respectively. A new winner this year, Simon Fraser University (B.C. Canada) captured the award for best overall athletic program in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA).

The four Sears Directors' Cups were presented today to directors of athletics Ted Leland of Stanford, Greg Warzecka of California-Davis, Michael Dinning of Simon Fraser; and assistant athletic director Gary Guerin of Williams at a ceremony during the 32nd annual Convention of the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA).

In Division I, the Stanford Cardinal won its third trophy with a total of 1084.5 points, outdistancing the inaugural winner (1993-94), North Carolina, with 804.0 points. The Cardinal won an NCAA record six national championships, in women's and men's cross country, women's and men's tennis and women's and men's volleyball, and added eight more top 10 finishes, second in women's and men's swimming; third in women's basketball and fencing; fourth in women's golf and baseball; sixth in men's gymnastics; and ninth in men's basketball. Following the Tar Heels were UCLA, third, 802.0 points; Nebraska, fourth, 780.5 points; and Florida, fifth, 763.0 points.

The University of California-Davis repeated as the Division II champion with 706.0 points. The Aggies, who improved on last year's score of 610.0 points, led from wire-to-wire. Cal-Davis was in 17th after last year's fall season and fourth after the winter. This year, the Aggies recorded 10 top 10 finishes, including third in women's basketball, football, softball and water polo; fifth in women's tennis and men's swimming; sixth in women's outdoor track & field; and ninth in women's cross country, women's soccer and men's tennis. The Aggies scored in seven women's and six men's sports. Rounding out the top five were Abilene Christian (Texas), taking second with 460.0 points; California State-Bakersfield, third, 435.5 points; Central Oklahoma, fourth, 397.0 points; and Indianapolis, fifth with 390.5 points.

In Division III, Williams College won with 838.0 points. The Ephs had 11 top 10 finishes, including second in women's swimming, third in men's basketball and men's tennis; fifth in women's tennis, women's cross country, field hockey, men's cross country, men's soccer and men's swimming; eighth in men's outdoor track & field; and ninth in women's soccer. The Ephs recorded points in seven women's and eight men's sports. Higher placements allowed Williams to improve on last year's scoring mark, from 782.0 to 838.0 points. The Ephs were followed by the College of New Jersey with 755.5 points; California-San Diego, third with 677.0 points; Emory (Ga.), fourth with 653.0 points; and Wisconsin-Oshkosh, fifth with 616.5 points.

Simon Fraser University (SFU), the only Canadian institution competing, claimed the top spot for the NAIA with 588.5 points. Simon Fraser, who last year was edged by Pacific Lutheran University (Wash.) by a mere 42.0 points, also lead from start to finish. SFU won three national championships, in women's swimming, women's cross country and women's soccer, and added five more top 10 finishes, second in women's track & field and men's swimming; fifth in women's basketball, men's soccer and men's wrestling; and tenth in men's cross country. SFU scored in six women's sports and four men's sports. Pacific Lutheran placed second with 496.5 points; followed by Azusa Pacific (Cal.) in third with 486.5 points; Mobile (Ala.), fourth with 446.0 points; and Willamette (Ore.), fifth with 437.5 points.

The Sears Directors' Cup program, which awards Waterford Crystal trophies valued at $35,000 each, is presented in partnership by NACDA and Sears, Roebuck and Co., and is the only national awards and scholarship program to recognize all NCAA and NAIA championship sports for both women's and men's athletics.

"Sears, together with NACDA, salutes the achievements of the four National Champions of Champions winning the Sears Directors' Cup," said John H. Costello, senior executive vice president of marketing for Sears. "We also recognize participation by awarding $100,000 in academic scholarships to deserving students who work on the athletic support staff. The Sears Directors' Cup program is the only national awards and scholarship program to recognize gender, school and sport equity."

Sears and NACDA award five $5,000 postgraduate scholarships in each division as a part of the Sears Directors' Cup program to assist students who work within the athletic department in a support role, including student managers, student trainers, band members, cheerleaders and other assistants. Four outstanding recipients are selected by a nationwide nomination process, administered by NACDA, while the fifth recipient is a student at the institution which wins the Sears Directors' Cup.

The 16 at-large $5,000 postgraduate scholarship winners for the 1996-97 Sears Directors' Cup program are:

"These scholarship winners, like the four winners of the Sears Directors' Cups, represent the best of the best," said R. Elaine Dreidame, senior associate director of athletics at the University of Dayton and chair of the Sears Directors' Cup Committee. "These students are representative of the type of students who dedicate long hours to both academics and athletic departments around the nation. Scholarships are an important component of the Sears Directors' Cup program. NACDA proudly recognizes these individuals for their efforts that contribute to the success of their athletic departments."

Of the 1,357 eligible colleges and universities, a total of 919 (68%) scored points in the four Sears Directors' Cup competitions. Complete final rankings on all of these institutions are available on NACDA's Home Page (http://www.nacda.com). These standings are also available via NACDA's Fax-on-Demand service at 770/399-3066, passcode 62232 (request number 7061 for NCAA Division I, 7063 for Division II, 7065 for Division III and 7067 for NAIA).

NACDA is the professional and educational association for collegiate athletic directors with more than 5,100 individuals and 1,500 institutions as members throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico. NACDA members include athletic directors, associate and assistant athletic directors, conference commissioners and affiliate individuals or corporations. The NACDA Foundation, through the Sears Directors' Cup and its other scholarship programs, has awarded more than $7.0 million in postgraduate scholarships since 1982. Sears, Roebuck and Co. is a leading retailer of apparel, home and automotive products and related services for families through its network of 822 full-line department stores and 2,500 off-the-mall stores.

Go to Standings