June 12, 2001

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah - The Sears Directors' Cups, presented annually by Sears, Roebuck and Co. and the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA), were awarded today to the nation's top collegiate athletics programs in NCAA Divisions I, II and III and the NAIA. The awards were presented at the NACDA Convention in Salt Lake City, Utah.

This year's winners are Stanford University (Div. I), University of California-Davis (Div. II), Williams College [Mass.] (Div. III) and Simon Fraser University [B.C.] (NAIA). It is the second consecutive year those four institutions won the Sears Directors' Cups, and all four have claimed the award at least four times in the eight-year history of the program.

Each year, the Sears Directors' Cup program, presented in partnership by Sears, NACDA and USA TODAY, awards Waterfordâ Crystal trophies to the top athletics programs in NCAA Divisions I, II and III and the NAIA, and presents a total of $100,000 in postgraduate academic scholarships to students in all four collegiate categories.

Developed as a joint effort between USA TODAY and NACDA, the Sears Directors' Cup program is the only national awards and academic scholarship program to recognize all NCAA and NAIA championship sports for both women's and men's athletics.

Division I

The Division I race will be concluded on June 16, after the NCAA College World Series. However, Stanford University has already clinched the Sears Directors' Cup. Stanford Athletics Director Ted Leland accepted an unprecedented seventh consecutive Sears Directors' Cup.

The Cardinal clinched the Sears Directors' Cup with a total of 1259.5 points (to date), surpassing runner-up UCLA by 121.5 points. Stanford won its seventh straight Sears Directors' Cup on the strength of a national championship in women's tennis, a total of 12 teams finishing among the top five in national competition, and 14 teams placing in the top 10. The Cardinal baseball team will add to those totals with its performance in the 2001 NCAA College World Series.

Stanford teams placing in the top 10 were women's swimming and diving (2nd), men's swimming and diving (2nd), women's water polo (2nd), women's cross country (3rd), softball (3rd), men's cross country (4th), fencing (4th), men's outdoor track and field (4th), men's tennis (5th), men's basketball (5th), men's soccer (5th), women's gymnastics (7th) and women's golf (9th). The Cardinal recorded points in the maximum of 10 women's and 10 men's sports.

Division II

UC-Davis has finished either first or second in each of the six years of Division II Sears Directors' Cup competition, winning the award in 1996, 1997, 2000 and 2001. UC-Davis accumulated 703 points, 164 points ahead of the runner-up, the University of North Dakota. Athletics director Greg Warzecka accepted the award for the Aggies.

Although UC-Davis did not win any national championships during the 2000-01 season, the Aggies sealed the Sears Directors' Cup win with nine top 10 finishes in women's cross country (3rd), football (3rd), men's outdoor track and field (3rd), men's swimming and diving (4th), women's outdoor track and field (5th), men's cross country (5th), women's tennis (5th), men's golf (8th), and softball (9th). The women's swimming and diving (14th) and men's tennis (17th) teams also scored points for the Aggies. UC-Davis scored in five women's and six men's sports.

Division III

Williams College won its fifth Sears Directors' Cup in the last six years by posting 897.5 points, 169 points ahead of runner-up Middlebury College (Vt.). Williams College Athletics Director Harry Sheehy accepted the award.

The Ephs' won national championships in women's and men's tennis and posted seven additional top 10 finishes: women's cross country (2nd), women's swimming and diving (3rd), women's indoor track and field (3rd), men's soccer (5th), men's cross country (5th), field hockey (5th) and men's outdoor track and field (7th). Also adding points for Williams were the men's swimming and diving (12th), skiing (12th), baseball (17th) and men's golf (17th) teams. The Ephs scored in six women's and seven men's sports.

NAIA

Simon Fraser University (SFU) won its fifth straight Sears Directors' Cup by posting 820 points, 115 points ahead of runner-up Oklahoma City University. Wilf Weldmann, SFU Athletics Director, picked up the award this afternoon.

Three national championships sparked SFU's triumph, including women's soccer and men's and women's swimming and diving. Other top 10 finishes were achieved in softball (2nd), men's indoor track and field (4th), women's outdoor track and field (6th), women's cross country (7th) and men's wrestling (10th). The men's cross country (12th), men's golf (12th), men's soccer (17th) and women's volleyball (31st) teams rounded out the scoring finishes for SFU.

$100,000 in Academic Scholarships Awarded

Each year, Sears and NACDA award $100,000 in postgraduate academic scholarships. Five $5,000 scholarships in each division assist students who support their institutions' athletics departments, including team managers, athletics trainers, band members, cheerleaders, assistant coaches, sports information assistants, facility staff and academic support personnel. For each division, four outstanding recipients are selected by a nationwide nomination process, administered by NACDA, while the fifth recipient is a student at the institution that wins the Sears Directors' Cup.

Runner-Up Finishers

Sears and NACDA also will present each of the second through fifth place institutions in all four categories with Sears Directors' Cup plaques, rewarding their athletics programs' dedication to success. This year's runner-up institutions include: UCLA, University of Michigan, University of Arizona and Ohio State University in Division I; University of North Dakota, California State University-Bakersfield, University of California-San Diego and Western State College of Colorado in Division II; Middlebury College (Vt.), The College of New Jersey, Emory University (Ga.) and Ithaca College (N.Y.) in Division III; and Oklahoma City University, Azusa Pacific University (Calif.), Lindenwood University (Mo.) and Cumberland University (Ky.) in the NAIA. (Note: Division I runners-up may change upon conclusion of the NCAA College World Series.)

The Sears Directors' Cup and the accompanying scholarships are part of the Sears Collegiate Champions program-a comprehensive trophy and academic scholarship program honoring men's and women's sports equally in all four-year collegiate divisions. Sears annually presents more than 2,200 conference and sport champion trophies and a quarter-of-a-million dollars in academic scholarships.

Of the 1,312 eligible colleges and universities, a total of 982 (75 percent) scored points in the four Sears Directors' Cup competitions. Complete final rankings on all of these institutions are available on NACDA's Web site at www.nacda.com.

NACDA, now in its 36th year, serves as the professional and educational association for more than 6,100 collegiate athletics directors, associates, assistants and conference administrators at more than 1,600 institutions throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Sears, Roebuck and Co. is a leading U.S. retailer of apparel, home and automotive products and services, with annual revenue of nearly $40 billion. The company serves families throughout the country through approximately 860 department stores, more than 2,100 specialized retail locations, and a variety of online offerings accessible through the company's Web site, www.sears.com.