By WJBC Staff
BLOOMINGTON – Illinois Wesleyan University finished No. 18 of 323 ranked schools in the final set of rankings of the 2015-16 Division III Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup standings, as announced by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics.
Points are awarded based on each institution’s finish in up to 18 sports (nine women’s and nine men’s) in Division III national championships and Illinois Wesleyan finished with a total of 602.50 points with 343 total points coming in the final set of spring standings. IWU got 100 points from the women’s outdoor track team’s national championship, 73 points out of the seventh place softball finish, 66 points from the 11th place men’s golf national finish, 57 from the women’s golf 11th place finish and 47 points from the 24th place finish by the men’s outdoor track team.
Williams won the Directors’ Cup Standings with 1098.25 points, scoring in nine women’s and seven men’s sports. The Ephs had national women’s titles in cross country and soccer and had a runner-up finish in men’s cross country. With 1013 points, Washington-St. Louis finished second overall for the third time in Cup history with its highest finish being a second in women’s soccer. The Bears scored in 15 of 18 sports. Emory scored 969 points to finish third overall. The Eagles had national championships in women’s swimming and women’s tennis. Tufts was fourth with 882.25 total points, scoring in 15 total sports with its highest finish coming in second in women’s basketball. Rounding out the top five is Middlebury with 860.50 points, scoring in 15 sports, including national titles in field hockey and women’s lacrosse.
Illinois Wesleyan scored in 10 total sports in 2015-16 and had 145.50 points in the winter season. IWU got 90 points from the women’s indoor track team’s second place finish, 50.5 points from the 23rd place finish by women’s swimming anf five points from the men’s track team’s 66th place finish. In the fall, IWU amassed 114 points with 64 coming from the ninth place finish by the women’s soccer team and 50 coming from the volleyball team’s 17th place finish.
Illinois Wesleyan was the highest scoring school among College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin members. Wheaton was 30th with 491 points and North Central was 46th with 374.25. Other CCIW schools with their ranking and points were Augustana (62nd, 308), Carthage (67th, 290), Elmhurst (t-136th, 144), Millikin (271st, 36.50) and North Park (321st, 17).
The Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup was developed as a joint effort between NACDA and USA Today. Complete standings and the scoring structure can be found on NACDA’s website at www.directorscup.org.
Illinois Wesleyan’s highest finish in the Learfield Cup Standings was fifth in 2010.