#NerdNation claims 20th straight Directors' Cup
STANFORD, Calif. – Stanford claimed its unprecedented 20th consecutive Division I Learfield Sports Directors' Cup award in 2013-14 as the top intercollegiate athletic department in the nation in an announcement made June 27.
Stanford finished with 1,482 points with Florida (1,216,5), Notre Dame (1,128.25), Virginia (1,118.5) and Penn State (1,113) rounding out the top five.
Stanford had nine scores omitted due to the maximum 10 allowed scores for men's and women's sports.
Stanford had already claimed the honor on June 10 during the annual National Association of Collegiate Directors of America conference in Orlando, Fla. but standings only became final following the 2014 College World Series.
In a nod to the unique success attained by its students in athletics and academics, Stanford elected to have a student-athlete accept the 20th award on behalf of the University.
Lexie Ross, a senior human biology major and member of Stanford's NCAA national champion women's water polo team, accepted the Cup and spoke at the awards luncheon.
Ross is the first student-athlete to represent her school during the awards lunch.
LISTEN: Lexie Ross Accepts Stanford's Directors' Cup
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.
Stanford had nine scores omitted due to the 10 maximum allowed for women's and men's sports – men's cross country (19th), fencing (9th), women's golf (18th), women's lacrosse (17th), men's tennis (33rd), men's outdoor track and field (32nd), women's soccer (9th) and wrestling (40th).
All told, Stanford failed to score potential points in just one countable sport.
Stanford extended its streak of seasons with at least one NCAA title to an astounding 38 straight in 2013-14 thanks to women's water polo, which posted a 25-1 record including wins in its final 16 matches of the year.
Stanford boasted top-10 national finishes in 19 sports this season (baseball – 9, men's basketball – 9, women's basketball – 3, fencing – 9, football – 10, men's golf – 3, men's gymnastics – 3, women's gymnastics – 7, women's rowing – 4, men's soccer – 9, women's soccer – 9, men's swimming & diving – 9, women's swimming & diving – 2, women's tennis – 3, women's indoor track & field – 7, men's volleyball – 2, women's volleyball – 5, men's water polo – 3, women's water polo – 1).
Stanford has 124 all-time team national championships including 105 in NCAA sports. The Cardinal boasts 504 individual national champions all-time. Additionally, 152 Stanford student-athletes have earned NCAA postgraduate scholarships and 12 Rhodes Scholarships.
Stanford has eclipsed the 1,500-point mark twice in the Directors' Cup standings, scoring 1,550.25 points during the 2010-11 season and 1,508.5 points in 2009-10..
Directors' Cup Rewind:
Read in-depth about each of the previous 19 Directors' Cups.
Directors' Cup No. 1: 1994-95
Directors' Cup No. 2: 1995-96
Directors' Cup No. 3: 1996-97
Directors' Cup No. 4: 1997-98
Directors' Cup No. 5: 1998-99
Directors' Cup No. 6: 1999-2000
Directors' Cup No. 7: 2000-01
Directors' Cup No. 8: 2001-02
Directors' Cup No. 9: 2002-03
Directors' Cup No. 10: 2003-04
Directors' Cup No. 11: 2004-05
Directors' Cup No. 12: 2005-06
Directors' Cup No. 13: 2006-07
Directors' Cup No. 14: 2007-08
Directors' Cup No. 15: 2008-09
Directors' Cup No. 16: 2009-10
Directors' Cup No. 17: 2010-11
Directors' Cup No. 18: 2011-12
Directors' Cup No. 19: 2012-13
About Learfield Sports:
A preeminent leader in the collegiate sports marketplace for 40 years, the company has titled the acclaimed Learfield Sports Directors' Cup for five consecutive years. Learfield Sports manages the multimedia rights for more than 50 collegiate institutions, conferences and associations, and is deeply integrated in collegiate ticket sales. The company's multimedia rights encompass numerous content distribution platforms to deliver the passion of college athletics across radio, television and digital networks to fans globally. Today, Learfield Sports' exclusive sports programming reaches more than 50 million television households nationally and delivers nearly 17,000 hours of radio programming on more than 1,000 radio stations. To learn more its history and collegiate portfolio, visit www.learfieldsports.com.
