July 2, 2007

PROVIDENCE, R.I. - Providence College finished 75th among 327 Division I colleges and universities in the final 2006-07 U.S. Sports Academy Directors' Cup standings, with a total of 263.5 points. It marks the fourth-consecutive year that Providence has finished in the top-100, and its highest finish since 2004 when it placed 73rd. PC has finished in the top-100 10 times in the 14-year history of the Cup. Stanford captured its 13th-straight Cup, scoring 1429.00 points. The Directors' Cup is presented annually by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA), United States Sports Academy and USA Today to the best overall collegiate athletics programs in the country.

The Friars' men's cross country team (63 points), women's cross country team (69 points), men's outdoor track team (8.5 points) and women's outdoor track team (31 points) each earned points for Providence in the Director's Cup Standings throughout the 2006-07 sports seasons. Men's soccer and men's lacrosse also captured points by virtue of their NCAA Tournament participation with 25 points each.

Providence finished sixth in the standings among BIG EAST Conference members. Notre Dame led the league in the standings at No. 22 with 789.50 points. Louisville (28th), Rutgers (54th), West Virginia (57th) and Pittsburgh (71st) rounded out the list of the top-five BIG EAST institutions. The Friars also ranked fifth among the 96 Division 1-AAA schools in the standings. UC Irvine was ranked first among 1-AAA institutions with 367 points.

The 2006-07 U.S. Sports Academy Directors' Cup winners were announced at NACDA's 42nd Annual Convention in Orlando, Florida, and the four winning institutions -- one in each of the NCAA divisions (I, II, and III), and the NAIA - were awarded with their U.S. Sports Academy Directors' Cups. The U.S. Sports Academy Directors' Cup was developed as a joint effort between the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) and USA Today. The United States Sports Academy, based in Daphne, Alabama, is the program's sponsor. Points are awarded based on each institution's finish in up to 20 sports - 10 women's and 10 men's.