JUNE 18, 2002

Truman Finishes Fourth in Sears Directors Cup Standings

The Truman athletics department collected a fourth-place finish, the University's best ever, in the 2001-02 Sears Directors' Cup final standings announced today at the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) conference in Dallas.

It marks the fourth consecutive top-10 finish for the Bulldogs, who placed ninth in each of the last two academic years. Previously, the University's best finish was a tie for eighth in 1998-99.

"Finishing fourth this year in the Sears Directors' Cup caps off what has been the best year in Truman athletics history," said Director of Athletics Jerry Wollmering. "It shows that we have an outstanding, broad-based athletics program that is strong across the board, and it illustrates the quality of our coaches and student-athletes."

Truman scored in 10 sports, six women's and four men's, and ended with a total of 541.5 points to finish six points ahead of fifth-place Western State University (Colo.) and 30 points behind third-place the University of California-San Diego. The University of California-Davis won the Division II award for the third straight year, followed by Grand Valley State University (Mich.).

The Bulldogs were ranked in the top five all year in the race for the prestigious Waterford Crystal Sears Directors' Cup, which awards points based on each institution's national finish in up to 14 sports -- seven for men and seven for women. Each national champion receives 100 points.

After the fall season, the 'Dogs were in fifth place with 185 points, which were tallied in men's cross country (75 points), women's volleyball (60) and women's soccer (50).

Truman used a stellar winter campaign to vault into third place, thanks to the 100 points garnered by the women's swimming team that won its second straight national championship. The 'Dogs also tallied 59 points in men's swimming and 39 in wrestling.

In the spring, the Bulldogs cemented their fourth-place finish by putting up points in women's tennis (20), softball (20), men's track & field (59.5) and women's track & field (59). In Divisions II, III and the NAIA, points for track & field are awarded for the season (indoor or outdoor) in which the highest finish is gained.

Developed as a joint effort between USA Today and NACDA, the Sears Directors' Cup program is the only all-sports competition that recognizes the institution in each of the four categories with the best overall athletics program. The Sears Directors' Cup is part of the Sears Collegiate Champions program which annually awards more than 2,200 conference and sport champion trophies and a quarter-of-a-million dollars in academic scholarships. The program began in 1993-94 for Division I and expanded in 1995-96 to include NCAA Divisions II, III and NAIA.

2001-02 winners in the other divisions included Stanford in Division I, Williams (Mass) in Division III and Oklahoma City University in NAIA.

2001-02 Division II Sears Directors' Cup Top 10
1. California-Davis             743
2. Grand Valley St. (Mich.)     687
3. California-San Diego         571.5
4. Truman                       541.5
5. Western State (Colo.)        535.5
6. Cal. State-Bakersfield       530.5
7. North Dakota                 527
8. Northern Colorado            507.5
9. South Dakota State           465.5
10. Indiana (Pa.)               457