June 13, 2008

The Wayne State University Department of Athletics placed 23rd in the nation (out of 295 schools), the best finish in school history, in the final 2007-08 National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) Directors' Cup Standings. The Warriors earned a school-record total of 449.50 points as 10 of the 17 sports participated in their respective NCAA Championships.

"I look at this final number in the context of our other two objectives -- academic success and community service," said WSU Director of Athletics Rob Fournier. "This past term we continued our academic emphasis with a cumulative department GPA of 2.98 and eleven (11) teams above a 3.00, and 4,000 community service hours. As impressive as our highest national ranking ever would attest, the combination of these other successes underscores the dedication and hard work of a fine group of student-athletes and coaches. We are not where we want to be but we are a long way from where we used to be."

WSU accumulated 157 points from four spring teams -- baseball (tied-for-9th) earned 64 points, softball (tied-for-17th) garnered 50 points, men's tennis (tied-for-33rd) earned 25 points, while men's golf (tied-for-51st) gained 18 points.

From its four winter sports that qualified for the NCAA Championships, Wayne State received 208.5 points [73.5 points in women's swimming and diving based on the squad's sixth place finish at the NCAA Championship; the men's swimming and diving squad placed sixth at the NCAA Championship garnering 72 points; and the fencing teams (men's and women's combined) earned 63 points after finishing ninth at the NCAA Championship].

Wayne State recorded 84 points from the two cross country teams qualifying for the NCAA Championship. The women's squad placed 14th earning 48 points, while the men's team was 19th to garner 36 points.

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. Points are awarded based on each institution's finish in up to 14 sports -- seven women's and seven men's.

WSU's best national finish prior to this year came as the Warriors placed 24th in the nation in the final 2006-07 NACDA Directors' Cup Standings.

The Warriors seven best finishes ever in the NACDA Directors' Cup standings, which measures the overall performance of athletic programs around the country, have occurred in the last seven years. WSU has jumped 100 places in the standings in the last seven seasons.