At Midyear in New England, Owls Perch at the Top
KEENE, N.H. 1/6/05 - Keene State College is ranked 39th in the U.S. Sports Academy Directors’ Cup standings in Division III following the conclusion of the fall athletic season. It is the highest rank by a public institution in New England and puts KSC in the top 10% of all Division III programs in the country.
Keene State, which accumulated 103 points, sent three of its fall teams to NCAA championships. The Owl men’s soccer team, which received an at-large bid, advanced to the finals of the New England region; the KSC field hockey team lost a first-round game; and the men’s cross country squad placed 23rd.
“The credit goes to our student-athletes and coaches,” said KSC Athletic Director John Ratliff. “We’re very lucky to have hard-working, talented athletes and a dedicated staff.”
Keene State has ranked as the top public New England Division III institution in the standings six of the past eight years.
For the first time since December 2000, a college other than Williams College sits atop the U.S. Sports Academy Directors’ Cup standings in Division III at the close of the fall season. That honor goes to the College of New Jersey, which has tallied 339 points.
Leading with a runner-up finish in women’s soccer, the Lions also placed fifth in men’s soccer, ninth in women’s cross country and field hockey, and 10th in men’s cross country. Holding onto second place is Messiah (Pa.) College, with 290 points, based on championships in women and men’s soccer and the runner-up finish in women’s field hockey. They are followed by Calvin (Mich.), in third with 283 points; Tufts (Mass.), fourth with 252 points; and Trinity (Tex.), in fifth with 221 points.
The final fall standings include the sports of women and men’s cross country, field hockey, football, women and men’s soccer, and women’s volleyball. In addition to Messiah, national championship winners were Geneseo State (N.Y.) in women’s cross country, Wisconsin-La Crosse in men’s cross country, Salisbury (Md.) in field hockey, Mount Union (Ohio) in football, and Wisconsin-Whitewater in women’s volleyball.
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 sponsor. Points are awarded based on each institution’s finish in up to 18 sports (nine women’s and nine men’s).
