Cleveland, Ohio -- May 31, 2012 -- Springfield College Athletics is currently in 11th place nationally in the recently released overall standings of the 2011-2012 Division III Learfield Sports Directors' Cup first spring standings. The Pride has improved by eight positions from the final winter cup standings, and by 12 positions since the fall. A total of 453 colleges are included in the Division III rankings nationally.These rankings now include all the fall and winter sports, plus five spring sports. Those five spring sports include men's golf, women's golf, women's lacrosse, softball, and men's volleyball. Springfield added 25 points by placing in a tie for 17th place in the NCAA Division III Championship in women's lacrosse, and added a perfect 100 points by finishing first in the NCAA Division III Championship in men's volleyball.
The final spring and overall Learfield Sports Directors' Cup standings will be revealed later in June, and will include such sports as baseball, men's lacrosse, men's tennis, women's tennis, men's outdoor track and field, and women's outdoor track and field. Springfield College currently has 471.25 points and will add more points in at least three more sports.
Five schools from New England are ranked in the Top 10. They include Middlebury, which moved into first place with 811 points, and Amherst with 757.75, now in the second spot. In fourth is Williams with 603, MIT in fifth with 542.75, and Tufts in ninth with 511.
Others in the top 10 include final winter cup standings leader Washington University of Missouri in third with 744.50, St. Thomas of Minnesota in sixth with 541.25, Wisconsin-Whitewater in seventh with 532.50, Illinois Wesleyan in eighth with 532.25, and Cortland State (N.Y.) in 10th with 477.50.
Other schools in New England ranked in the Top 75 include Bowdoin (31st with 333.50 points), Norwich (53rd with 223.00), Bates (67th with 203.25), Eastern Connecticut (68th with 203.00), and Keene State (70th with 198.50).
SC accumulated 148 points in the fall, and 198.25 in the winter. It has added 125 more points thus far in the spring.
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 18 sports -- nine women's and nine men's.
