June 19, 2001
TUCSON, Ariz.- Paced by a national championship in softball and second-place finish in men's basketball, The University of Arizona finished fifth in the annual Sears Directors' Cup standings, released on Tuesday. The Wildcats, who field 19 Division I teams, finished with a total of 863 points, one-and-a-half points behind fourth place finisher Michigan. The fifth-place finish is the second top five placement for Arizona in the award's eight year history. UA has never finished lower than ninth.
Stanford was the top school of the 260 listed in the final standings, winning its seventh straight Sears Directors' Cup with 1349.5 points. UCLA and Georgia rounded out the top five with second- and third-place finishes, respectively.
Developed as a joint effort between USA TODAY and the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics, the Sears Directors' Cup program is the only all-sports competition that recognizes the institution in each of the four categories (Division I, II, III and NAIA) 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.
2001 Sears Cup Final Standings Top 10
Rank School Points
1. Stanford 1349.5
2. UCLA 1138
3. Georgia 890.5
4. Michigan 864.5
5. Arizona 863
6. Ohio State 861
7. Florida 847
8. USC 816.5
9. ASU 801
10. Penn State 774.5
Point Break Down For UA
Sport Rank Points
Cross Country (W) 19th 33
Cross Country (M) 12th 50
Volleyball (W) t-5th 60
Basketball (M) 2nd 90
Gymnastics (W) 13th 53
Swimming and Diving (W) 5th 73
Swimming and Diving (M) 6th 71
Indoor Track and Field (M) 13th 71
Golf (W) 8th 76
Golf (M) 3rd 83
Softball (W) 1st 100
Tennis (M) 33rd 20
Outdoor Track and Field (W) 3rd 83
Total 9.5* 863
* Total Rank is the average of all 13 sports that scored points
Arizona's Sears Cup Final Standings Year-by-Year
1993-94 - 6th
1994-95 - 4th
1995-96 - 7th
1996-97 - 6th
1997-98 - 6th
1998-99 - t-9th
1999-00 - 8th
2000-01 - 5th
