At the end of each academic year, the United States Sports Academy awards the Directors’ Cup in conjunction with the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics and USA Today to the best overall collegiate athletic program in the country. This distinction is based on standings determined by the finishes of a school’s top 10 men’s sports and top 10 women’s sports.
- Eston Bond
- Alternate captain Brandon Rogers holds up the Mason Cup after Michigan won the CCHA Super SIx championship game (RYAN WEINER/Daily).
- Eston Bond
- Members of the Michigan softball team celebrate after the Wolverines won their first national championship. ( MIKE HULSEBUS/Daily)
After sitting in second place for most of the year, Michigan finished fourth in the final standings, riding its softball team’s national championship and top-10 national finishes in 11 sports. Wolverine teams also compiled eight conference championships throughout the year.
The fourth-place finish was the Wolverines’ third-best performance in the 12 years that the Directors’ Cup has been in existence. Michigan was the runner-up in last year’s standings and finished third in 1999-2000.
The winner of this year’s Directors’ Cup was Stanford, clinching its 11th straight victory with 1238.75 points, including a championship in women’s tennis and a second-place finish in women’s water polo.
The other two schools ahead of Michigan were Texas, which clinched second place with its victory in the College World Series, with 1074 points and UCLA, champions of men’s tennis and women’s water polo, with 1067 points. Michigan finished with a score of 1064.25. Duke came in fifth with 1021.25 points.