BYU NewsNet - BYU Ranked in 2008 Director's Cup

While BYU athletics is commonly known for its strong tradition in football and men's basketball, the rest of the teams proved their worth as well, with a No. 41 ranking in the 2008 Division I Sports Academy Directors' Cup final standings, with 513.25 points. The Cougars were also the highest ranked in the Mountain West Conference and of all non-BCS schools.

The Pac-10 ruled the cup, with three of the top five winners. Stanford came in first, followed by UCLA in a distant second. Michigan, Arizona State and Texas rounded out the top five.

After BYU in MWC rankings, New Mexico came in at No. 74, followed by Utah at No. 82 and San Diego State at No. 84.

"[The Director's Cup] is a great way for us to gauge where we are with our athletic department as a whole," said Duff Tittle, spokesman for BYU Athletics. "So much emphasis is always put on football and basketball, but this gives us an opportunity to see where we are. And we're always looking to see where we measure up on a national perspective."

In many years, BYU has been ranked alongside national powerhouses such as Oklahoma, Virginia Tech and Nebraska. The Cougars are accustomed to being the top ranked school in the MWC and have even picked up a few Top 25 rankings since the Cup's 1993 birth.

"This year was uncharacteristic, with a strong fall and a weaker winter sports season," Tittle said. "Most years, we'll have a mediocre fall season but will finish strong with a good winter sports season."

In the fall, BYU ranked No. 16 nationally, following strong performances by the football, soccer, women's volleyball and cross country teams. BYU finished at No. 14 in football, women's soccer clinched the MWC Tournament title and women's volleyball pounced into the Elite Eight at the NCAA Championships.

During the winter sports season, despite a top-25 men's basketball ranking, No. 24 ranking for women's gymnastics and MWC honors for swimming and diving, the Cougars dropped to No. 32 in the standings. However, they kept a solid pace through the spring with an NCAA Regional qualifying softball team, a No. 27 nationally ranked women's golf team and an 11th straight men's track and field MWC title.

The Director's Cup is compiled and presented every year by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics, the United States Sports Academy and the newspaper, USA Today. Rankings are available based on the four divisions in NCAA athletics: Divisions I, II, III and NAIA.