April 11, 1997

MSU Moves up to 15th in Sears Director's Cup Standings

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Michigan State moved up 51 places in the latest Sears Director's Cup standings to 15th place after the winter season. MSU, which had been tied for 66th after the fall season in the ranking system which evaluates schools based on their overall athletic performance, was ranked No. 8 in the nation in the winter.

Michigan State's hockey, women's track and field, women's basketball and wrestling teams all were in the top 25 in the nation this winter. In addition to recording the nation's eighth-best performance this winter, MSU was third among Big Ten schools in the winter rankings and stands sixth in the Big Ten for the 1996-97 year.

The Sears Director's Cup honors the institution with the best all-around athletics program in each of the NCAA's three divisions and the NAIA. Points are awarded based on each institution's finish in 22 sports -- nine core sports each for men and women and two wild card sports each for men and women.

The Sears Director's Cup Top 15 After the Winter Season:

 1. Stanford        646.5
 2. North Carolina  631.5
 3. Nebraska        547.0
 4. Texas           460.0
 5. Colorado        443.5
 6. Notre Dame      432.0
 7. Florida         424.5
 8. Minnesota       421.5
 9. Wisconsin       400.5
10. Penn State      396.5
11. Michigan        369.0
12. Arizona         359.5
13. Ohio State      349.0
14. Kentucky        332.5
15. MICHIGAN STATE  330.5

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