June 14, 2004

GREENVILLE, South Carolina -

The 2003-04 Furman athletic teams recorded 103.25 points to finish 142nd in the United States Sports Academy Director's Cup, ahead of all Southern Conference schools except Chattanooga, and better than the University of Dayton, Delaware, William and Mary, and Ohio University, among others.

Developed as a joint effort between USA Today and NACDA (National Association of Directors of Athletics), the Directors' Cup is the only all-sports competition that recognizes institutions for their overall athletics programs. In Division I, 327 colleges and universities are eligible for the Directors' Cup, which puts Furman ahead of 185 Division I institutions, and better than 131 schools that managed to score points in the competition.

During the spring competition season three Furman teams scored points toward the Directors' Cup standings. The Lady Paladin golf team contributed 57.8 points, men's golf added 20.5 points, and women's tennis came through with 25 points. The University of Tennessee-Chattanooga finished six spots ahead of Furman, with 119 points, while state schools Clemson and South Carolina placed 41st and 44th, respectively.