June 27, 2007

Greenville, S.C. - The Furman University athletics program ranked tied for 135th in the final 2006-07 U.S. Sports Academy Directors' Cup standings, it was recently announced.

The Directors' Cup, which is presented annually by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA), United States Sports Academy and USA Today, is given to the best overall collegiate athletics programs in the country. Stanford captured the award for the 13th consecutive year, followed by UCLA, North Carolina and Michigan.

Furman tallied the second-most points of any Southern Conference school, trailing only Appalachian State who finished 130th. The Paladin football, women's golf, women's tennis and softball teams all advanced to NCAA Tournament competition in 2006-07, the most teams of any SoCon school.

The U.S. Sports Academy Directors' Cup was developed as a joint effort between the NACDA and USA Today. Points are awarded based on each institution's finish in up to 20 sports -- 10 women's and 10 men's.