As a result of record-breaking finishes and milestone win achievements this year, Biola Athletics receives recognition in the form of a first place ranking in the annual Learfield Director’s Cup.
athletic achievement
The Learfield Director’s Cup is an award that was established in 1993 by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics in connection with USA Today, and it honors schools from the NCAA and NAIA for their athletic achievement. In the NAIA, the rankings are determined by points gained in 12 sports teams, six men’s sports and six women’s. The rankings are organized by sports season, with the rankings being updated for the fall, winter and spring sports seasons.
The rankings
For the fall season, Biola ended with 313 points, giving them a first place ranking and 59.5 points ahead of the second place school, Southern Oregon University. This ranking was an accumulation of the points for the five fall sports Biola participated in, men’s and women’s cross country, men’s and women’s soccer and women’s volleyball. Women’s cross country contributed the most fall points, with 85 from their third place finish nationally. The women’s volleyball team came in second, with 73 points from their fifth place finish. Men’s and women’s soccer each earned Biola 53 points, thanks to a ninth place finish for both. Men’s cross country provided 49 points of their own from a national finish in 25th.
The most recent rankings were released on March 24, and Biola had four teams provide points — men’s basketball, men’s and women’s swimming, and women’s track and field. The men’s basketball team, thanks to their ninth place finish, contributed 53 points. Men’s and women’s swimming tallied a combined 134 points, due to their 12th and fourth place finishes, respectively. Women’s track and field completed the scoring thus far, adding 60 points for their 10th place finish. Adding all that up, the fall season for Biola increased their score by 247 points, to a new total of 560 points. The gap between first place and second has grown smaller, as Olivet Nazarene University athletics earned 376 fall points of their own to boost their total to 538.
realizing competitive success
“It’s significant that we are demonstrating to the NCAA Division II that we are realizing competitive success in our current national affiliation while balancing community engagement projects with our student-athletes and supporting strong academic achievement,” said Bethany Miller, director of athletics at Biola.
Biola has never won or led the Director’s Cup, or even been within the top five. As the athletic program works on making the switch from NAIA to NCAA within the next two years, winning the Director’s Cup proves Biola belongs in the NCAA.
It also helps that the winner gets a sparkly crystal trophy, which will be presented to the winner on June 14, when the final scores are totaled.
