The NAIA Learfield Directors Cup is a culminating competition including over 300 schools. The winner of this yearly cup does so by gaining the most points out of fourteen different athletic events—seven each for men and women. This year, Biola placed twelfth in the competition with 585.05 points.
This is a great finish for Biola, earning more points in the cup than any year before. By the end of the winter season, Biola had moved into third place in overall standings. In the spring, Biola made 63.75 points, putting them in twelfth place overall. Thanks to this impressive effort, Biola has finished in the top-20 five times, and twice in a row.
Other GSAC teams were also ranked well: with 679 points, California Baptist University came in seventh; Point Loma came in sixteenth with 551 points; and Vanguard University came in eighteenth with 502.5 points. This is very impressive–– showing local Christian universities as competitive opponents in athletics. For the sixth straight year, Azusa Pacific went home with the Crystal Trophy awarded to first place team; however, Simon Fraser (B.C.) was a close second with only three points between the two universities. This was the closest finish in the history of the Learfield Directors Cup.
Learfield leads the way in college sports. They have existed as an institution for thirty-five years. Their services largely include broadcasting college sports on television and radio. More recently, they created the Learfield Directors Cup, along with the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) and USA Today. Biola has to thank the three teams who placed fifth at their national championships—men’s soccer, men’s basketball and women’s indoor track and field. This was especially exciting for the men’s soccer team, who reached the quarterfinals after being absent from the Tournament since 1987. Furthermore, five of Biola’s six participating sports teams earned good points in the winter. This included women’s basketball, who made their second consecutive trip to national’s, and swimming, where the men finished ninth, and the women placed seventh. All of these teams did an excellent job. Best of all, however, was the women’s cross-country team who finished second overall in the NAIA National Championships. This is the best a Biola team has done in over ten years. Each of these teams is looking forward to an exciting season, racking up points as they go.
