Learfield Sports Directors' Cup Standings

April 22, 2015

MADISON, Wis. -- Behind an NCAA runner-up finish by the men's basketball team, the Wisconsin Athletic Department ranks fourth in the final winter standings of the Learfield Sports Directors' Cup for 2014-15.

The fourth-place position ties for the fourth highest ranking after the winter season by the Badgers. Wisconsin was third after the winter seasons in 2000-01, 2005-06 and 2006-07 as well as fourth in 2004-05. UW's total of 748 ½ points is its second highest ever after the fall and winter seasons, trailing only the 753 ½ points scored in 2006-07.

It is the second-straight year the Badgers have ranked in the top five following the winter season. Last year, after placing fifth in the winter, UW finished 18th overall.

Seven of the Badgers' nine winter sports earned points. The men's basketball team's run to the NCAA championship game earned it 90 points. Women's hockey picked up 55 points for advancing to the NCAA Frozen Four. Wrestling earned 55 points for its 17th-place finish at the NCAA championships while women's track also earned 55 points for finishing 18th at the NCAA Indoor championships. Men's track picked up 54 ½ points by tying for 18th at the NCAA Indoor meet. Both swimming and diving teams also scored at the national championships with the women earning 63 points for finishing 13th and the men's team picking up 53 points by finishing 21st.

Stanford, which has won 20 Directors' Cup titles, leads after the winter with a total of 1101 ½ points. Penn State (859), North Carolina (823 ½), Wisconsin and UCLA (731 ¼) round out the top five.

The Learfield Sports Directors' Cup was developed as a joint effort between the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) and USA Today. Points are awarded based on each institution's national finish in up to 20 sports -- 10 women's and 10 men's.

Wisconsin in the Learfield Sports Directors' Cup