Arkansas 11th in Directors Cup standings

FAYETTEVILLE - The University of Arkansas is ranked 11th in the nation in the initial 2012-13 Learfield Sports Directors Cup standings released Thursday by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of America (NACDA). The Directors Cup is a competition that tracks the nation's most successful intercollegiate athletic programs for their athletic performances throughout the year.

The Razorbacks have already earned 123.5 points this year and currently rank first among Southeastern Conference schools.  The first standings of the year include points accrued in men's and women's cross country and women's field hockey.

The Razorback men's cross country team won its fifth-consecutive SEC cross country and track title before earning a top-10 finish at the NCAA meet. Arkansas earned 67.5 points for its 10th place finish at the NCAA Championship. The Razorback women's cross country team advanced to the national meet by winning the South Central Regional before finishing 18th at the NCAA Championship. Arkansas earned 56 points for its national finish.

In 2011-12, Arkansas finished 20th in the Directors Cup, earning its first top 20-finish in more than a decade and for the first time since the current scoring format was adopted in 2000. Arkansas finished second in the nation among programs with 19 or fewer sports and sixth among programs with 20 or fewer sports. The Directors Cup awards points for up to 20 varsity sports.

Arkansas has finished in the top 25 four times in the past five years, the best stretch in school history. In addition to last year's 20th-place finish, the Razorbacks finished 24th in 2010-11, 25th in 2008-09 and 24th in 2007-08.

The Directors' Cup program has been tracking the success of the nation's top intercollegiate athletics programs since 1993-94.