Mizzou Athletics has reached a competitive milestone, as it ranks a program-best 20th in the most recent standings for the 2016-17 Learfield Directors’ Cup, released today. Mizzou’s first-ever top-20 showing in the standings, which began in the 1993-94 season, was keyed by recent top-15 national team finishes in three winter sports – including a 5th-place finish by Wrestling, 8th-place by Women’s Indoor Track & Field and 13th-place by Women’s Swimming & Diving.
Mizzou has now seen six teams score points in this year’s standings overall, including five top-20 team finishes nationally. Joining the most recent three instances were Volleyball (9th place) and Women’s Cross Country (16th) from the fall.
Mizzou currently ranks third among SEC schools in the Learfield Cup standings, trailing only Kentucky (9th place) and Texas A&M (15th).
The Learfield 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 finish in NCAA Championships. The Directors’ Cup Committee is reviewing the scoring structure for 2016-17 which will be finalized prior to the winter sports standings.
Mizzou finished 43rd in the 2015-16 Learfield Cup, scoring points in 10 of the 20 allotted sports, including seven top-25 finishes. It’s average finish over the last five years has been 46th place, finishing 49th in 2011-12, 53rd in 2012-13, 46th in 2013-14 and 42nd in 2014-15 prior to last year. Mizzou’s all-time best finish was a 36th-place showing in the 2008-09 competition year.
