The Stanford Athletic Program officially claimed its 20th consecutive Division I Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup on Tuesday with an announcement made at the National Association of Collegiate Directors of America conference.
The 20th Directors’ Cup came much easier than last year’s 19th – even with the 2014 baseball and track & field national championships still to be determined, the Cardinal have an insurmountable lead. Stanford currently has 1,479 total points, ahead of Notre Dame (1,102.75) and Florida (1099.5).
The Cup is awarded annually to the country’s best collegiate athletic program, as evaluated based on national results in up to the school’s 10 best men’s and 10 best women’s sports. Eighteen Stanford teams finished in the top 10 nationally this year, including the women’s water polo squad, which won the national title. With that win, Stanford has captured a national championship for the past 38 straight years.
In what Stanford Athletics called “a nod to the unique success attained by its students in athletics and academic,” senior water polo player Lexie Ross accepted the award on the University’s behalf and spoke at the awards luncheon.
Only one other school has ever won the Directors’ Cup – after UNC claimed the inaugural award in the 1993-94 school year, Stanford has taken all 20 titles since. Final standings for 2013-14 will be released after the baseball season concludes next week.
Contact Jana Persky at jpersky ‘at’ stanford.edu