FHSU SPORTS INFORMATION DEPARTMENT
CLEVELAND – Fort Hays State University has enjoyed a tremendous year so far from its fall sports and all of the sudden finds itself fifth nationally in the Learfield Directors’ Cup standings for NCAA Division II. The second release of the standings were presented on Thursday (Dec. 8).
Fort Hays State currently has 193 points generated in the standings, all coming from women’s cross country, women’s soccer, and men’s soccer. With an 18th place finish at the NCAA Championships, women’s cross country generated 56 points in the standings. By reaching the Central Regional Championship match, the women’s soccer team finished ninth nationally and generated 64 points. By winning its third consecutive NCAA Central Regional title, the men’s soccer team reached the national quarterfinals to finish fifth and generate 73 points.
Even though the football and volleyball teams did not reach the NCAA Tournament, they had great seasons as well. The football team finished at 8-4 overall and won the Heart of Texas Bowl, while the volleyball team posted its strongest season since 2004 by finishing 25-9 overall and placing fourth in the MIAA (its highest finish since joining the conference in 2006). This fall will go down as one of the best overall in Tiger Athletics history.
Grand Valley State has a strong lead in the standings with 290 points. The Lakers won the national title in women’s cross country and earned national runner-up finishes in men’s cross country and women’s soccer. Colorado School of Mines is second at 221 points, Shippensburg (Pa.) is third with 208.5, and LIU-Post (N.Y.) is fourth with 204.
Fort Hays State has a strong lead on all MIAA schools. Lindenwood ranks 32nd nationally with 97 points, while Central Missouri is 43rd nationally with 73 points.
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.