NEWPORT NEWS, VA – With the winter season in the rearview mirror, the Berea College Mountaineers extended their advantage in the USCAA’s 2015-16 Director’s Cup race. The Mountaineers, after earning bids in the men’s and women’s USCAA Basketball National Championships, have now tallied 486 points through the year’s first two sport seasons. Berea College earned National Championships in men’s and women’s cross country in the fall, along with top ten finishes in volleyball and golf to solidify their position at the top of the standings.
In second place is Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. Previously slotted in fifth after the fall, ACPHS earned a runner up finish in women’s basketball during the USCAA Basketball National Championship to propel themselves toward the top of the standings. That finish marked the institution’s second runner-up finish on the season, joining women’s soccer. The ACPHS women’s cross country program also recorded a fourth place finish at the 2015 Cross Country National Championships to buoy the school’s point total.
Rochester College is the biggest mover in the top five, rising all the way to third in the standings on the strength of excellent seasons in men’s and women’s basketball. The Rochester College Warriors earned a tied for third place finish in both sports, and now have 421 points on the season. Rochester finished third at the 2015 Volleyball National Championships and fifth at the 2015 USCAA Golf National Championships in the fall.
The fourth place institution is University of Maine-Fort Kent, with National Championships in men’s and women’s soccer to their credit this year. The Bengals women’s basketball team made it to the semifinals of the women’s basketball National Championship. Trailing UMFK in fifth place overall is SUNY ESF. The Mighty Oaks from SUNY ESF has a strong fall season that included strong finishes in women’s cross country, men’s cross country, and women’s soccer.
Director’s Cup points are awarded for number of sport offerings, attendance at the USCAA National Convention, and results from USCAA National Championship events. The final standings from 2015-16 will be publicized following the announcement of the Director’s Cup winner during the 2016 USCAA National Convention in Richmond, Virginia on June 6th.
Winter 2016 USCAA National Champions
Men’s Division I Basketball – Oakwood University
Women’s Basketball – Concordia College Alabama
Men’s Division II Basketball – Berkeley College-NY
Women’s Division II Basketball – College of St. Joseph’s-Vermont
Winter 2016 USCAA Invitational Winners
Wrestling – Penn State DuBois