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Vanderbilt Doubles Best NCAA All-Sports Finish 7/6/2004
Vanderbilt Doubles Best NCAA All-Sports Finish Vanderbilt completed the sports year in 28th-place nationally among 278 institutions scoring points in the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) Director’s Cup, the official all-sports measurement of success in NCAA post-season play. The placing, which ranks Vanderbilt in the top tenth percentile athletically, is twice as high as last year’s 54th-place finish — which previously was the school’s top placing. The Commodores were seventh among the 12 Southeastern Conference schools, three points shy of <?xml:namespace prefix=”st1″?>Arkansas.<?xml:namespace prefix=”o”?> The Black and Gold’s overall showing is even more impressive when one considers that Vanderbilt does not even field teams in sports such as volleyball, swimming, softball and gymnastics where some SEC institutions register major point totals. Points are earned as individual teams qualify and advance in each varsity sport’s post-season NCAA Tournament. Vanderbilt amassed 585 points for the year on the basis of nine teams reaching post-season competition. Vanderbilt had no fall teams earn points but Sweet 16 finishes by the men’s and women’s basketball squads and success in women’s track and field during the winter set the stage for an impressive spring run. Vanderbilt scored significantly with women’s lacrosse (NCAA Final Four), men’s tennis (Elite Eight), women’s tennis (Final Four), women’s golf (5th/NCAA), baseball (Super Regional — 16th) and men’s golf (qualified for NCAA Finals) this spring. Stanford won the Directors’ Cup for a record 10th consecutive year with 1,337 points, beating Michigan and UCLA. Georgia was the SEC’s top finisher in fifth place with Florida sixth, LSU 11th, Tennessee 14th, Auburn 23rd and Arkansas 27th, three points ahead of the Commodores. Rounding out the SEC were South Carolina (34th), Alabama (41st), Kentucky (45th), Ole Miss (64th) and Mississippi State (67th). For complete results, check out nacda.collegesports.com and click the Directors’ Cup icon. Here is a summary charting Vanderbilt’s recent climb in the Directors’ Cup, previously known as the Sears Cup. Year VU Place Points 1999-00 #137 106 points 2000-01 #68 237.5 points 2001-02 #64 226 points 2002-03 #54 351.75 points 2003-04 #28 585 points
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