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Cal posts fifth straight top-10 Directors' Cup finish

By Intercollegiate Athletics

California extended its streak of top-10 finishes in the Directors’ Cup to five in a row with a ninth-place showing in the final standings released Thursday. The Golden Bears, along with Stanford and Florida, are the only three schools in the country to finish among the top 10 of the rankings of best overall collegiate athletic programs each of the last five years.

During the 2009-10 seasons, Cal’s programs recorded a pair of NCAA runner-up finishes in men’s swimming and women’s rowing. The Bears were also in the top five in women’s swimming (3rd), men’s gymnastics (5th) and women’s volleyball (5th). In all, 17 programs contributed to Cal’s total of 1,013.50 points. Cal’s top-10 run began in 2006 when the Bears placed seventh. The Bears were then ninth in 2007 and seventh in both 2008 and ’09. Cal first achieved top-10 status in 2003 and 2004, taking ninth both years.

For 2009-10, the Bears are third among Pac-10 institutions behind No. 1 Stanford and No. 4 UCLA. Other conference schools in the top 30 are USC (13th), Oregon (14th), Arizona State (22nd), Washington (24th) and Arizona (30th).

The 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 up to 20 sports – 10 women’s and 10 men’s. Because they are not NCAA-sponsored sports, Cal’s national championship in rugby and runner-up team finish in men’s crew are not counted.

For a complete look at the 2009-10 Directors’ Cup standings, visit nacda.com.

Below is a year-by-year look at Cal’s finishes in the Directors’ Cup:

2009-10       9th
2008-09       7th
2007-08       7th
2006-07       9th
2005-06       7th
2004-05       15th
2003-04       9th
2002-03       9th
2001-02       20th
2000-01       12th
1999-00       15th
1998-99       23rd
1997-98       19th
1996-97       26th
1995-96       30th
1994-95       13th
1993-94       17th

Cal scored Directors' Cup points in the following sports in 2009-10:

Baseball                      49th (25 points)
Men’s Basketball              17th (50 points)
Football                      44th (25 points)
Men’s Golf                    23rd (51 points)
Women’s Golf                  31st (42 points)
Men’s Gymnastics              5th (73 points)
Women’s Rowing                2nd (90 points)
Women’s Soccer                17th (50 points)
Softball                      9th (64 points)
Men’s Swimming & Diving       2nd (90 points)
Women’s Swimming & Diving     3rd (85 points)
Men’s Tennis                  17th (50 points)
Women’s Tennis                9th (64 points)
Men’s Indoor Track & Field    17th (56.5 points)
Men’s Outdoor Track & Field   21st (52.5 points)
Volleyball                    5th (73 points)
Women’s Water Polo            3rd (72.5 points)

Final Directors’ Cup Standings

1. Stanford           1508.50
2. Florida            1310.25
3. Virginia           1253.25
4. UCLA               1124.00
5. Florida State      1087.50
6. Texas A&M          1070.75
7. North Carolina     1029.30
8. Ohio State         1015.50
9. California         1013.50
10. Duke               982.75