CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Currently in 19th place, Trinity University leads four SCAC institutions ranked in the prestigious 2016-2017 Division III Learfield Sports Directors' Cup winter standings.
Trinity has amassed 376.50 points in the standings on the strength of its four NCAA appearances this season. The Tigers placed ninth in women's basketball, 19th in women's swimming and diving, 31st in men's indoor track and field and 50th in men's swimming and diving.
Colorado College remained with 114.50 points from the fall season and is second among the league in 107th place. Southwestern University comes in below CC at 133rd place with 83 points.
Texas Lutheran University was the only other SCAC school to earn points this winter, collecting 76 points from postseason appearances in men's basketball and men's indoor track and field. The Bulldogs finished 33rd in men's basketball and finished 20th in men's indoor off of the strength of Marquis Brown's performance, where he won the league's 34th individual national championship.
Washington-St. Louis continues to lead all of Division III at the completion of the winter championships season with 837 points, and has a 131.75-point lead over second-place Williams (705.25). Tufts is behind the Ephs with 699 points, followed by Johns Hopkins (592.50) and Middlebury College (584.00).
The Learfield Sports 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 18 sports -- nine women’s and nine men's.
To date, all 10 winter NCAA championships have been completed with the following institutions capturing titles: women's basketball - Amherst; men's basketball - Babson; women's ice hockey - Plattsburgh State; men's ice hockey - Norwich; skiing - Utah; women's swimming and diving - Emory; men's swimming and diving - Emory; men's indoor track and field - Wisconsin - La Crosse; women's indoor track and field - Washington (St. Louis); men's wrestling - Wartburg.
