CLEVELAND — Comprehensive success by Utah’s winter sports teams has catapulted the Utes to their highest ranking in 25 years in the LEARFIELD Directors’ Cup final winter standings, coming in at 23rd in the rankings announced today. The Utes’ 505.5 total points rank fourth among Pac-12 peers behind only No. 2 Stanford (908.0), No. 18 UCLA (551.25.) and No. 23 USC (506.50).
The last time Utah ranked higher at this juncture of the competition was a 20th-place position in the 1997-98 final winter standings.
Points are awarded based on each institution’s finish in NCAA Championships. Utah Skiing led the way, contributing 100 points by virtue of its fourth consecutive NCAA team championship, achieved in March. The Utes’ third-place finish last week at the NCAA Gymnastics Championships final provided 85 points, adding onto the 64 points provided by women’s basketball’s advancement to the Sweet Sixteen, and individual performances in women’s indoor track and field (52), men’s swimming and diving (47) and women’s swimming and diving (27). That added a total of 375 points to Utah’s full-year total, and propelled the Utes into 23rd place in the standings.
“The performances across the board from our teams this year have been incredible, and I want to credit the hard work and commitment of our student-athletes, coaches and staff,” said Mark Harlan, Director of Athletics. “This is the second year in a row we have reached the top 25 in the final winter standings, and we have multiple spring sports who are ranked and making a postseason push, so we look to continue this upward trajectory for the final standings. I also want to thank our great fans and supporters who play such a vital role in helping to create the environment for our programs to excel, and who celebrate their many accomplishments.”
The winter performance built upon the success of Utah’s fall sports, which contributed 130.5 points of the 505.5 total accumulated thus far. The Utes’ repeat Pac-12 champion football team contributed 66 points from its Rose Bowl appearance, while women’s cross-country added 64.5 points for its highest finish in school history in the NCAA Championship meet, placing 12th.
The Division I LEARFIELD Directors’ Cup standings will be updated in…
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