(Posted June 12, 2008)

HUNTINGDON, Pa. -- Juniata College capped what was perhaps its best all-around athletic year in school history by finishing third in the Landmark Conference's inaugural All-Sports Presidents Cup race, when final standings were announced on Thursday.

On the national stage, Juniata placed 91st out of approximately 420 active NCAA Division III members in the final 2007-08 National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) Directors' Cup standings â?" its second-highest finish in the Directors' Cup standings since its founding in 1995-96. The final 2007-08 Directors' Cup standings were released on Wednesday, in conjunction with NACDA's 2008 Convention taking place in Dallas, Texas.

Moravian College won the Landmark's All-Sports Presidents Cup with 6.86 points, narrowly edging The University of Scranton in second place with 6.85 points. Juniata tallied 6.13 points for third, followed by the Catholic University of America with 5.97 points.

Susquehanna University, Drew University, United States Merchant Marine Academy, and Goucher College rounded out the order of finish.

A total of 13 out of 17 Juniata teams competed in Landmark Conference championships in 2007-08, including six who earned their way into the post-season by virtue of their regular season results. Of the remaining four Eagle teams that compete in the Landmark Conference, two were battling for post-season berths on the final day of the regular season.

In the NACDA Directors' Cup standings, Juniata added 26.5 points to its total by virtue of Matt Booth's (Allentown, Pa./Allentown Central Catholic) third-place finish at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, giving Eagle athletics 204.50 points for the 2007-08 athletic year. Points are awarded based solely on participation and finish at NCAA championship events; Juniata earned points this season in women's volleyball, field hockey, women's basketball, and men's outdoor track and field.

The 91st place finish in the Directors' Cup standings marks Juniata's second among the top 100 athletic programs in all of Division III, and its highest since finishing 84th at the end of the 1997-98 athletic year.

"This has been an incredible year for Juniata College athletics, and our finish in the Landmark Presidents Cup and NACDA Directors' Cup standings confirms this," said Larry Bock, Juniata's athletics director. "Our student-athletes and coaches can be proud of their achievements that led to these results, and I want to thank all of the Juniata administrators, faculty, staff, alumni, and parents who helped us reach this level of athletic excellence."

Juniata posted the second-highest finish of any Landmark Conference school in the final Directors' Cup standings, trailing only Moravian College in 84th place with 243.50 points. Merchant Marine was ranked 189th with 84.00 points, while Catholic was 214th (70.00 points) and Scranton was 242nd (50.00 points).

The Directors' Cup is presented by NACDA, the United States Sports Academy, and USA Today to the best overall collegiate athletics programs in NCAA Divisions I, II, and III, as well as NAIA athletics.

Below are Juniata's recent finishes in the Division III NACDA Directors' Cup standings:

YEAR, FINISH, POINTS
2007-08, 91st, 204.50 pts
2006-07, 110th, 171.00 pts
2005-06, N/A*, 90.00 pts
2004-05, N/A*, 153.00 pts
2003-04, 120th, 124.00 pts
2002-03, 167th, 78.00 pts
2001-02, 107th, 135.50 pts
2000-01, 122nd, 109.00 pts
1999-2000, 154th, 70.00 pts
1998-99, 101st, 60.00 pts
1997-98, 84th, 80.00 pts
1996-97, 137th, 63.00 pts
1995-96, 147th, 58.50 pts

* - Exact placement unavailable; only rankings for top 100 programs were released.

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