Ashland Ranks No. 1 and Grand Valley No. 2 in the Winter D-II Learfield Sports Directors' Cup Standings

Ashland Ranks No. 1 and Grand Valley No. 2 in the Winter D-II Learfield Sports Directors' Cup Standings

CLEVELAND - After the completion of seven winter NCAA Championships, The Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conferencere (GLIAC) has two teams ranked in the Top 10 of the Winter D-II Learfield Sports Directors' Cup Standings.

Click here for the complete Division II Learfield Sports Directors' Cup Standings release

After the completion of seven winter NCAA Championships, Ashland (OH) remains in the lead with 589.00 total points after finishing first in women’s basketball, second in men’s track and field, fifth in women’s track and field, 12th in women’s swimming and diving, 15th in wrestling and 22nd overall in men’s swimming and diving.

Grand Valley State (MI) is in second overall with 558.50 total points after scoring fourth in both the men’s and women’s track and field, 11th in men’s swimming and diving and 14th in women’s swimming and diving.

Grand Canyon (AZ) increased its total to 556.50 total points and remains third overall in the standings. The Lopes finished third in the women’s track and field championships, fourth in the men’s swimming and diving, ninth in wrestling, 10th in men’s track and field, 11th in women’s swimming and diving, 17th in women’s basketball and 33rd in men’s basketball.

Minnesota State Mankato jumps to fourth with 498.00 total points. The Mavericks finished fifth in men’s track and field, eighth in wrestling, ninth in men’s basketball, 17th in women’s basketball and 45th in women’s track and field.

Rounding out the top five is Adams State (CO) with 465.50 points after a third place finish in men’s track and field, a sixth place showing in women’s track and field, 7th place stop in wrestling and 33rd in men’s basketball.

The Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference and the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference each has two institutions in the top 10; Adams State (CO) (5th) and Colorado School of Mines (6th); Ashland (1st) and Grand Valley State (2nd).

Six of the winter NCAA championships have been completed with the following institutions capturing titles: wrestling – Nebraska Kearney; women’s swimming – Drury (MO); men’s swimming – Drury (MO); women’s indoor track and field – Academy of Art (CA); men’s indoor track and field – Saint Augustine’s (NC); women’s basketball – Ashland (OH); men’s basketball – Drury (MO).

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 14 sports -- seven women’s and seven men’s.

The first Division II spring standings will be released Thursday, May 23.

Please note, standings published midseason are unofficial. Official standings will be published upon the completion of the fall season. Complete standings and the scoring structure can be found on NACDA’s website at www.directorscup.org. In addition, please visit www.thedirectorscup.com, like us on Facebook at facebook.com/lsdirectorscup or follow us on Twitter @lsdirectorscup.

About Learfield Sports: A preeminent leader in the collegiate sports marketplace for 40 years, the company has titled the acclaimed Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup for five consecutive years. Learfield Sports manages the multimedia rights for more than 50 collegiate institutions, conferences and associations, and is deeply integrated in collegiate ticket sales. The company’s multimedia rights encompass numerous content distribution platforms to deliver the passion of college athletics across radio, television and digital networks to fans globally. Today, Learfield Sports’ exclusive sports programming reaches more than 50 million television households nationally and delivers nearly 17,000 hours of radio programming on more than 1,000 radio stations. To learn more its history and collegiate portfolio, visit www.learfieldsports.com.