Athletic Program Ranked Among Nation's Best

12/20/2012 

The SUNY Cortland men’s and women’s intercollegiate athletic program ranks 13th out of approximately 440 NCAA Division III schools after the fall season in the 2012-13 Learfield Sports Directors' Cup standings. The competition, which continues through the winter and spring seasons, is organized by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) to annually recognize the top collegiate athletic programs for overall excellence.

Cortland scored 218 points in the fall season. Calvin College (Mich.) leads the standings with 308.5 points. Cortland is the top-ranked New York school. The standings are compiled based on schools’ national finishes in different sports. Teams earn points by qualifying for the NCAA postseason and additional points for advancing in the playoffs. The national champion in each sport receives 100 points.

Cortland scored points in four of the seven NCAA Division III championships conducted during the fall. The Red Dragons' women's soccer and football teams each tied for ninth place nationally after advancing to the "round of 16." The women's volleyball team tied for 17th place and the men's cross country squad finished 23rd.

Cortland is one of only five schools nationwide, and the only New York institution, to place in the top 20 every year since the standings were first compiled on the Division III level during the 1995-96 school year. The Red Dragons have earned nine top-10 finishes, including a tie for second place in 1997-98 and a third-place finish in 2006-07.