FERRIS STATE ATHLETICS LISTED 22ND IN THE NATION

Bulldogs Nearing Top 20 Division II Programs In Latest NACDA Standings

Ferris State University is listed 22nd nationally in the 2006-07 U.S. Sports Academy Directors' Cup standings which were released May 24.

The Bulldogs, a member of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC), have currently accumulated 357.50 total points for the 2006-07 athletics season in the first spring U.S. Sports Academy Directors' Cup standings for Division II.

The FSU athletics program, under the direction of athletics director Tom Kirinovic, is 11-plus points ahead of 23rd-place Ashland (346.00) and trails Tampa (Fla.) by less than two points (359.00). A total of 210 NCAA-II schools are listed in the U.S. Sports Academy Directors' Cup Standings.

The GLIAC is also represented by Grand Valley State (1st-844.00 pts.), Wayne State (13th-402.00 pts.), and Ashland (23rd-346.00 pts.). California-San Diego (665.50 pts.) ranks second while North Dakota (575.00 pts.) is third. Nebraska-Omaha (518.75 pts.) and Drury, Mo. (506.00 pts.) round out the top five.

Five of the 11 spring NCAA national championships were completed as of May 24, 2007. The men's golf team along with men's and women's outdoor track and field teams at FSU will be included in the final standings. The other spring sports to be included are baseball, men's lacrosse, women's rowing, men's volleyball, and women's water polo.

Ferris State compiled 210 points in four spring sports -- women's golf (third-85 pts.), softball (17th-50 pts.), women's tennis (33rd-25 pts.), and men's tennis (17th-50 pts.).

The final set of U.S. Sports Academy Directors' Cup standings will be released on Saturday, June 9, in conjunction with the U.S. Sports Academy Directors' Cup Awards Luncheon sponsored by Collegiate Financial Services, Inc., at the NACDA Convention in Orlando, Fla.

The U.S. Sports Academy Directors' Cup was developed as a joint effort between the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) and USA Today. The United States Sports Academy, based in Daphne, Ala., is the program sponsor. Points are awarded based on each institution's finish in up to 14 sports -- seven women's and seven men's.

Complete standings and the scoring structure can be found on NACDA's Web site at www.nacda.com.

The highest-placing ever for Ferris State was in the 2004-05 season when the Bulldogs finished in 21st place with 387.5 total points.