Athens, Ga. – The University of Georgia’s athletic program registered a 14th place finish in the 2014-15 Division I Learfield Sports Director’s Cup competition.
Originated in 1994 by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics, the annual competition measures the success of athletic programs based on national finishes in each varsity sport. The Bulldogs improved two spots from a year ago.
The women’s swimming and diving team’s national runner-up finish in the NCAA Championships plus the women’s tennis team and men’s golf team advancing to the NCAA semifinals aided Georgia’s 14th place finish. Also, women’s track and field placed fifth in the NCAAs. Additionally, the Bulldogs produced high national finishes in men’s tennis, track and field, swimming and diving, football, women’s gymnastics, softball, and men’s and women’s indoor track and field plus earned points from women’s soccer and men’s basketball.
“Our finish in the Learfield Director’s Cup illustrates our commitment to a highly competitive, comprehensive athletic program,” said UGA J. Reid Parker Director of Athletics Greg McGarity. “We take great pride in fostering a culture of competitiveness on a national level in every sport, and our students and coaches are to be congratulated for these results.”
The Bulldogs had the second best finish among Southeastern Conference (SEC) schools. Florida ranked fourth while other SEC teams in the top 20 included LSU (15), Arkansas (16) and Texas A&M (17).
Stanford captured the cup this year with UCLA and USC rounding out the top three. The Bulldogs have had nine top 10 finishes including No. 2 in 1999. In related national rankings involving the institution, Georgia checks in at No. 20 among the nation’s top public universities in America in U.S. News & World Report’s Best Colleges 2015 edition.
The original release is available at www.georgiadogs.com/genrel/062615aab.html.
