MSU's finish this year, breaks its previous best set in 2012-13.
MSU Earns Highest Learfield Directors' Cup Finish Ever, 44th
July 01, 2016 | Athletics
CLEVELAND – Behind a banner campaign that saw seven teams finish among the Top 25 of their respective sports, Mississippi State Athletics earned its highest Learfield Directors' Cup finish ever by taking 44th for the 2015-16 athletic year.
The 44th-place finish eclipses the Bulldogs' previous best of 49th in 2012-13 and is the second Top 50 finish in school history. The Bulldogs have scored in the Top 55 for a school-record four straight years.
"To see so many of our Bulldog teams succeed at such a high level nationally in incredibly rewarding to everyone in the MSU Athletic Department," said Scott Stricklin, the 2015-16 NACDA Athletics Director of the Year. "Having seen teams in the Top 25, in addition to a football program that won nine games and earned its sixth-straight bowl appearance, is evidence of the great things that are happening at Mississippi State."
Of MSU's 16 sports, nine earned points towards the program's final Directors' Cup tally of 496. Men's track and field led the way with 69 points for its ninth-place finish at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. Baseball received 64 points as it clinched its first Southeastern Conference regular season championship since 1989 and reached the NCAA Super Regionals. Women's basketball collected 64 points after it earned a berth in the Sweet 16 for the second time in program history.
Men's tennis, featuring a young roster of no seniors, reached the NCAA Round of 16 for the 12th time in program history and earned 64 points in the process. Women's track and field's 13th-place showing at the NCAA Outdoor Championships – the program's highest finish ever – resulted in 64 points. Women's tennis tied its highest NCAA finish ever, reaching the NCAA Second Round and setting a school record with seven SEC victories.
Women's cross country produced its greatest season, reaching the NCAA Championships for the first time and earning SEC runner-up honors to claim 57 points. Football secured 45 points as it reached its school-record sixth consecutive bowl game and won nine games.
In total, eight sports reached NCAA postseason play with four of those setting or tying a school record NCAA Championship finish. Five sports secured Top 16 finishes, a first in MSU history. This year's mark is also the highest finish ever by a Division I school in the state of Mississippi.
The annual Learfield Sports Director's Cup measures the overall strength of an institution's athletic program. Points are awarded based on each institution's finish in up to 20 sports – 10 women's and 10 men's. The award has been issued every year since 1994.
The 44th-place finish eclipses the Bulldogs' previous best of 49th in 2012-13 and is the second Top 50 finish in school history. The Bulldogs have scored in the Top 55 for a school-record four straight years.
"To see so many of our Bulldog teams succeed at such a high level nationally in incredibly rewarding to everyone in the MSU Athletic Department," said Scott Stricklin, the 2015-16 NACDA Athletics Director of the Year. "Having seen teams in the Top 25, in addition to a football program that won nine games and earned its sixth-straight bowl appearance, is evidence of the great things that are happening at Mississippi State."
Of MSU's 16 sports, nine earned points towards the program's final Directors' Cup tally of 496. Men's track and field led the way with 69 points for its ninth-place finish at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. Baseball received 64 points as it clinched its first Southeastern Conference regular season championship since 1989 and reached the NCAA Super Regionals. Women's basketball collected 64 points after it earned a berth in the Sweet 16 for the second time in program history.
Men's tennis, featuring a young roster of no seniors, reached the NCAA Round of 16 for the 12th time in program history and earned 64 points in the process. Women's track and field's 13th-place showing at the NCAA Outdoor Championships – the program's highest finish ever – resulted in 64 points. Women's tennis tied its highest NCAA finish ever, reaching the NCAA Second Round and setting a school record with seven SEC victories.
Women's cross country produced its greatest season, reaching the NCAA Championships for the first time and earning SEC runner-up honors to claim 57 points. Football secured 45 points as it reached its school-record sixth consecutive bowl game and won nine games.
In total, eight sports reached NCAA postseason play with four of those setting or tying a school record NCAA Championship finish. Five sports secured Top 16 finishes, a first in MSU history. This year's mark is also the highest finish ever by a Division I school in the state of Mississippi.
The annual Learfield Sports Director's Cup measures the overall strength of an institution's athletic program. Points are awarded based on each institution's finish in up to 20 sports – 10 women's and 10 men's. The award has been issued every year since 1994.
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