Claremont, Calif. (June 9, 2015) — The 2014-15 Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup ranked the Sagehens No. 49 out of 332 NCAA Division III institutions, giving the program its best finish since 1996-97. Sponsored by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics, the Directors’ Cup honors institutions with broad-based programs that field successful men’s and women’s teams.
The Sagehens jumped in the standings from No. 63 last year and No. 117 in 2012-13. The Pomona-Pitzer athletic department broke into the nation’s top 50 Division III sports programs only once before, in 1996-97 when it ranked 33rd. The Directors’ Cup calculates its standings based on how teams perform in their national tournaments.
The Sagehens had a great year from start to finish, with five teams and numerous individual players qualifying for the NCAA Championships. This spring, three teams advanced to Round 16 in the NCAA Division III Tournaments. Some of the 2014-15 highlights include:
- Men’s Soccer won the SCIAC Postseason Tournament to advance to the NCAA Division III Championship for the first time since 1980.
- Men’s Cross Country earned a team qualification to the nationals for the third year in a row by earning a second-place finish in the NCAA West Regionals and ended in 17th place, its highest finish since 1982.
- Men’s and Women’s Swimming and Diving teams both finished second in the SCIAC and had national qualifiers.
- Women’s Lacrosse reached Round 16 with its first-ever NCAA Tournament win, defeating SCIAC rival Occidental at home after winning its first-ever SCIAC title by four games.
- Men’s and Women’s Tennis both moved on to the NCAA Regional Finals in May after earning top 10 rankings during the regular season, with the men reaching as high as No. 3 and the women as high as No. 7. Multiple players qualified for the NCAA D3 Championships, including Pitzer’s Grace Hruska ’18 in doubles.
- Women’s Water Polo, which is not calculated in the Directors’ Cup standings due to the small number of participating teams, tied for the SCIAC title with a 10-1 league record, the fourth year in a row that it has earned at least a share of the conference crown.
For more about the Sagehens and the Pomona-Pitzer athletic department, please visit: https://www.pe.pomona.edu/information/2015DirectorsCup