Michigan State University Athletics
Michigan State Finishes 22nd In Sears Directors' Cup Rankings
6/23/2000 12:00:00 AM | General
June 23, 2000
EAST LANSING, Mich. - Michigan State University finished 22nd in the final set of sports standings released in the 1999-2000 Sears Directors' Cup all-sports competition. The Spartans accumulated 587 points to record their best finish ever since the inception of the Sears Directors' Cup in 1993-94.
The leading scorer for Michigan State was the men's basketball program which captured 100 points with its NCAA Championship. But the Spartans' overall finish was a result of many successful programs.
The Spartans got off to a strong start in the fall as the football program scored 65 points for the school based on their seventh-place ranking. The women's cross country team finished 14th at the NCAA Championships to score 44 points. The women's volleyball team added 30 points for a fall total of 139 points.
In addition to the men's basketball team, Michigan State received winter points from wrestling (70 points), women's gymnastics (34.5 pts.), men's gymnastics (42.5 pts.), men's ice hockey (20 pts.) and women's swimming and diving (38 pts.).
Michigan State finished off the season with several strong performances in the spring. The women's golf team scored 47 points, while the women's rowing squad finished eighth at the NCAA Championships to score 40 points. The women's track and field program scored 29 points and the men's track and field team added 27.
"It has been an unbelievable year for Michigan State Athletics," said MSU Athletics Director Dr. Clarence Underwood. "I applaud the work of our head coaches and especially our student-athletes. We have obtained this national ranking because it has been a team effort with sports from fall, winter and spring all contributing to our success. It certainly has been a year to remember and we look forward to more championships in the upcoming season."
Stanford won the Sears Directors' Cup for the sixth consecutive year with 1359.5 points. The Cardinal won NCAA titles in men's tennis and men's outdoor track and field and placed second in women's tennis, women's golf, water polo, baseball and men's indoor track and field. UCLA, Michigan, Penn State and North Carolina round out the top five. Three other Big Ten schools finished in the top 25, including Ohio State (14th), Wisconsin (17th) and Minnesota (19th)
The Sears Directors' Cup competition began in 1993-94 when the Spartans placed 60th. Since then, Michigan State has placed 76th in 1994-95, 40th in 1995-96, 31st in 1996-97, 54th in 1997-98 and 34th in 1998-99.
Final Standings (Top 25) 1. Stanford 1359.2 pts. 2. UCLA 1153.5 3. Michigan 965 4. Penn State 909.5 5. N. Carolina 908.5 6. Nebraska 906 7. Florida 842 8. Arizona 837.5 9. Texas 801 10. LSU 764 11. Arizona St. 733 12. Georgia 728.5 13. Virginia 698.5 14. Ohio State 682 15. California 671.5 16. Southern Cal. 666.5 17. Wisconsin 661.5 18. BYU 658 19. Minnesota 627 20. Tennessee 621 21. Notre Dame 594.5 22. Michigan St.587 23. Auburn 572 24. Duke 566 25. Oklahoma 563.5
