Blugolds cap historic 2018-19 campaign with Top 10 national finish in the Director's Cup to lead all WIAC schools

Blugolds cap historic 2018-19 campaign with Top 10 national finish in the Director's Cup to lead all WIAC schools

CLEVELAND, Ohio (blugolds.com) – In the final NACDA Learfield IMG College Directors' Cup standings for NCAA Division III, the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire finished the 2018-19 season ranked 10th in the nation with the highest total in program history.

Overall Rankings | Rankings by Conference

The Blugolds racked up 763.50 points this year, nearly 250 points higher than a year ago when Eau Claire finished tied for 23rd with 522.50 points. UWEC led all Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) schools, which had three in the top 25, including UW-La Crosse (13th – 620.75 points) and UW-Whitewater (15th – 593.50).

Eau Claire is the highest-ranked public institution while Williams, Johns Hopkins and Washington-St. Louis hold the top three spots. There are over 400 NCAA Division III schools in the nation.

"This was a historic year in Blugold athletics," said Director of Athletics Dan Schumacher. "I am so appreciative of our administration, coaches, student-athletes and the entire campus community for their support. This truly was the team, the team, the team – effort."

This winter, the Blugolds moved up two spots from the fall standings thanks to 324.50 points from the winter season. With just one swimmer, Eau Claire placed 23rd (51 points) in the nation for women's swimming and diving and with one swimmer and one diver, placed 13th on the men's side (62.3 points). At the indoor track and field championships, the Blugold women finished seventh (71.25 points) while the men were fourth (62.3 points). In addition, the women's hockey team tallied 60 points with a fifth-place finish.

The Blugolds continued their success this spring, highlighted by the men's outdoor track and field team's first-ever national title, securing 100 points. In addition, the women's outdoor track and field team placed 14th in the nation and the softball team earned a spot in the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2013 to add 50 more points thanks to a 17th place finish.

The Learfield Directors' Cup was developed as a joint effort between the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) and USA Today.  Points are awarded based on each institution's finish in NCAA Championships.