MALIBU, Calif. – Thanks to a strong finish in the spring, the Pepperdine athletic department ended up second among all NCAA Division I-AAA schools in the final 2007-08 U.S. Sports Academy Director’s Cup standings.

 

The Director’s Cup is presented annually by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) to athletic departments based on their teams’ overall postseason results.

 

Pepperdine finished 62nd overall in NCAA Division I with 341.00 points. Among Division I-AAA schools (Division I schools that do not sponsor football), only Denver finished better at 47th with 434.25 points.

“I’m exceedingly proud of the dedication that our student-athletes and coaches continue to exhibit every day,” said John Watson, Pepperdine’s Director of Athletics. “Their commitment in the classroom and on the field is phenomenal. I believe they present themselves as positive role models to be envious of.”

Only the Waves’ women’s volleyball team earned points over the fall and spring seasons, but Pepperdine made up a lot of ground in the spring, as men’s volleyball (second), men’s tennis (tied for ninth), baseball (tied for 17th), women’s tennis (tied for 17th), men’s golf (31st) and women’s golf (34th) added to the total.

Pepperdine finished first among all NCAA Division I-AAA schools in 2004-05 and 2005-06, and was third in 2006-07. The Waves improved a bit from a 69th-place showing overall in 2006-07.

 

The Waves also finished better than all of their West Coast Conference rivals: San Diego (86th), Portland (106th), Santa Clara (142nd), Saint Mary’s (179th), Gonzaga (201st), Loyola Marymount (237th) and San Francisco (did not score).