Penn State Athletics: Nittany Lions Up To Sixth In Latest Learfield Cup Standings

Thank in large part to the Penn State wrestling team’s fifth NCAA Championship in the past six years, Penn State Athletics has moved up to No. 6 in the Learfield Directors’ Cup standings. The Nittany Lions are five points out of fifth place.

In the first winter sports compilation, Penn State climbed to from No. 10 to No. 6, having earned its ninth consecutive Top 10 fall finish. Penn State and Stanford are the nation’s only institutions to place in the Top 10 in the final fall Directors’ Cup standings in each of the past nine years.

Last year Penn State finished No. 8 in the final 2014-15 Learfield Directors’ Cup standings, picking up a third consecutive Top 10 finish and 11^th overall. The Nittany Lions are among only nine programs nationwide to have finished in the Top 25 in all 22 Learfield Directors’ Cup final standings.

Stanford leads the Directors’ Cup and is followed by Michigan (541.25 points), Minnesota (532), Ohio State (522.5), Virginia (465.25) and Penn State (461). North Carolina, Oregon, USC and Washington round out the Top 10.

Institutions from the Big Ten, Atlantic Coast and Pac-12 conferences claimed the top 10 spots in Learfield Directors’ Cup standings.

The Learfield Directors’ Cup standings will be updated in April.

The Learfield Directors’ Cup standings were 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 up to 20 sports — 10 women’s and 10 men’s.