The success of the women's soccer team, as well as a strong performance by the men's cross country squad, has boosted Tufts into the upper echelon of Division III athletics, at least for the time being. The first release of this year's Sears Director's Cup rankings shows the Jumbos in sixth place overall for Division III. The award, presented annually at the conclusion of the spring season by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA), goes to the school with the most successful all-around athletic program.
The scoring system is based on where the school finishes in a particular sport in NCAA Tournament play, with points tabulated at the end of each of the three seasons. These preliminary rankings include four different fall sports: women's soccer, men's and women's cross country, and field hockey. Tufts was awarded 90 points for the women's soccer team's second place NCAA finish, and received 53 courtesy of men's cross country, which placed 11th in Div. III.
The combined total of 143 points puts the Jumbos just out of the top five, behind The College of New Jersey (first); NESCAC rival Williams (second); Hobart/William Smith (third); Wisconsin-Oshkosh (fourth); and Calvin (fifth). Not even all of the fall championships been accounted for as of yet, though, putting the pressure on the rest of the Tufts athletic teams to keep up the high-flying pace.
Last year, the Jumbos finished 40th in the final Sears rankings, as Williams took home its fourth cup in the last five years. Two springs ago, the Brown and Blue ranked 45th, a significant step up from their 84th place finish in 1997-98.
