April 15, 1999
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Through the end of the winter sports season, Purdue is tied for 22nd place in the Sears Directors' Cup standings. The Boilermakers have 210 points (tied with Ohio State and Southern Methodist).
The Sears Directors' Cup is administered by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) and sponsored by Sears, Roebuck and Co. Points are awarded based on each institution's finish in as many as 20 sports -- 10 for men and 10 for women. Each national champion receives 100 points.
Purdue totaled 200 points during the winter from the sports of women's basketball (100 points for national championship), men's basketball (30 points for NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 finish), women's track and field (20 points for 18th-place finish), men's track and field (20 points for 29th-place finish), men's swimming and diving (20 points for 31st-place finish) and wrestling (10 points for 33rd-place finish).
Stanford tops the standings with 670 points, followed by Penn State (420), Florida (400) and Arkansas and Texas (320 apiece). Other Big Ten Conference schools among the top 25 include Michigan (T7th, 280); Wisconsin (T9th, 270); Indiana (T17th, 220); and Minnesota (T25th, 200).
The winner of the award receives a trophy designed by Waterford Crystal.