ERAU Athletics Recognized for Program Excellence
DALLAS, Texas – The Embry-Riddle Athletic department solidified its standing as one of the top NAIA program’s in the country with a program-best third place finish in the United States Sports Academy Director’s Cup, the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics announced at the NACDA Convention on Wednesday. The Directors’ Cup is presented annually by NACDA to the best overall collegiate athletic programs in the country.
ERAU totaled 736.25 points to finish behind repeat champions Azusa Pacific (947 points) and Simon Fraser (818 points). The Eagles’ fellow Florida Sun Conference member, Savannah College of Art and Design also improved in the standings from last year, placing eighth with 652 points.
The Eagles vaulted into fifth place after a solid start in the fall. Men’s soccer (73 points) advanced to the national tournament quarterfinals and finished fifth overall, while the men’s cross country team (69 points) had its best showing ever with a seventh-place finish on the national stage. Women’s soccer’s 17th-place finish contributed 60 points and women’s cross country and volleyball added 22 and 37.5 points, respectively.
Despite posting a pair of to 20 finishes in women’s indoor track and field (13th, 63 points) and men’s basketball (17th, 50 points), and men’s indoor track and field adding 43.5 points, the Eagles slipped to 10th in the winter standings.
But the Blue and Gold rebounded with a very strong spring campaign, which saw seven of the eight in-season sports earn national championship berths. Leading the way was the women’s golf team (90 points) who finished just three strokes shy of a national title for the program’s first runner-up finish. The men’s tennis team advanced to the national semis for the fourth straight season and was third (83 points), while the women’s squad advanced to the quarterfinal round for only the second time in school history, closing out the season in fifth (70 points).
The women’s outdoor track and field team added 59.25 points after coming in 15th at nationals and baseball, under the guidance of first-year head coach Randy Stegall, closed out the season with a fifth-place finish (73 points) at the NAIA World Series.
Azusa Pacific earned national titles in men’s soccer and men’s indoor and outdoor track and field en route to the program’s fourth straight Director’s Cup. The Cougars, who placed in 14 postseason championships, also took second in women’s indoor track and field and women’s soccer, third in men’s tennis, fourth in women’s outdoor track and field, fifth in men’s basketball and women’s tennis, sixth in women’s cross country, seventh in baseball and 58th in women’s volleyball.
Simon Fraser took home the women’s cross country crown and posted top five finishes in women’s outdoor track and field (2nd), men’s swimming (2nd), women’s swimming (2nd) men’s soccer (3rd), women’s indoor track and field (3rd) and softball (5th).
Rounding out the top five were Fresno Pacific, who was fourth with 684 points, and Concordia (Calif.), who finished with 679.50 points, just barely edging Golden State Athletic Conference rivals California Baptist (679).