Hope College posted one of its top performances in the history of the NCAA Division III Learfield Sports Directors Cup during the 2013-14 school year.
Hope placed 29th out of 326 schools with 427.75 points. It is Hope’s fifth-highest finish in 20 years of the Directors Cup program.
The Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup was developed as a joint effort between the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics and USA Today. Points are awarded based on each institution’s finish in up to 18 sports — nine women’s and nine men’s.
Nine Hope teams contributed to Hope’s Directors Cup total.
During the fall season, the Hope volleyball team tied for fifth at the NCAA Championships, while the women’s cross country team placed ninth and the men’s soccer team tied for 17th.
In the winter, the Hope women’s basketball team tied for 17th at nationals, while the women’s swimming & diving team finished 26th and the men’s basketball team tied for 33rd.
During the spring, both the Hope men’s golf and women’s tennis teams tied for 17th place at nationals, while the women’s track & field team placed 64th.
Hope has been ranked among the nation's top 100 NCAA III programs in all of the program's 18 years. Hope's place in the standings year-by-year were: 1995-96, 26th; 1996-97, 46th; 1997-98, 23rd; 1998-99, 47th; 1999-00, 47th; 2000-01, 38th; 2001-02, 70th; 2002-03, 31st; 2003-04 39th; 2004-05, 56th; 2005-06, 12th; 2006-07, 20th; 2007-08, 39th; 2008-09, 37th; 2009-10, 36th; 2010-11, 69th; 2011-12, 43rd; 2012-13, 64th; 2013-14, 29th.