CLEVELAND – Olivet Nazarene leads in the second set of the NAIA Learfield Sports Directors’Cup fall standings. The Tigers have accumulated 225 total points after placing ninth in women’ssoccer and 17th in men’s soccer.
The Cascade Collegiate Conference has six schools represented in the standings. Leading the way is The College of Idaho (12th) followed by Concordia (23rd), Southern Oregon (30th), Northwest Christian (50th), Eastern Oregon (53rd) and Corban (78th).
Concordia (CA) jumped from being unranked in the initial standings to the second spot with 206 points after a third place finish in women’s volleyball, a fifth place finish in women’s soccer and a ninth place finish in men’s soccer. Embry-Riddle (FL) is in third place with 202.5 points. The Eagles finished fifth in women’s soccer,ninth in men’s soccer and 19th in women’s volleyball.
Cal State San Marcos currently occupies the fourth spot with 195 points due to a ninth place finish in women’s soccer and a result of 25th in women’s volleyball.
Rounding out the top five is The Master’s College with 191 points. The Mustangs placed fifth in women’s volleyball and 17th in women’s soccer.
The Golden State Athletic Conference currently has four institutions in the top 10 – Concordia (2nd), The Master’s (5th), Biola (6th) and Westmont (9th).
Five of the six fall NAIA championships have been completed with the following institutions capturing titles: men’s cross country – Oklahoma City; women’s cross country – British Columbia (Can.); men’s soccer – Martin Methodist; women’s soccer – Concordia (Ore.); women’s volleyball – Texas Brownsville.
The Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup was 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 12 sports -- six women’s and six men’s. The final NAIA fall standings will be released Tuesday, December 24.