The Syracuse athletics program is currently ranked fifth in the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics Directors’ Cup standings, earning its highest mark in school history.

The Directors’ Cup is awarded to the school that achieves the greatest athletic success in a given year, based on where it finishes in NCAA rankings and media polls in various sports. Stanford has won 15 straight years, but right now sits at sixth. Virginia is in first place, with Princeton, Villanova and Oregon rounding out the top five.

This batch of standings stems from this season’s fall sports. They will be updated later this academic year to reflect the winter and spring sports.

‘The goal is to consistently be a top 25 program,’ SU Director of Athletics Dr. Daryl Gross said in a statement. ‘The top-five ranking now is a sign of the future. We will keep moving forward.

‘We are not just trying to graduate our kids, but also develop leaders who can go and make an impact on society and represent Syracuse in a way that will make us all proud. We feel like we are accomplishing those things. It is a really exciting time for us as it all starts to flourish.’

Syracuse’s recent success is a byproduct primarily of strong play from the field hockey and cross country teams. Led by head coach Ange Bradley, the Orange field hockey squad reached the second round of the NCAA tournament, finishing the season with an 18-4 record. SU made the final four a year ago.

Meanwhile, the men’s and women’s cross country squads enjoyed their greatest season in program history. The women finished the year ranked No. 12 nationally, reaching the NCAA Championships for just the second time ever. The men ended the season ranked No. 9, its all-time best ranking.

Both teams, under the guidance of head coach Chris Fox, won the NCAA Northeast Regional meet. The men finished 12th at the NCAA Championships, while the women placed 18th.

This fall’s jump in the Directors’ Cup standings is a vast improvement from last year, when Syracuse finished No. 63 of 278 schools.

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Published on December 7, 2009 at 12:00 pm