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BLACKSBURG – Virginia Tech finished 35^th in the Learfield Sports Director’s Cup competition, as announced Wednesday by the National Association of Directors of Athletics (NACDA). The finish marked Tech’s highest Cup finish ever.

With 1,448.25 points, Stanford won the Cup, as it has for the past 18 years. Florida finished in second place with 1,314 points, followed by UCLA, Ohio State and Florida State.

The Hokies had 587.25 points. They received a majority of points from their men’s track and field team, which finished fifth at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships thanks largely to Alexander Ziegler winning the national championship in the hammer throw. The men’s track team finished eighth at the NCAA’s indoor meet, with Marcel Lomnicky winning the national title in the weight throw.

The Hokies’ golf, softball and men’s tennis teams also accumulated points because of those sports’ NCAA Championship appearances this past spring. The Tech men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams and the wrestling teams accumulated points this winter because of strong individual performances at the NCAA competitions in those respective sports. Both the men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams finished a program-best 18^th, while the wrestling team came in 11^th. Also, the football team received points for its strong play last fall.

The Hokies finished sixth among ACC schools in the Cup competition and ahead of future ACC members Syracuse and Pittsburgh. Seven ACC schools finished in the top 50.

A year ago, the Hokies finished 45^th in the Cup competition. In 2009-10, Tech finished 38^th, and in 2008-09, the Hokies came in 46^th.

There are four Learfield Sports Directors' Cup awards, one to honor the institution with the best overall athletics program in each of the NCAA's Divisions I, II and III, and the NAIA. The Learfield Sports Directors' Cup was developed as a joint effort between NACDA and USA Today.

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