CLEVELAND, Ohio – Flagler College is ranked No. 16 in the latest 2011-12 Learfield Sports Directors' Cup Division II Standings, released this afternoon.

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 14 sports -- seven women's and seven men's.

The final fall rankings will be released Dec. 21.

This is Flagler's highest ranking since the fall season of 2002 when it ranked No. 11 in the NAIA standings. This is Flagler's highest ranking since making the move to NCAA Division II.

Flagler tallied 143 points and received 73 points from the volleyball team finishing fifth and 70 points from men's soccer for their fifth place finish.

The Saints tallied the most points out of any of the other 12 Peach Belt Conference institutions. Armstrong Atlantic State University is No. 19 with 133 points with the help of the women's soccer team who placed third (83 pts.) and the volleyball team who finished 17th (50 pts.). The University of Montevallo is 69th with 51 points while Columbus State University and North Georgia College & State University are tied for 70th place with 50 points.

Sitting atop the standings is Grand Valley State University (260 points) on the strength of its second place finish in women's soccer and third place finishes in both men's and women's cross country. California State University, Chico (257) is second with top 10 finishes in men's and women's cross country as well as a third place finish in women's soccer and 17th place in men's soccer. The University of Tampa (224) is third and is followed by the Colorado School of Mines (198) in fourth place. The California University of Pennsylvania and the Western State College of Colorado are tied for fifth place with 190 points.

About Learfield Sports: The 2011-12 athletics season marks its fourth year as title partner of the Learfield Sports Directors' Cup. A preeminent leader in the collegiate sports marketplace for nearly four decades, Learfield Sports manages the multimedia rights for more than 50 collegiate properties, including flagship Mizzou, which it has represented since 1975. An operating unit of Learfield Communications, the company also operates regional and statewide radio networks, provides exclusive sports programming to more than 1,000 radio stations nationwide and creates nearly 7,000 radio game broadcasts and coaches' shows each year. These ever-expanding, collegiate relationships also feature comprehensive corporate sponsorship platforms, official university publications, Internet, digital media, hospitality and game-day events. To learn more about Learfield Sports' expertise, its history and complete collegiate portfolio, visit www.learfieldsports.com.


Click here to view the complete standings (PDF).