The 2014-15 athletic season is shaping up to be another banner year for the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. The Mocs have already won six Southern Conference Championships in four sports and are set to host the league's softball tournament this weekend.
With the final winter sports standings recently released, UTC is currently No. 100 in the Learfield Sports Directors' Cup. Administered by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA), the Learfield Sports Directors' Cup honors institutions maintaining a broad-based program, achieving success across the board.
“Achieving excellence is our Vision here at UTC and we pride ourselves on making sure that is promoted across the board,” stated Vice Chancellor and Director of Athletics David Blackburn. “There is still some work left to do this season, but we are certainly excited to be in the top 100 of all Division I programs heading into the spring championships.”
The Directors' Cup began in 1994 for NCAA Division I, which currently encompasses 351 institutions across the county. The Mocs have 124 points and lead the SoCon in the standings. A complete updated list is available here.
SoCon Teams in the Learfield Sports Directors' Cup
100. Chattanooga (124)
125. Furman (94)
209. Mercer (25)
209. Samford (25)
209. Wofford (25)
239. The Citadel (15)
With the spring championship season getting underway, there is still room for other schools in the SoCon to move up the standings. Samford will score points with their titles in women's tennis and men's track & field, while ETSU has championships in men's tennis and men's golf that are yet to be tallied. Furman won the SoCon in women's golf while Western Carolina will score with its women's track & field trophy.
The Mocs still have a chance to add to their total with the softball tournament this weekend. Baseball is the final SoCon sport still yet to be decided.
In order to score points, teams must represent their leagues in the NCAA postseason. The further a team advances in a given championship, the more points are scored. To date, the Mocs have scored in football (70), wrestling (29) and women's basketball (25).
UTC's best finish in the Directors' Cup was 99th in 2008-09, one of only seven times a SoCon team has finished in the top-100. UTC has led the SoCon in the Directors' Cup in 2004, 2009 and 2014.
The Mocs men's program is No. 47 in the nation in the Capital One Cup. Similar to the Learfield Sports Directors' Cup, the Capital One Cup recognizes programs based on their success in men's and women's sports. UTC scored all of its points on the men's side with its appearance in the quarterfinals of the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs in December.
