CLEVELAND, Ohio – For the third time in four years, Saint Leo University finished in the top-10 of the Learfield Directors' Cup, with a fourth place finish in the 2017-18 standings with 695.25 points when the final standings were released on Thursday, June 14 by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA). The Lions finished as the top Sunshine State Conference institution and claimed a top-5 finish two of the last three years.

"We have an incredible staff and student-athletes who strive for excellence," Director of Athletics Francis X. Reidy stated. "Our five-year run of great finishes is a remarkable feat when you consider where Saint Leo was just a short time ago. We are proud of our two top five finishes over the last three years as we strive to be one of the best all-around programs in Division II."

Saint Leo remained the top Sunshine State Conference institution when the final standings were released where Florida Southern trailed the Green and Gold in fifth place with 673.25 points.
 
This marked the 17th Directors' Cup standings (Sears, NACDA, US Sports Academy, or Learfield) the Lions have ranked in, while it is their second highest finish in school history. The fourth place finish in the SSC ties for the third highest, finishing only behind the SSC record of second place (Saint Leo 2015-16) and the second highest third place (Barry 1997-98). The only other SSC institution to finish in fourth was Florida Southern in 1999 and 2000.

The Lions finished in fourth with a total of 695.25 points, behind third place West Texas A&M. Saint Leo scored in seven of the spring championships, including a runner up finish in men's lacrosse. Saint Leo tallied 428.75 points in the spring from men's lacrosse (90), softball (83), men's golf (72.75), women's golf (51), men's tennis (50), women's tennis (50), and women's track (32). The Lions added their spring points to their 119.50 winter points and 147.00 fall points.
 
Saint Leo received points in the winter rankings from men's swimming (67.5) and women's swimming (52) where the Green and Gold scored fall points from women's cross country (53), volleyball (50), and men's cross country (44).

A total of eight Sunshine State Conference institutions were ranked among the top 100 in the latest Directors' Cup standings report, with the Lions, Moccasins and the Barry Buccaneers among the top 45 institutions. All 11 SSC institutions were ranked inside the top-200 institutions in the Division II.
 
The Southern Athletic Conference and Sunshine State Conference lead all Division II conferences with two institutions in the top-10 each: Queens (NC) (7th) and Wingate (8th) from the SAC, and Saint Leo (4th) and Florida Southern (5th) from the SSC. The SSC is the only conference to have two teams in the top-5 with the Lions and Moccasins.

California Baptists came from behind to win the 2017-18 Learfield Directors' Cup, for it's first Directors' Cup in school history with 905.00 points, knocking off 12-time Directors' Cup winner Grand Valley State.

The Learfield 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 NCAA Championships. To review the updated scoring changes for the 2017-18 year, please click here.

For the latest news, updates, and information on the Saint Leo Department of Athletics, be sure to visit SaintLeoLions.com. Fans can also stay up-to-date on the latest Lions news by following Saint Leo Athletics on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
  Complete standings and the scoring structure can be found on NACDA's website at www.directorscup.org. In addition, please visit www.thedirectorscup.com, like us on Facebook at facebook.com/ldirectorscup or follow us on Twitter @ldirectorscup.
 
About Learfield: An industry leader for more than four decades, Learfield has a deep presence in the college athletics landscape nationwide. It manages the multimedia and sponsorship rights for nearly 130 collegiate institutions, conferences and arenas, and supports athletic department's at all competitive levels as title sponsor of the prestigious Learfield Directors' Cup for 10 years. Learfield also provides its collegiate partners access to professional concessions and ticket sales; branding, licensing and trademark consulting; digital and social platform expertise; campus-wide business and sponsorship development; and venue and technology systems through its affiliated companies.