Michigan finishes second overall in Directors Cup, 10 spots higher than any other Big Ten school

The Division I Leaderfield IMG College Directors Cup final results are in for the 2018-19 season, and the Michigan Wolverines finished second overall, 10 spots higher than any Big Ten school.

What is the Directors Cup?

Their website calls it, “The crowning achievement in college athletics.” It’s the kind of program that allowed schools to gauge their success overall for both men’s and women’s. This started in 1993-94 for Division I by NACDA and USA Today then it was expanded in 1995-96 to include Division II, III and the NAIA.

Each program is awarded points in a pre-determined number of sports for men and women. The overall champion is the school that earns the highest number of available points.

How Michigan got 2nd

They summarized their spot as follows:

“The Michigan Wolverines closed 2018-19 with a runner-up performance at the College World Series, to finish with 1272.25 total points and secure second-place. This is the second time Michigan finished second overall in the final standings, with its first time being in 2002-03. Overall, Michigan scored in 18 of 19 sports with 13 top-10 finishes on the year. Four scores were removed for the Wolverines – men’s soccer and both indoor and outdoor track and field, and women’s indoor track and field.”

The Big Ten Final National standings:

Michigan 2

Ohio State 12

Penn State 13

Wisconsin 16

Minnesota 20

Indiana 32

Iowa 38

Maryland 40

Illinois 43

Northwestern 45

Michigan State 47

Nebraska 48

Purdue 55

Rutgers 82

Drew Hallet posted a few notes about the final results and what helped Michigan finish so high.

The final standings overall can be found here.

Yes, some sports are more popular than others. This helps athletic programs compete on an overall level. For 2018-19, Michigan can say it’s the “leaders and best” in the Big Ten.

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