Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Stands in Fourth Place in Latest Learfield Directors' Cup Rankings

Current Division III rankings

CLAREMONT, Calif. - The Claremont-Mudd-Scripps athletic program moved up to fourth place in the latest Learfield IMG College Directors' Cup standings for the 2019-20 academic year, which were released on Thursday morning.

CMS has 305.50 points after six sports have been factored in to the national rankings (one of which, field hockey, CMS doesn't offer), just edging out Middlebury by a half-point for fourth place. Johns Hopkins, which won national championships in volleyball and women's cross country in the fall, stands in first place with 481 points, while Tufts, the national champion in men's soccer, is in second with 354.50. The University of Chicago is in third (322.50), followed by CMS in fourth, with Middlebury, Washington University and MIT holding down the fifth through seventh spots. 

CMS had five different teams provide scoring to contribute to the 305.50 total, each of which scored 50 points or more. The fall teams were led by men's cross country, which earned 73.5 points with a sixth place finish. Both men's and women's soccer reached the Round of 16 after winning their regionals to add 64 points apiece, as the Stags won their regional at Trinity (Texas) with victories over Texas Lutheran and host Trinity, while the Athenas picked up two wins over Emory and Cal Lutheran.

Women's cross country came in 20th at the NCAA Division III Championships to net 54 points, while the volleyball team also earned 50 points by reaching the second round of the NCAA Tournament, defeating WashU in the opening round. 

Two years ago in 2017-18, CMS earned its highest-ever finish in the Learfield Cup at third place after winning national championships in volleyball, women's tennis and women's golf during the academic year. As a point of comparison, CMS stood in only 16th place after the second fall rankings that year (18th after the final fall rankings) and made its big move in the spring, behind the golf and tennis national titles. 

Last year, CMS finished 12th behind a strong spring season, including runner-up finishes from men's and women's tennis and top-10 finishes from men's and womens' golf, marking the eighth straight year that it has finished in the top 15. CMS was in just 22nd place after the fall season last year.