Dec. 20, 2007

BERKELEY - With a national championship in men's water polo and a Final Four appearance by the volleyball team, California has taken over the top spot in the latest U.S. Sports Academy Directors' Cup standings announced Thursday.

The Golden Bears have accumulated 325 points, just ahead of Stanford, which has 315. Oregon and Penn State are tied for third place with 254 points, and USC rounds out the top five with 253 points.

The Directors' Cup, which was developed as a joint effort between the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) and USA Today, measures the best overall collegiate athletics programs in the country and awards points based on final national standings in a maximum of 10 NCAA-sponsored sports for both men and women.

Cal earned the maximum 100 points for its second straight NCAA title in men's water polo, an 8-6 decision over USC. In volleyball, the Bears reached the national semifinals for the first time, earning 83 points.

In addition, the men's and women's soccer teams contributed 50 points apiece by advancing to the second round of the NCAA Tournament, and men's cross country completed its best season ever with a 16th-place finish, good for 42 points.

The final fall release will be published on Jan. 10, 2008, and will include the Football Bowl Subdivision Football standings.

Last year, Cal led the nation after the full fall results were compiled and finished ninth in the final standings released in the spring. The Bears have placed in the top 10 four of the last five years, including a program-best seventh in 2006.

Complete standings and the scoring structure can be found on NACDA's Web site at nacda.com.