COLLEGE STATION, Texas — In its first season of competition in the Southeastern Conference, the Texas A&M athletics program established a school-best finish of fifth place with 1131.50 points in the final 2012-13 Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup.
The SEC is the only conference with three institutions in the Top 10, with Florida at No. 2, the Aggies at No. 5 and Georgia at No. 10. Six SEC schools finished ranked in the Top 25.
“This has absolutely been a fantastic year. Our fifth place finish in the Learfield Director’s Cup is a remarkable accomplishment and a reflection of the hard work by our student-athletes and coaches,” said Texas A&M Director of Athletics Eric Hyman. “The men’s outdoor track and field national championship and national runner-up finishes for both women’s tennis and women’s outdoor track and field capped a historic year for Texas A&M. We are proud to be recognized among the best athletics programs in the country.”
This marks the 20th year for the Directors’ Cup, with Texas A&M finishing in the Top 10 for the fourth straight year and the Top 25 for eight consecutive seasons.
“It goes without saying that winning an national championship is a tremendous accomplishment for a team,” said Pat Henry, Texas A&M’s head track and field and cross country coach, who claimed his seventh national championship in the past five years and his 34th overall national championship “Overall, our teams have been very successful both indoors and outdoors. Our NCAA national championship for the men and an NCAA runner-up finish for the women are hard-earned points. My staff and I are very proud of our team’s efforts and Texas A&M’s overall accomplishments this year.”
The men’s outdoor track and field national championship was the fourth national crown in the past five years for the Aggie men. The women’s team finished second in the outdoor championships. At the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships, the men finished in fourth place while the women placed 12th. The men’s and women’s cross country teams each added 29 points.
Texas A&M women’s tennis head coach Howard Joffe led his program to the national championship match to place second and score 90 points.
“Finishing fifth in the Directors’ Cup is emblematic of the wonderful work that goes on in Aggie athletics,” Joffe stated. “It speaks to an efficient and effective administration, excellent support for the students, top coaches and very fine student-athletes. I’m very fortunate to be part of such a powerful and proud athletics department.”
The Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup takes into consideration the top 10 female sports and the top 10 male sports at each institution. In Texas A&M’s case, the school sponsors 20 intercollegiate sports, 11 female and nine male.
This year Texas A&M had 10 teams finish with Top 10 marks and 15 finished in the country’s Top 25 as compiled by NACDA.
Texas A&M’s fall sports scored 247 points, led by the Aggie football team finishing the year ranked fifth in the country and women’s soccer placing ninth.
The winter sports combined for 324.5 points, led by men’s indoor track and field and women’s swimming and diving each finishing fourth.
The spring sports posted 560 overall points with six squads posting Top 10 finishes: men’s outdoor track and field, women’s outdoor track and field, women’s tennis, men’s golf, men’s tennis and women’s softball.
TOP 25 STANDINGS & SEC STANDINGS:
Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup Standings—
(As of June 27, 2013)
TOP 25 SEC Order 1. Stanford 1261.25 2. Florida 1244.75 2. Florida 1244.75 5. TEXAS A&M 1131.50 3. UCLA 1227.25 10. Georgia 1006.75 4. Michigan 1138.25 19. LSU 847.00 5. TEXAS A&M 1131.50 21. Arkansas 830.00 6. Penn State 1100.50 25. Kentucky 748.00 7. Oklahoma 1078.25 26. Alabama 740.50 8. North Carolina 1075.33 33. Auburn 636.83 9. Notre Dame 1015.50 37. Tennessee 619.00 10. Georgia 1006.75 46. Vanderbilt 490.00 11. Florida St. 987.75 47. South Carolina 487.00 12. Duke 969.60 49. Mississippi St. 454.75 13. Texas 966.75 53. Missouri 432.00 14. USC 945.00 61. Mississippi 386.50 15. Oregon 929.75 16. Ohio St. 868.50 17. California 858.83 18. Arizona St. 852.08 19. LSU 847.00 20. Virginia 845.50 21. Arkansas 830.00 22. Minnesota 819.50 23. Arizona 786.58 24. Nebraska 772.33 25. Kentucky 748.00 2012-13 TEXAS A&M SPORT BREAKDOWN Sport Place Points Fall Football 5th 75 Women's Soccer 9th 64 Women's Volleyball 17th 50 Men's Cross Country 32nd 29 Women's Cross Country 32nd 29 Winter Men's Indoor Track & Field 4th 80 Women's Swimming & Diving 4th 80 Women's Indoor Track & Field 12th 64.5 Women's Basketball 17th 50 Men's Swimming & Diving 24th 50 Spring Men's Outdoor Track & Field 1st 95 Women's Outdoor Track & Field 2nd 90 Women's Tennis 2nd 90 Men's Golf 9th 69 Men's Tennis 9th 64 Softball 9th 64 Baseball 17th 50 Women's Golf 34th 38 TEXAS A&M IN THE FINAL DIRECTORS' CUP STANDINGS: 2012-13 5th 1131.50 2011-12 9th 990.25 2010-11 8th 1090.50 2009-10 6th 1070.75 2008-09 13th 976.00 2007-08 12th 1031.00 2006-07 18th 881.00 2005-06 23rd 649.50 2004-05 26th 566.25 2003-04 16th 714.00 2002-03 28th 551.25 2001-02 37th 519.50 2000-01 26th 517.00 1999-00 27th 522.00 1998-99 T39th 230.00 1997-98 T38th 230.00 1996-97 30th 427.00 1995-96 20th 524.50 1994-95 37th 329.50 1993-94 24th 454.50
2012-13 TEXAS A&M CHAMPIONSHIPS
NCAA Championship
Men’s Outdoor Track and Field
NCAA Runner-Up
Women’s Outdoor Track and Field
Women’s Tennis
SEC Championships
Women’s Outdoor Track and Field
Women’s Tennis
SEC Tournament Championship
Women’s Basketball
SEC Western Division Titles
Men’s Tennis
Women’s Soccer
Women’s Tennis
Women’s Volleyball
INDIVIDUAL SEC or NCAA CHAMPIONS:
Cammile Adams
Women’s Swimming SEC Champion—200-yard butterfly
NCAA Champion 200-yard butterfly
Wayne Davis II
Men’s Outdoor SEC Champion– 110 hurdles
NCAA Outdoor Champion—110 hurdles
Donique’ Flemings
Women’s Outdoor SEC Champion—100 hurdles
Sarah Henry
Women’s Swimming SEC Champion—500-yard freestyle
Women’s Swimming SEC Champion—1650-yard freestyle
Sam Humphreys
Men’s Outdoor SEC Champion—javelin
NCAA Outdoor Champion– javelin
Breeja Larson, SEC Female Swimmer of the Year
SEC Champion—100-yard breast
SEC Champion—200 yard breast
NCAA Champion—100-yard breast
Henry Lelei, Men’s Cross Country SEC Champion
(Finished 5th at NCAA’s—highest finish ever by an Aggie cross country runner.)
Men’s SEC Indoor High Point Athlete—22 pts
Men’s SEC Indoor Champion—3,000 meters
Men’s SEC Indoor Champion—5,000 meters
Men’s SEC Outdoor Champion– Steeplechase
Deon Lendore
Men’s Indoor SEC Champion—400 meters
Men’s Outdoor SEC Champion—400 meters
Paige Miller
Women’s Swimming SEC Champion—100-yard back
LaQue Moen-Davis, Women’s Indoor SEC Champion—Triple Jump
Women’s Outdoor SEC Champion—Long Jump
Shelbi Vaughan
Women’s Outdoor SEC Champion—Discus
Ameer Webb
NCAA Indoor 200-meter champion
NCAA Outdoor 200-meter champion
Men’s 4X400 Relay
SEC Indoors—Ricky Babineaux, Aldrich Bailey, Jr., Carlyle Roudette, Deon Lendore
Men’s 4X400 Relay
SEC Outdoors— Ricky Babineaux, Aldrich Bailey, Jr., Carlyle Roudette, Deon Lendore
Women’s 4X100 Relay
SEC Outdoors—LaKeidra Stewart, Ashton Purvis, Kamaria Brown, Jennifer Madu
Women’s 4X100 Relay
NCAA Outdoor Champions—LaKeidra Stewart, Ashton Purvis, Kamaria Brown, Ashley Collier
Women’s 400-yard Medley Relay
SEC Champions—Paige Miller, Breeja Larson, Caroline McElhany, Lili Ibanez
Story courtesy of Texas A&M Athletics