Mounties Finish Year at No. 19 Nationally in All-Sport NAIA LEARFIELD Directors’ Cup Standings
By Garrett Christensen on Wednesday, June 14th, 2023 in More Top Stories Northeastern Oregon News
LA GRANDE – (Release from Eastern Oregon University) The final results of the 2022-23 NAIA LEARFIELD Directors’ Cup standings were released on Tuesday morning. The award and standings rank each school’s athletic programs as a whole based on performances at the NAIA National Championships throughout the year. Eastern Oregon University cracked the top-20 for the first time in six years coming in at No. 19 with 537.50 points.
“Witnessing our program as a whole rise to the top 20 in the nation is a testament to the unwavering dedication of our athletes, coaches, and staff,” Athletic Director and Head Women’s Basketball Coach Anji Weissenfluh said. “This is a great achievement that demonstrates the talent, passion, and perseverance of our entire department.”
The rise to No. 19 in the final standings comes as a jump from No. 32 in last year’s results. It is the highest finish in the last six years and marks the first top-20 appearance for the Mounties since 2016-17 when Eastern finished 12th with 530 points.
Points were totaled after each season (fall, winter, and spring). EOU finished the fall in 27th place with 147.50 points thanks to standout performances from Men’s Cross Country and Volleyball.
The winter was EOU’s most productive season seeing every single program earn points when they competed in the National Championships (Women’s Basketball, Men’s Basketball, Women’s Wrestling, Men’s Wrestling, Women’s Indoor Track and Field and Men’s Indoor Track and Field). After the conclusion of the winter season, the Mountaineers sat at 18th nationally with 423 points highlighted by Men’s Wrestling and Women’s Wrestling who tied for the highest point totals scoring 64.5 points each.
Wrapping up the year and keeping the Mounties inside the top-20 was Men’s Track and Field and Women’s Track and Field who contributed 50 and 64.5 points respectively to take EOU to a final score of 537.50.
The Cascade Collegiate Conference proved to be one of the best NAIA conferences in the country with three teams inside the top-20. Leading the way was Southern Oregon with 619 points at No. 13 and just above EOU was the College of Idaho with 562.65 points at No. 18.
