With two national championships and NCAA championship tournament appearances by eight other teams, Salisbury University finished the 2011-12 academic year as one of the top teams in Division III athletics as the National Association of College Directors of Athletics released the final standings for the Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup.

The Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup was developed as a joint effort between the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) and USA Today. Points are awarded based on each institution's finish in up to 18 sports -- nine women’s and nine men’s.

Salisbury placed 13th this year, one of the highest finishes for the Sea Gulls in the Cup’s 17-year history.

Seven of the nine CAC teams advanced to NCAA Championship competition this year and scored points in the Learfield Sports Directors' Cup competition.

Mary Washington and York also ranked among the top 100 teams in NCAA Division III, which includes approximately 450 members.  UMW placed 59th in the final standings with 295 points while York was 99th overall with 203.5 points.

Wesley (164th, 113 pts.) was fourth among CAC schools, followed by Stevenson (169th, 108 pts.), St. Mary's (236th, 50 pts.) and Marymount (310th, 21 pts.).

Christopher Newport University, which will join the CAC as a full member in 2013-14, placed 23rd overall with 485 points.  CNU was the highest-ranked school in its current conference affiliation - USA South Atlantic Conference.

Salisbury's men’s lacrosse team collected the school’s 16th team national championship this year to earn 100 points in the standings while junior Chelsea Tavik earned the university’s 11th individual national title, claiming the women’s shot put crown at the NCAA Division III Indoor Track & Field Championships this March, giving Salisbury another 57 points toward its total of 643.  This year Salisbury collected 90 points for the women’s lacrosse team’s run to the national championship game and 70 points each from the football and field hockey teams advancing to the national quarterfinals.

A total of 318 teams scored points in this year's Learfield Directors' Cup standings.