June 19, 2001

LOS ANGELES--The USC athletic program placed eighth among 318 NCAA Division I institutions in the 2000-01 Sears Directors' Cup competition, the annual program which ranks schools on the national finishes of their men's and women's teams.

This marks USC's seventh Top 10 finish in the eight years of the all-sports competition, which is presented by Sears, NACDA and USA Today.

USC had another successful competitive year in 2000-01, highlighted by nine Top 10 finishes in NCAA competition--with a national championship by the women's track and field team--and four conference championships (baseball, women's volleyball, men's water polo and men's golf). The men's basketball team advanced to the NCAA Elite Eight, the women's volleyballers got to the NCAA Final Four, the men's water polo team finished third in the NCAA tourney and the baseball team played in the College World Series. Additionally, the men's swimming and diving team placed fourth at the NCAAs and their women counterparts were sixth, while the women's golf team was seventh at the NCAA tournament and the women's tennis squad made it to the NCAA quarterfinals.

2000-01 SEARS DIRECTORS' CUP TOP TEN FINAL STANDINGS

1. Stanford	1349.5 pts.
2. UCLA	1138
3. Georgia	890.5
4. Michigan	864.5
5. Arizona	863
6. Ohio State	861
7. Florida	847
8. USC	816.5
9. Arizona State	701
10. Penn State	774.5