CLEVELAND – On the heels of the 2016 NCAA Division II Baseball National Championship, not even a week ago, the Nova Southeastern University athletic department finished 12^th in the final Learfield Directors' Cup standings. The Sharks athletic programs accumulated 546 points throughout the 2015-16 championship seasons and finished 12^th out of 312 DII institutions, 263 of which were ranked in the final standings.
 
"This result speaks directly to our culture of sustained success and our mission of maintaining a nationally recognized athletic program," Director of Athletics Michael Mominey said. "Our student-athletes, coaches and staff are fully committed and focused on being the best at everything we do and doing it the 'Shark Way'. We firmly believe in the process of being excellent in everything we do – from the fields, to the classroom, giving back to the community and most importantly, being great ambassadors for our university."
 
This is the third time in the past four seasons that the NSU athletics department has finished in the top 15 of the final Learfield standings. This year's 12^th-place finished is the new second-highest finish in school history replacing last year's 14^th-place finish. In 2012-13, NSU finished in the top 10 topping out a ninth overall. NSU continues to be consistently competitive on the national stage and have, since 2010-11, finished in the top 30 of the Directors' Cup standings.
 
NSU accumulated a total of 282 points during the spring season, 196 in the winter and 68 points in the fall. Heading into the final championships of the year, the Sharks were ranked 14^th, but managed to jump two spots in the final standings behind the 100 points earned from the baseball team's first-ever national championship title. Women's golf finished third overall at the championships which earned 85 points, while men's golf added 50.5 points, women's tennis added 25 points and women's track and field finished with 21.5 points.
 
During the winter championships, the NSU men's swimming topped the final results finishing fourth overall and earning 80 points. Women's swimming finished 11^th to earn a total of 66 points, while women's basketball added 50 points to the winter total of 196. For the fall, the Sharks more than doubled the amount of points they had a year ago. Men's cross country led the way with 43 points and women's soccer finished with 25 for a total of 68 points in the fall.
 
Grand Valley State was the 2015-16 Learfield Directors' Cup winner for the third straight season, this time with 1070 total points and besting Sunshine State Conference member Saint Leo by 346.5 points. All Sunshine State Conference member institutions were represented in the final Directors' Cup standings with four finishing in the top 25.
 
The Learfield 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 14 sports in Division II – seven men's and seven women's.
 
About Learfield: An industry leader for more than four decades, Learfield has a deep presence in the college athletics landscape nationwide. It manages the multimedia and sponsorship rights for 120 collegiate institutions, conferences and arenas, and supports athletic department's at all competitive levels as title sponsor of the prestigious Learfield Directors' Cup. Learfield also provides its collegiate partners access to professional concessions and ticket sales; licensing and trademark consulting; digital platform expertise; and venue and technology systems through its affiliated companies. For more about Learfield's history, businesses and career opportunities, visit www.learfieldsports.com.