Vikings seventh in Division II All-Sports rankings

With four Top 10 national finishes, led by a seventh straight title in women's rowing, Western Washington University placed seventh nationally among 310 NCAA Division II schools in the final 2010-11 Learfield Sports Directors' Cup standings released today.

It is the Vikings' third straight top 10 finish. They placed sixth in 2009-10 and 10th in 2008-09.

"I'm exited about our finish and where we are among the elite programs in Division II," said Western director of athletics Lynda Goodrich (24th year). "This was a special year for the Vikings, and much of that can be attributed to the outstanding leadership of our seniors."

The Vikings finished with a school-record 653.75 points, 360.25 of those in the spring, 173.00 in the fall and 120.50 in the winter.

Western's finishes the last two years are the highest in Great Northwest Athletic Conference history. The Vikings ranked second among all West Region schools in 2010-11, placing just 14.75 points behind UC San Diego.

Besides being first in rowing, the Vikings were sixth nationally in women's outdoor track, ninth in men's cross country and 10th in women's cross country. They also were 11th in women's golf, 21st in men's indoor track, 28th in men's outdoor track and 31st in women's indoor track.

Western reached the West Regional semifinals in volleyball. The Vikings also got to regionals in women's basketball and softball, and placed sixth at the super regional in men's golf.

Grand Valley State (Mich.) captured its eighth straight Division II championship with 1057.50 points. Williams (Mass.) took its 13th straight Division III championship, and Stanford (Calif.) is on its way to a 17th consecutive Division I title with the final results announced June 30.

Western was the GNAC all-sports champion for the third straight year and for the seventh time in the 10-year history of the league. The Vikings tied for the conference title in volleyball, won the regular-season crown in women's basketball, and took championships in both men's and women's golf. They also placed second in men's and women's cross country, men's and women's outdoor track, men's indoor track and softball.

And, Western won the Northwest Collegiate Rowing Conference championship.

The Vikings have now had eight straight top 50 national finishes and been among the top 100 in each of their first 13 seasons as a NCAA II member.

The Learfield Sports Directors' Cup is a joint effort between the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) and USA Today. Points are awarded based on each institution's NCAA finish in up to 14 sports - seven women's and seven men's.

While having success in competition, Western student-athletes continued to be outstanding in the classroom. The Vikings' graduation rate of 69 percent was 13 percent higher than the NCAA II national average. Using the NCAA Academic Success Rate, Western graded out to 85 percent, 12 percentage points higher than the NCAA II national average.

And Western student-athletes also were involved in the community, raising nearly $9,000 for The American Cancer Society Relay for Life, and $2,000 for the PeaceHealth Cancer Center in Bellingham.

2010-11 Final Standings - 1. Grand Valley State MI 1057.50, 2. Central Missouri 779.75, 3. Augustana SD 761.50, 4. Abilene Christian TX 718.00, 5. Adams State CO 696.00, 6. UC San Diego 668.50, 7. Western Washington 653.75, 8. Grand Canyon AZ 636.50, 9. Ashland OH 624.00, 10. Shippensburg PA 612.75 ... t26. Alaska Anchorage 404.00, t70. Seattle Pacific 261.50, 116. Western Oregon 168.93, 127. Alaska Fairbanks 153.00, t168. Central Washington 98.00, 234. Saint Martin's 18.00.