'Cuse Ranks 11th in NACDA Directors' Cup Spring Standings

Four more Syracuse Athletics teams scored points for the Orange in the 2015-16 National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) Learfield Division I Directors' Cup race, placing the Orange in 11th place in the first Spring standings. It is the highest Spring ranking in school history. To date, 11 teams have scored points, which is the most in program history. Seven members of the Orange men's and women's outdoor track & field teams will compete at the NCAA Track & Field Championship in Eugene, Ore. from June 8-11 giving Syracuse an opportunity to add to its record-setting point total.

In 2015-16, 15 out of 20 teams have represented the Orange at the nationals in their sport, including field hockey and men's cross country winning National Championships, men's soccer, women's lacrosse and men's and women's basketball advancing to Final Fours, and women's cross country, men's lacrosse, tennis and women's rowing earning NCAA invites and men's rowing advancing to the Intercollegiate Rowing Association (IRA) Championship Regatta, which is June 3-5. In addition, student-athletes from the indoor and outdoor men's and women's track & field teams have competed at the NCAA Championships this year. Syracuse's six Final Four teams is the most in school history and ranks second nationally this year behind Stanford's eight.

The women's lacrosse team scored 83 points by advancing to its fifth consecutive Final Four, where the Orange lost to Maryland in the national semifinal. Senior Kayla Treanor led the nation in draw controls with an NCAA single-season record 217 and her 9.04 draw controls per game ranked first in the country. Treanor and freshman Nicole Levy earned NCAA All-Tournament Team honors, while Treanor and senior Halle Majorana were named IWLCA All-Americans.

The men's lacrosse team closed the season in the NCAA Quarterfinal with a loss to Maryland, scoring 60 points in the NACDA standings. Syracuse won its second consecutive ACC Championship and closed the season with a 12-5 record. Five 'Cuse performers earned All-America honors, including Dylan Donahue, Brandon Mullins, Ben Williams, Sergio Salcido and Nick Mariano.

Head coach Younes Limam led the tennis team to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history. The second-year Orange leader guided the Orange to a first-round win against Georgia State. Syracuse lost to No. 1 Florida in the second round. In addition, graduate student Anna Shkudun, junior Valeria Salazar and freshman Gabriela Knutson earned invitations to the NCAA Individual Championship, becoming the first Syracuse student-athletes to achieve that since 1996.

The women's rowing team finished 13th at the NCAA Championship in the program's first appearance at the national meet since 2002. Head coach Justin Moore led the first varsity eight to a 12th-place finish, while the second varsity eight was 15th and the varsity four finished 14th.

The women's basketball team made history when it advanced to its first national final in program history, ultimately losing to 11-time champion Connecticut. The Orange set school records with five wins against nationally-ranked opponents, 13 conference victories, 23 regular-season wins, and 30 overall victories. Following its run to the National Championship contest, the team was ranked No. 3 nationally in the final USA Today Coaches Poll, its highest rank in its history.

The men's basketball team capped the 2015-16 season with an inspiring run to the national semifinals, losing to eventual national runner-up North Carolina. Syracuse became the first No. 10 seed in the history of the NCAA Tournament to advance to the Final Four. All-Atlantic Coast Conference selection Michael Gbinije led the way, averaging 17.5 points per game on the year.

With both the men's and women's basketball teams advancing to the national semifinals in 2016, Syracuse joined an elite club. The Orange became only the ninth school to send both of its basketball teams to the Final Four in the same year.

The men's indoor track & field team finished in 11th place at the NCAA Championship. Freddie Crittenden and Justyn Knight each reached the podium, as Crittenden finished second in the 60-meter hurdles and Knight placed third in the 3000-meter race. The Orange claimed its first conference title since 1992 when it won the ACC Indoor Track & Field Championship.

In the fall, head coach Chris Fox guided the men's cross country to the program's first National Championship since 1951. It was the seventh time in his 11-year tenure that the Orange have participated in the National Championship meet and it is the team's third consecutive top 10 finish. Sophomore Justyn Knight led the way for the Orange, taking fourth overall in 29:46.1, with teammates Colin Bennie and Martin Hehir right behind, as they have been all season, in eighth and ninth overall. Philo Germano and Joel Hubbard rounded out the Syracuse scoring. Fox, who led the Orange men to their third Atlantic Coast Conference Championship, earned National Coach of the Year honors.

Field hockey coach Ange Bradley led the Orange to the program's first NCAA Championship and the first NCAA title for any women's sport in school history. The Orange beat North Carolina 4-2 in the title game, capping a 21-1 season. The victory avenged the only loss of the season for the Orange, which was to UNC in the ACC Tournament Championship game earlier in the month. Bradley has guided the Orange to the Final Four in three of the last four seasons and four overall. It was the eighth consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance for Syracuse.

The women's cross country team also turned in a historic performance finishing 12th, which is the second-best finish in program history. In 2010 the Orange finished a program-best 10th. This year, Margo Malone led the Orange across the line for the third time in her career, finishing 52nd overall, while teammate Shaylyn Tuite was 55th. Sydney Leiher, Cassia Hameline and Rebecca Skodis rounded out the 'Cuse scoring. Syracuse has placed in the top 25 in three consecutive seasons and has earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Championship meet in seven of Fox's 11 years at the helm.

The Orange men's soccer team's College Cup appearance added 83 points to Syracuse's total. Head coach Ian McIntyre and the Orange advanced to the College Cup for the first time in school history. The team's 16-5-4 record was one win shy of the school record for victories in a season. The Orange claimed its first ACC Championship and earned a program-best No. 6 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Syracuse made its first appearance in the Elite Eight, where it defeated Boston College, 1-0, to advance to the College Cup.

Syracuse University Athletics

'Cuse Ranks 11th in NACDA Directors' Cup Spring Standings

Players Mentioned

Dylan Donahue

Gabriela Knutson

Nicole Levy

Halle Majorana

Nick Mariano

Brandon Mullins

Valeria Salazar

Sergio Salcido

Anna Shkudun

Kayla Treanor

Ben Williams

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