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Coming off a program-best 19th place finish in last year’s Director’s Cup standings, we knew it would be a challenge for the Syracuse Orange to improve in 2016-17. But the latest rankings show the Orange are off to a strong start.
In the second update of the year, Syracuse is in fifth place with 209 points. This puts the Orange as the second-highest ACC school, trailing only the fourth-place Virginia Cavaliers (244 points). The perennial champion Stanford Cardinal currently lead with 340 points.
Syracuse earned 85 points from the men’s cross-country team’s third place finish. The Orange field hockey team added 60 points and were credited with a fifth-place finish this year. SU’s men’s soccer team captured 64 Director’s Cup points for their ninth-place finish. Last year, those three teams contributed two NCAA titles and a Final Four appearance, so matching that in 2016 was a difficult chore. Each program was able to respond to the expectations with very strong seasons and we celebrate their accomplishments.
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The next two Director’s Cup updates will be for women’s volleyball and football, so look for the Orange to drop back in the standings a bit. It will fall on track and field, basketball and women’s ice hockey to add to the Syracuse total for the March and April updates. Can the Orange repeat its basketball Final Four appearances? Will the Syracuse Ice Hockey program earn their first NCAA appearance? Stay tuned to TNIAAM throughout the year for Director’s Cup updates.