Nov. 28, 2008

LOWELL - UMass Lowell, behind the stellar efforts of its field hockey and men and women's cross country teams, is currently in third place in the first fall release of the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) Division II Directors' Cup Standings.

UMass Lowell's current standing, 171 points, matches UMass Lowell's highest perch ever in the Directors Cup, which could improve behind the success of the River Hawk men's soccer team, which recently advanced to the NCAA Tournament East Region Championship/Quarterfinal.

The University ascended to third in the 2004 standings when five fall teams - men's soccer, field hockey, men and women's cross country and volleyball - advanced to NCAA Tournaments.

UMass Lowell is the highest-ranked team among both Northeast-10 Conference and NCAA East Region teams. Stonehill, with 67 points, is next highest at No. 19.

Adams State (CO) leads the standings with 200 points while Western State (CO) is second with 175 points.

The Directors' Cup points system is based on teams' success in NCAA Tournaments.

The field hockey team (20-5) advanced to the NCAA Championship game for the second straight year and fourth time in six years, where it lost to Bloomsburg University, 6-2. Along the way, however, the River Hawks captured the Northeast-10 Conference regular season title for the third time in four years.

UMass Lowell's men and women's cross country teams each enjoyed special years as both won the NE-10 Championship as well as the NCAA East Region Championships.

At the NCAA Championship, the men placed 13th while the women took 22nd.

The final fall standings are be released in mid-December.