12 November 2008

United States Sports Academy Trustee Dr. Gary Cunningham will present Azusa Pacific University (APU) with the Academy Directors' Cup award for the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) division Saturday, 15 November at a banquet to honor 2008 Olympic Decathlon champion and APU alumnus Bryan Clay.

Developed as a joint effort between USA Today and the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics and sponsored by the Academy, the Directors' Cup program is the only all-sports competition that recognizes an institution from each of the four main collegiate divisions for having the best overall men's and women's athletics program.

Azusa won the award for the fourth straight year after placing in 14 postseason championships and earning points in six men's and six women's sports, the maximum allowed in the NAIA division. The Cougars earned three individual championships, taking the titles in men's soccer and men's indoor and outdoor track and field. Azusa Pacific also placed second in women's indoor track and field and women's soccer, third in men's tennis, fourth in women's outdoor track and field, fifth in men's basketball and women's tennis, sixth in women's cross country, seventh in baseball and 58th in women's volleyball.

"[The Directors' Cup] makes spring a real exciting time of the year when you can go and look at the points and see if it's a possibility," said Azusa's Director of Athletics, Bill Odell.