2009 Learfield Directors' Cup Standings
CLEVELAND, Ohio - Metro State's athletic teams capped off their most successful year in school history by finishing 13th nationally in the 2008-09 Learfield Sports Directors' Cup standings, rating the success of 232 NCAA Division II schools in the country. The standings are determined by a scoring system that ranks success at the national level in
27 sports. Each school is scored on only 14 of those 27 sports to ensure equality among schools that sponsor a different number of sports. This was Metro State's highest final ranking in school history. Its previous best year was in 1999 as the Roadrunners finished in 22nd place.
Eleven of Metro State's 15 varsity sports qualified for NCAA postseason play during the 2008-09 year. Additionally, Metro State was just one of two schools (Grand Valley State being the other) to have all five of its fall sports reach the NCAA postseason. The Roadrunners also saw success in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, capturing four regular season conference championships and four more conference tournament titles. Roadrunner athletes earned 15 All-America, one Academic All-America and four RMAC Player of the Year honors.
The men's and women's soccer teams started the year off with a bang as the women's team, under first-year head coach Adrianne Almaraz, won the RMAC regular season and tournament championships and reached the NCAA semifinals. The men's squad finished second in the conference and made the semifinals of the NCAA regional tournament. The women's team has now reached the postseason seven years in a row, including national championships in 2004 and 2006. For the men, it was their third straight NCAA postseason appearance under head coach Ken Parsons. Women's defender
Nicole Cito (Littleton, Colo.) and men's forward
Kellen Johnson (Littleton, Colo.) were each named RMAC Player of the Year as well. Both players were among six fall sports student-athletes to earn All-America honors. The women's squad returns nine of its 11 starters in 2009, while the men bring back eight starters.
The women's volleyball team battled youth to still manage a second place finish in the RMAC and earn a trip to the NCAA Tournament. It was the ninth consecutive trip to the tournament for the Roadrunners in head coach Debbie Hendricks' ninth year at the helm. The Roadrunners won 10 of their final 11 regular season matches. The team will return all six of its starters, plus its libero for the 2009 season.
The men's and women's cross country teams also saw a lot of success in the fall, despite it being just the fourth year Metro State has had cross country. Each team made its first NCAA Championships appearance as the men finished 14th at the national championship meet, while the women took 19th.
Todd Tolentino (Brush, Colo.) became Metro State's first NCAA All-American in cross country, finishing ninth individually at the national meet. Each squad also finished fourth in the RMAC and fifth at the regional championship. The women's team will return five of its top six runners and the men's team will bring back four of its top seven for cross country/track head coach Pete Julian.
Success continued into the winter as Metro State had its first-ever national champion in track and the men's basketball team reached the NCAA Tournament for the 11th time in the past 12 years. Westminster, Colo., native
Anthony Luna won the national championship in the men's 800 meter run at the national indoor meet in March. Four other men's track members earned All-America honors as the distance medley relay team finished fifth at the NCAA championships. The women's squad also had two runners earn all-conference honors.
The men's basketball team, under third-year head coach Brannon Hays, cruised through the RMAC, winning the regular season conference title with a record of 18-1 and also captured the conference tournament championship. The season came to an end at the NCAA Tournament with a one-point loss to defending national champion Winona State (Minn.) to snap a 19-game winning streak.
Jesse Wagstaff (Canberra, Australia) was named RMAC Player of the Year and second team All-America for his play on the court, and also earned first team Academic All-America honors, graduating in May with a 4.00 GPA in civil engineering technology.
The women's squad lost two starters to injuries early in the season, but bounced back to finsh fifth in the RMAC with a record of 12-7 in conference games, surrendering the lead in the final 10 seconds of its quarterfinal conference tournament game to lose to the eventual tournament champion, Colorado State-Pueblo. The team was just hitting its stride before that loss, winning five of its final six regular season games with three wins coming on the road. The Roadrunners will return five of its top seven scorers for the 2009-10 season for head coach Linda Lappe's third year.
Metro State's softball team, in its second year of existence and with no seniors on its roster, won the RMAC regular season and tournament championships to reach the NCAA Tournament. The Roadrunners finished with a record of 40-12 overall and 29-7 in the conference for head coach Jen Fisher. The team tied the NCAA Division II record for home runs in a season with 98 and will return all 15 of its letterwinners for the 2010 season.
The men's and women's tennis teams both reached the NCAA Tournament in the spring. For the men, it was their fourth straight appearance and they reached the Round of 16, before falling to Drury (Mo.). They also won the regular season and conference tournament titles, while
Sascha Ruckelshausen (Milan, Italy) was named RMAC Player of the Year and RMAC Academic Player of the Year. The women's team, coming off of four consecutive sub-.500 seasons, made the NCAA Tournament for the fourth time in school history under first year head coach Beck Meares. The women knocked off top-seeded Mesa State in the second round of the RMAC Tournament, before falling to Nebraska-Kearney in the championship.
The Roadrunner baseball team posted its 10th winning season in the past 12 years under first year head coach Jerry Schemmel, going 28-24 this spring. Shortstop
Matt McConnell (Mesa, Ariz.) was drafted in the 36th round by the Philadelphia Phillies and was one of five players to earn All-RMAC honors. The team made the conference tournament for the fourth straight year, before losing to eventual champion Colorado State-Pueblo.
Finally, the men's and women's outdoor track teams wrapped up the spring with their best seasons in just the third year of the track program at Metro State. Luna won his second national championship of the year, capturing the outdoor 800 meter title. Teammate
Shawn Lindbom (Wiggins, Colo.) also earned All-America honors in the 800m, finishing fifth. Four other Roadrunners qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Championships, the most in school history. The women's team earned 13 all-conference awards at the RMAC Championships and the men's squad picked up 11 in addition to
Derek Fiorini (Westminster, Colo.) being named RMAC Freshman of the Year.
Luna will compete in the USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships this summer after qualifying for on Wednesday at the American Milers Club Series.
Metro State in the Learfield Sports Directors' Cup Standings
| Year |
Finish |
Points |
NCAA Tournament Teams |
| 1996 |
79th |
117.5 |
3 |
| 1997 |
t-110th |
91.5 |
3 |
| 1998 |
t-67th |
80 |
5 |
| 1999 |
t-22nd |
160 |
6 |
| 2000 |
t-57th |
166 |
4 (1 team national championship-M. Basketball) |
| 2001 |
76th |
152.5 |
6 |
| 2002 |
t-38th |
258 |
5 (1 team national championship-M. Basketball) |
| 2003 |
31st |
352 |
6 |
| 2004 |
53rd |
253 |
4 (1 team national championship-W. Soccer) |
| 2005 |
t-71st |
223 |
4 |
| 2006 |
91st |
170 |
6 (1 team national championship-W. Soccer) |
| 2007 |
43rd |
350 |
10 |
| 2008 |
56th |
290 |
9 |
| 2009 |
13th |
479.95 |
11 (2 ind. national championships-M. Track) |