BABSON PARK, Mass.—The Babson College Department of Athletics and Recreation remained ranked among the best 50 NCAA Division III institutions in the nation for the third consecutive year with a 49th-place finish in this week's LEARFIELD Directors' Cup standings. The Beavers placed 44th last year and 40th the year before that.
With 430 Division III colleges and universities, the LEARFIELD Directors' Cup is awarded annually to the nation's best overall collegiate athletics program. Each institution is awarded points in a predetermined number of sports for men and women.
The Division III program began in 1995-96 by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) and USA TODAY, and it has since grown into a highly recognized mark of distinction among collegiate institutions.
With a total of 366 points, the Beavers posted their fourth-best finish in department history (highest placement of 23rd in 2016-17), including 158 between four teams in the spring.
Among the 12 New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) institutions, Babson placed second behind seventh-ranked MIT.
Men's and women's lacrosse led the spring charge by both advancing to the NCAA Tournament Round of 16 in the same season for the first time. Each squad earned an opening round bye before emerging victorious in the next round, as the men defeated Denison and the women knocked off Stevens. Both captured NEWMAC Tournament titles.
Also securing a conference tournament championship was baseball, as the Beavers needed to win three straight elimination games to be crowned champions and earn an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament. Babson hosted one of 16 regional tournaments across the country.
Rounding out the Green and White's spring point total hailed from men's outdoor track & field, as senior shot putter
Eric Bottern (Saint Paul, Minn.) placed eighth nationally.
For the first time in school annals, the Beavers had field hockey, men's and women's soccer, and women's volleyball pick up points in the fall, led by field hockey's second NCAA Tournament Final Four appearance in program history.
In the winter, men's basketball advanced to the national tournament via a second straight NEWMAC Tournament championship.
Additionally, Babson also had individual athletes compete in NCAA women's tennis and men's track & field championships, including junior Olivia Soffer (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) and sophomore Matia Cristiani (San Salvador, El Salvador) claiming the doubles national title for the school for the first time ever.
Men's and women's alpine skiing also sent both of its teams to the United States Collegiate Ski and Snowboard Association (USCSA) Championships.
