Continuing through one of its most successful sports seasons in recent memory, Biola University remained third in the NACDA Directors' Cup Standings after the winter sports season released on Wednesday, March 24, 2010.

The Eagles scored 302 points in the winter standings for a total of 521.33 points overall.

Biola received strong showings from a number of its winter sports teams to remain near the top of the Directors' Cup Standings. The Eagles men's basketball team reached the NAIA Quarterfinals to earn 70 points, finishing the season with a 29-6 overall record.

Buoyed by three individual national championships from Natasha Miller, the Biola women's indoor track and field team placed fifth overall, earning 75 points. It was the highest finish in the program's history.

The men's and women's swimming and diving teams also placed high at the NAIA Championships. The women placed seventh overall to earn 69 points while the men took ninth with 63 points. The Eagles also saw their first NAIA individual swim champion as April Smith came from way behind to win the 200 breaststroke.

The Biola women's basketball team made a return trip to the NAIA Tournament, finishing with a 20-12 record and earning 25 points for its first-round appearance.

The GSAC was well represented again in the Directors' Cup standings. Azusa Pacific was in first place overall with 663 points with Fresno Pacific in fifth with 485. Concordia-Irvine moved into eighth place with 414 points while California Baptist sat in 11th place overall with 393.5 points.

Simon Fraser (B.C.), who led the standings after the fall sports season, moved into second place with 583.5 points.

The Eagles turned a lot of heads with a third place ranking after the fall sports season, one of the most successful in school history.

The women's cross country team became the first Biola sport to finish as high as second place in the NAIA since 1997. The Eagles, who entered the race ranked No. 4 in the final ratings, finished just three points out of first place. Biola should have another strong season next year, returning all seven of its runners from the championship race.

The men's soccer team was the biggest surprise of the year so far, challenging for the conference title and reaching the NAIA Quarterfinals. It was the first NAIA Tournament appearance for the Eagles since 1987 and the furthest the team had ever advanced in the tournament. Biola wrapped up the year with a 13-5-4 record overall.

The Biola volleyball squad also had a successful run, reaching the NAIA Tournament for the third-straight season. The Eagles finished the year ranked No. 10 in the final ratings. Biola wrapped up the season with a record of 23-11.

Biola's 2008-09 Directors' Cup finish was its best finish since the award began in 1995-96, and the fourth Top-20 finish overall. The Eagles were 14th after the fall season, jumping up to seventh after a strong winter performance and finished 16th with 519.25 points.

The Learfield Sports Directors' Cup was developed as a joint effort between the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) and USA Today. Points are awarded based on each institution's finish in up to 14 sports--seven women's and seven men's.

Click here for the final winter NAIA Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup Standings (as of 03/27/10).

The first spring NAIA standings will be released Thursday, June 3, 2010, with the final standings due out on Wednesday, June 23, 2010.

Please note, standings published midseason are unofficial. Official standings will be published upon the completion of the spring season. Complete standings and the scoring structure can be found on NACDA’s Web site at www.nacda.com.