Park got 53 points from both its women's soccer and softball teams to finish with 155, landing the Pirates at No. 78 in the 2008-09 Learfield Sports NAIA Directors Cup standings.

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CLEVELAND, Ohio – Park University added 53 points from its softball national tournament appearance, adding to 102 points gathered among three fall sports teams to finish 78th in the 2008-09 Learfield Sports NAIA Directors’ Cup Standings, announced Friday by NAIA officials in conjunction with the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) convention in Orlando, Fla.

Park’s No. 78 finish was better than 209 NAIA institutions, as 192 of the NAIA’s 287 member schools registered points in the standings. The Cup, which awards points based on an institution’s postseason finish in up to 12 sports, was developed as a joint effort between NACDA and the USA Today.

The Pirates’ 155-point journey began in the fall season, when the Park women’s cross country squad finished 25th in the NAIA championship in Kenosha, Wisc., earning the first 24 points of the fall season.

Men’s soccer’s appearance in the NAIA opening round grabbed 25 points for the Pirates, and the women’s soccer squad matched the softball team’s total of 53, adding to 102 total points in the fall season. Through the fall campaign, Park was No. 27 on the list, falling later to No. 75 after the winter sports standings were released.

Azusa Pacific claimed the Directors’ Cup for an NAIA-record fifth academic year in 2008-09. Park was second among schools from the MCAC, while the Pirates’ upcoming conference, the AMC, placed two in the cup’s top 60.

Townsend Trophy rival William Jewell finished at No. 92 in the standings, which was the fourth-best placing among nearby Heart of America Athletic Conference institutions. Jewell finished behind MidAmerica Nazarene in the HAAC standings, as the Pioneers were 82nd on the list.

The 2009-10 Learfield Sports NAIA Directors’ Cup race gets underway for Park University on Aug. 29, when the men’s and women’s soccer teams host Avila University to open the school’s first season back in the American Midwest Conference since 1999-2000.

For more 2009-10 Park University athletics information, visit www.parkathletics.com.