June 14, 2018 LOGAN, Utah - Utah State Athletics is on track to record its best-ever finish in the Learfield Directors' Cup, as it is ranked No. 77 in the nation. The Aggies are currently among the top finishers in the Mountain West (fifth), above several Power Five institutions and all but one member of the American Athletic Conference.
"When you look at our position in the Learfield Cup standings - by far our best finish in the Cup's 25 years, it is an objective benchmark of our success on the fields of play," USU Vice President and Director of Athletics John Hartwell said. "Couple these results with our average student-athlete GPA for Fall 2017 and Spring 2018 of 3.25, which is the highest average student-athlete GPA ever at Utah State, and the result is the most successful athletic/academic year based on these categories in Utah State history.
"Our student-athletes, coaches, and administrators should be very proud of what was accomplished in the 2017-18 academic year. These successes should also be credited to our loyal Aggie fans, whose generous support of Utah State Athletics helped us achieve these heights," he continued. "While proud of these accomplishments, we look forward to even more success in the coming 2018-19 academic year!"
Utah State earned points in the spring from men's tennis and the men's and women's track & field programs as all three had strong showings at their respective NCAA Championships. The men's tennis team appeared in the first round of the NCAA Tournament for the second consecutive year and finished tied for 33rd in the nation, earning 25 points.
The track & field teams were paced by several All-American finishes, including first-team honors by Dillon Maggard (5k, 10k) and Sindri Gudmundsson (javelin). Seniors Clay Lambourne (800 meters) and Spencer Fehlberg (3,000-meter steeplechase) each earned second-team All-American honors en route to an 18th-place team finish at the championship, earning the Aggies 55.5 points in the Learfield standings.
On the women's side, junior Cierra Simmons crossed the finish line in the 3,000-meter steeplechase in eighth place at the NCAA Championships with a school-record time of 9:49.33, earning first-team All-American honors. The time also helped the Aggies finish 63rd at the Championships and led to 7.75 points for the Aggies toward the Learfield Cup.
Utah State picked up 43.5 points in the standings during the winter, following a 28th-place team finish at the 2018 NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships. Utah State was paced at the championships by a fifth-place finish from the men's distance medley relay team, composed of seniors Jordan Beutler, Brady Martin, Clay Lambourne and Dillon Maggard. Maggard also had a fifth-place individual finish in the 3,000-meter race with a time of 8:06.69 for first-team All-American honors.
Utah State will finish with a total of 265.25 points and is currently ranked No. 77 in the 285-team field. The Aggies are one of six schools in the Mountain West in the top 100, including Boise State (58), New Mexico (63), Air Force (66), Colorado State (76) and San Diego State (86).
The Learfield 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 NCAA Championships.
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