Arkansas Leads SEC in Learfield Standings

A third-consecutive bowl appearance by the Razorback Football team has ranked Arkansas atop the Southeastern Conference and among the nation's best in the final fall 2016-17 Learfield Sports Directors' Cup Standings. Arkansas has earned 205 points and is No. 18 in the rankings released on Thursday by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of America (NACDA). The Directors' Cup tracks the nation's most successful intercollegiate athletics programs for their performances throughout the year.

Arkansas is one of only two SEC programs (Kentucky) listed in the top 25 of the current standings with only one other SEC program (Florida) ranking in the top 30. The standings released on Thursday included football, women's field hockey, men's water polo, men's and women's cross country and men's and women's soccer.

"Strong showings by our fall sports has placed the University of Arkansas in the lead of the SEC and in the top 20 in the final fall standings of the Directors Cup," said Jeff Long, vice chancellor and director of athletics. "To lead the most competitive all-sports conference in the nation is a tribute to our student-athletes, coaches, staff and all those who support our program. It was an exciting fall semester for Razorback fans as we watched as men's and women's cross country, soccer and football all return to the post-season. As we begin the spring semester, we look forward to more outstanding individual and team performances to come."

Faced with the most competitive home schedule in Razorback football history, Arkansas won seven games, including its first win over SEC Eastern Division Champion and No. 11 Florida in 34 years. The Razorbacks advanced to their third-consecutive bowl game playing ACC Coastal Champion Virginia Tech in the Belk Bowl. The loss to Virginia Tech was the first for coach Bret Bielema at Arkansas after back-to-back bowl victories. Arkansas tallied 25 points in the standings for its regular season performance and post-season appearance.

Arkansas head soccer coach Colby Hale led the Razorbacks to an historic 18-5-1 season marked by several program milestones, including finishing ranked No. 19 in the final National Soccer Coaches Association of America Top 25 poll. The Razorbacks secured wins over two top-five programs at home (No. 2 - Duke, No. 4 - Florida) as well as eight SEC victories and a nine-game home win streak, both school records.

The Razorbacks advanced to the championship match of the SEC Tournament, before falling to Florida, 2-1, in overtime. Arkansas then hosted its first NCAA Tournament match in program history, earning a thrilling 2-1 win over Memphis in overtime. The Hogs narrowly missed out on a return trip to the NCAA Round of 16 when they fell at Clemson in penalty kicks after battling to a scoreless game through regulation.

Arkansas continues to dominate the cross country scene with both the men and women winning the SEC Cross Country Championship before earning top-20 finishes at the NCAA Cross Country Championships in Terre Haute, Indiana.

The men's cross country team capped its season by returning to the top five of the NCAA Cross Country meet for the first time in a decade. Arkansas was led by the junior tandem of Alex George and Jack Bruce who both secured finishes inside the top 20. The Razorbacks' top-five team finish was their best performance since 2006 when they also placed fifth at the championships in Terre Haute. Arkansas earned 75 points for its fifth-place finish and now has ranked in the top 10 nationally in four of the past seven seasons.

Arkansas women's cross country raced to a 19th-place finish at the NCAA Cross Country Championship, earning 55 points. The Razorbacks were led by Taylor Werner who finished 16th in the individual race. Werner earned All-America honors and was the second-highest freshman finisher in the NCAA meet. Arkansas has now finished as a top-20 national cross country power five years in a row, dating back to its 14th-place finish at the 2011 national meet.

Last year in the 2015-16 Learfield Sports Directors' Cup, Arkansas tallied 820 points and finished 23rd, the eighth top 30 finish in the past nine years. The Razorbacks' also earned a top-25 finish in the final rankings for the sixth time since the previously independent men's and women's athletics programs were combined in 2008.

The Directors' Cup program has been tracking the success of the nation's top intercollegiate athletics programs since 1993-94.