Points are available for all sports in which the NCAA offers a championship, and are awarded based on a team's performance in the National Tournament. The team that wins the National Championship gets 100 points, and with regard to the size of the field in the tournament, the remaining teams earn points according to their places. The points earned by a team get added to its school's total. At the end of the year, the school with the most points wins the Directors' Cup.
Last year, Amherst took 11th place, and was the fourth NESCAC school. After this past fall season, Amherst jumped to fourth, and was the top NESCAC school. Now, a season later, and with 602.25 points, the Jeffs are still in fourth place, but NESCAC opponents have claimed the top two spots.
Williams College won the Directors' Cup in 2005-06, and is looking for a repeat performance this year. The Ephs have leapfrogged from sixth place in the fall to the top spot after the winter season with 704.5 points. Middlebury College also squeezed past the Jeffs into second place with 664.5 points. The Panthers have improved on their eighth-place ranking from the fall.
Even though two conference rivals have pushed ahead of the Jeffs in the standings, 2006-07 continues to be a great year for Amherst sports. The men's basketball team took the top prize of 100 points after winning the National Championship. The women's swimming and diving team contributed 90 points with its second-place finish. Cracking the Final Four, the women's ice hockey team provided 55 points. Rounding out Amherst's squads finishing in the top 10 in the nation, the women's track and field team secured 71.25 points for its seventh-place finish. The men's swimming and diving team also added 23 points after placing 51st at Nationals.
Last spring, Amherst racked up 229 points. Now, the Jeffs will look to improve on that number in their quest to dethrone the Ephs.