Dec. 1, 2011

WASHINGTON - Georgetown is ranked No. 5 nationally after the first set of fall Division I Learfield Sports Directors Cup Standings. The Hoyas rank No. 5 and are second among all BIG EAST Conference schools.

The Hoyas earned the No. 5 ranking after the women's cross country team won the NCAA Division I National Championship to earn 100 points and with the men's cross country team finishing in 17th place, earning 40 points.

The top four places were occupied by Stanford, Syracuse, Michigan and Colorado, with the Blue & Gray rounding out the top-five teams.

It is the second-straight year the Georgetown program has been recognized among the top during the first sets of rankings. In 2010, the Hoyas were No. 13 after strong showings from the cross country teams at the NCAA Championships (women's cross country placed fourth and the men finished 29th), and then moved up to No. 7 after the women's soccer team advanced to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament.

"It was another great fall for the Hoyas on the Hilltop," Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Lee Reed said. "We're very proud of the work that our student-athletes and coaches have done and to be able to add a national championship in women's cross country is an unbelievable achievement. We're looking forward to continued success for the rest of the year."

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 20 sports - 10 women's and 10 men's.