CLEVELAND, Ohio --- The first edition of the 2014-15 Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup standings was released Thursday, with Biola ranked as the No. 22 athletic department in the nation.

The Directors’ Cup ranks institutions based on its national rankings in each varsity sport it competes in. A point value is awarded based off of each ranking and the institutions with the highest rankings receive the most points. The cumulative point totals decide the Directors’ Cup rankings.

CSU San Marcos, in its last season as a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, sits atop the fall standings in the race for the Directors’ Cup. They Cougars accumulated 222 total points, thanks in large part to their top-10 finishes in men and women’s cross country and women’s soccer.

Biola sits right in the middle of the five Golden State Athletic Conference programs that appear on this list of 104 schools. The Master’s College leads the conference with 172 points and a No. 9 overall ranking. Vanguard is next with 159 points and a No. 13 ranking. Then comes Biola (136 points), Concordia (25th – 126 points) and Westmont (27th – 123.5 points).

Eighty-three of Biola’s 136 points came from its third-place national finish in volleyball. The other 53 came from the 21st-place finish by women’s cross country.

Biola was ranked No. 7 in the fall edition of the 2013-14 Directors’ Cup standings and finished last season at No. 18 in the nation.

More information about the Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup can be found at http://thedirectorscup.com/.