NEW HAVEN, Conn. – One of the finest years in the history of the Southern Connecticut State University athletics program has culminated in a No. 25 final ranking out of more than 300 institutions in the Learfield Sports Directors' Cup rankings. The mark is the highest in department history and marked the fifth straight year that the Owls have placed among the top-20 percent of all Division I:I programs in the rankings. Ten of the 19 programs at SCSU participated in NCAA action during the 2010-11 academic year. Southern Connecticut also had the highest mark of any school in the Northeast-10 Conference.

The Owls capped the academic year with an outstanding spring season. The baseball team reached the national semifinals for the first time in school history, while the men's outdoor track and field team posted a ninth place finish at the NCAA Championships. In addition, the softball team also reached the regional finals for the second consecutive year.

Southern Connecticut finished No. 30 in the rankings in 2006-07, No. 46 in 2007-08, No. 56 in 2008-09 and No. 42 in 2009-10.

The top school in each NCAA Division, along with the NAIA, is annually presented with the Directors' Cup.

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 an institution's finish in up to 14 sports – seven women's and seven men's.