How good was Furman\u2019s overall athletics performance in 2017-18?<\/p>\n
The Paladins finished 73rd<\/sup> among 291 NCAA Division I qualifying schools in the Learfield Sports\u2019 Directors\u2019 Cup competition. That was not only the best finish among Southern Conference schools, it was third best in the state (behind Clemson and South Carolina) and ahead of such programs as Boston College (95), Pittsburgh (111) and Georgia Tech (121).<\/p>\n It was Furman\u2019s best finish ever in the competition, topping the previous high of 86th recorded during the 2001-02 school year.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was an excellent year for our student-athletes and coaches,\u201d said Furman director of athletics Mike Buddie.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m thrilled to have been able to see our young men and women compete so well and to be recognized for their achievements.\u00a0 Furman is blessed to have so many coaches, faculty. and staff members who are committed to providing our students a phenomenal experience while on campus.\u201d<\/p>\n Stanford won the competition, and UCLA finished second, followed by Florida, USC, and Texas.\u00a0 South Carolina (26) and Clemson (52) were the only state schools to finish ahead of Furman, which topped all SoCon schools for the fourth consecutive year.<\/p>\n Finishes by other schools this year include, Navy (74), Colorado State (77), Yale (79), UConn (184),\u00a0 Butler (129), Samford (139), UNCG (173), Mercer (189), Bucknell (199), Wofford (201), Richmond (212), Elon (217), and Davidson (249).<\/p>\n The Learfield Directors\u2019 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\u2019s finish in up to 20 sports in Division I\u201410 men\u2019s and 10 women\u2019s.<\/p>\n Furman, which fields 20 sports, won the 2017-18 Germann Cup (women) and finished third in the Commissioner\u2019s Cup (men) in Southern Conference all-sports competitions.<\/p>\n The Paladins captured six SoCon team championships and advanced six teams into NCAA tournament competition, including its football squad, which finished a consensus No. 20 in two FCS polls.\u00a0 Furman\u2019s women\u2019s golf team posted an 11th place finish in the NCAA Championships, and All-American Allie Buchalski capped Furman\u2019s signal year with a national runner-up finish in the 5,000m.<\/p>\n Furman volleyball and women\u2019s tennis teams won SoCon regular season championships, and men\u2019s and women\u2019s cross country, women\u2019s tennis, and women\u2019s golf claimed league tournament crowns.<\/p>\n Paladin athletics produced five All-Americans, eight SoCon Players of the Year, seven SoCon Coaches of the Year, and 100 all-conference performers in 2017-18.<\/p>\n