CLEVELAND, Ohio --- After one uncharacteristic finish, Biola is back among the top 10 percent of all the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletic schools in the annual Learfield Sports Directors' Cup rankings.
 
The Eagles earned an 18^th place finish in the program that ranks the best overall intercollegiate athletics programs in the country based off of finishes at sponsored national championships and in the final coaches' polls. There were 189 programs eligible for the 2013-14 Learfield Sports Directors' Cup.
 
Biola finished among the top-20 schools for four consecutive seasons before falling just outside the mark last season, but it got back on track thanks to some solid national finishes from Volleyball, Men's Soccer, Cross Country, Track & Field, Swimming & Diving and Softball.

The Eagles were able to rack up 502.50 total points in the competition, by combining their 12 best finishes from the year. Oklahoma Baptist took first place for the second consecutive season by racking up an astounding 907.50 total points.
 
Four Golden State Athletic Conference programs placed inside the top-20 in the nation, with Concordia leading the way with a seventh-place finish. The Eagles had the third most points in the conference, getting sandwiched between Vanguard (12^th) and Westmont (19^th).
 
The Directors' Cup standings are released seven times each year, and Biola found itself ranked as high as No. 5 and as low as No. 22 at different points throughout the year. Its best season was the winter, with men and women's swimming & diving and men and women's indoor track & field reeling in 219.50 points. That total was the 10^th best during that season among NAIA schools.
 
Biola also recently found out its finish in the annual GSAC All-Sports Award presented by Duke's in Huntington Beach. The Eagles finished in fourth-place in the conference by attaining an average point total of 6.54.
 
Schools are awarded eight points for winning the conference title, seven points for placing second and so on down the line. Schools are also given one point for each sport they sponsor in the conference. The total points are then divided by each school's number of GSAC-sponsored sports to arrive at the scoring average.
 
Westmont won the All-Sports Award for the second consecutive season by accumulating an average point tally of 6.83 in their 12 GSAC sports. It was a photo finish, with Concordia coming in as the runner-up with a 6.81 average across its 13 sports.
 
Vanguard earned a 6.77 in its 13 sports to place third, with the Eagles getting their 6.54 across 13 sports to finish in fourth. Biola finished in fifth-place following the 2012-13 season. In both of the last two seasons the Eagles sat atop the standings after the fall season, but could not withstand the winter and spring prowess of the other programs in the conference.