Nebraska athletics finished 40^th overall – ninth in the Big Ten – in the final Learfield Sports Director’s Cup standings released June 26. It’s the Huskers’ lowest finish the points-based chart since the Cup standings started in 1994. It’s the fourth NU finish in the 30s or lower since 2008. This year, Nebraska finished behind an Ivy League school, Princeton.

Each NCAA-sanctioned sport is measured in the Director’s Cup. The national champion receives 100 points. Based on the amount of competition and national finish, teams earn points in increments down to zero. Teams that fail to make the NCAA Tournament in basketball, for example, receive zero points.

Nebraska’s top five scoring teams, plus ties:

• women’s gymnastics: 68.25
• men’s outdoor track and field: 63
• women’s bowling: 55
• wrestling: 52.5
• women’s tennis: 50
• football: 50
• volleyball: 50
• men’s indoor track and field: 50

The Huskers have not finished in the top ten in more than decade. You’ll recall that former athletic director Bill Byrne focused on a high finish in the Director’s Cup, and while NU never beat frequent champ Stanford – which dominates in a variety of smaller “Olympic” sports – it held its own.