June 27, 2003

ACC competition for the 2002-2003 season officially ended five weeks ago with the baseball tournament. Carolina racked up a couple of big wins over Clemson and Florida State before getting knocked out of the double elimination event. So the year ended with UNC holding only four conference championships. That's the fewest since 1985, and marked the first time in 16 years the Tar Heels have not won as many or more than any other ACC opponent.

Duke, which won the Carlyle Cup in head-to-head competition against Carolina for the second time in three years, led the way with five league titles. Those came in men's and women's basketball, men's and women's tennis plus women's golf. Carolina, which had three runner-up finishes and one third place, earned its crowns in women's soccer, wrestling and women's indoor and outdoor track and field. The four championships were matched by Florida State and Virginia. No other conference member won more than two.

Then two weeks ago the final standings for the Directors' Cup were released. This trophy from NACDA (National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics), which has been presented since 1994, goes annually to the institution which displays the best overall balance in its total program. Carolina won the first award with Stanford a close second, but since then the Cardinal has dominated the competition with nine straight wins.

The standings are compiled based on each school's national ranking in various sports. This year Stanford beat out Ohio State by 255.7 points, the third biggest margin of victory. Michigan, Texas and Penn State rounded out the top five.

Carolina finished in eighth place. The Tar Heels were 10.25 points behind UCLA and only 2.25 points back of Florida. It was the second straight year and seventh year overall UNC has finished in the top ten.

In 1994, Carolina edged Stanford by 21.5 points for first place. The Tar Heels wound up second in 1995, 1997 and 1998. They were fourth in 2002, fifth in 2000 and sixth in 1996.

The two most disappointing finishes came in 1999 when UNC wound up 17th, and finished well back of Duke in seventh place and eighth place Virginia. In 2001, Carolina came in at number 15 or just one notch better than Duke.

The 1999 standings marked the only time other ACC programs finished in the top ten. Only eight other programs have made it into the top 20 during the last ten years.

Virginia was rated 18th this year, followed by Duke at number 20. Then in order came Maryland (22), Wake Forest (31), Florida State (37), N.C. State (42), Clemson (48) and Georgia Tech (53).

Just in case you might be interested, Miami (Florida) was 47th, Boston College wound up 62nd, Syracuse was 74th and Virginia Tech came in at 112.

And, by the way, Notre Dame was 13th.