PORTLAND, Ore. --- After a historical cross country campaign, University of Portland athletics ranks No. 6 in the country in the initial Learfield Directors' Cup Standings, which were released on Thursday morning. Portland is the highest ranked athletics department that doesn't feature a football program.
 
Portland's No. 6 ranking is boosted by the men's and women's cross country teams' historical performances at the 2018 NCAA National Championship.
 
The men's team finished third at the championships, marking the third time in five years that the Pilots have finished on the podium (top three finish). Three Pilots earned All-America honors, tying the program record set last season. Junior Emmanuel Roudolff-Levisse placed 21st to lead Portland and garner his second cross country All-America award. Senior Logan Orndorff crossed the line in 25th place for his first All-America honor, while senior Nick Hauger placed 40th for his second award in as many years. The third-place finish caps a phenomenal season that featured Portland winning its third NCAA West Regional title (1993, 2017).
 
Entering the meet ranked 23rd nationally, the Portland women produced a program-best 12th-place finish at the 2018 NCAA Cross Country Championships. Seniors Lauren LaRocco and Taryn Rawlings led the team earning All-America honors, with LaRocco setting a program record by finishing 13th individually. Portland earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Championships for the second time in program history after placing fifth at the NCAA West Regional.
 
The Learfield 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 each institution's finish in NCAA Championships, and the overall champion is the institution that records the highest number of points in their division's Directors' Cup standings.
 
The next Division I and NAIA fall standings will be released Thursday, December 13.