In the 2002-2003 Power Ranking, Yale athletics nearly earned more points than Princeton and Harvard combined. Unfortunately, because the lowest score wins, Yale’s 9.67 was only good enough for fifth place.

The annual Power Ranking is based on a combination of three factors: the Sears Cup Rank, the U.S. News and World Report annual ranking, and student-athlete graduation rates.

Yale finished third in the U.S. News and World Report rankings, ninth in the Sears Cup, and seventh in student-athlete graduation rates.

Because the computation of the Power Ranking employs other widely-known rankings, its singular importance remains tenuous. Yale Athletics Director Tom Beckett and Associate Athletics Director Barbara Chesler were unfamiliar with Yale’s No. 5 Power Ranking and chose not to comment.

In total, Yale trailed Princeton (3.00), Harvard (4.33), Williams (5.33) and Amherst (7.67). The National Collegiate Scouting Association (NCSA) compiles the Power Ranking.

“Overall, it’s great to be in the top five,” said Steve Conn, Yale’s director of sports publicity. “Harvard and Princeton are ahead of us because they have won more championships. Yale has been averaging a handful of championships, while they have been getting two hands’ worth.”

The NCSA was founded in 1996 by Chris Krause, a former Vanderbilt University football player. The NCSA is a scouting service that matches high school students with universities based on athletics and academics.

Currently, over 50,000 coaches rely on the NCSA for recruiting.

The Sears Directors Cup began in 1993 to evaluate various athletics departments in the NCAA.

The Sears Directors Cup ranked the Ivy League sixth overall as a collegiate sports division, behind notable conferences such as the Pac-10 and Big 10.

The Directors Cup Ranking is based on points awarded for teams that advance to NCAA Championship play. The NCSA also calculated the student-athlete graduation rates; students were permitted up to six years to graduate.

The nationwide graduation rate is 58 percent, according to the NCSA Web site.

Graduation rates, however, are not a problem for Yale, Conn said.

“Yale is among the best and on par with other teams, but not in terms of championships,” he said.

Large universities with a large emphasis on athletics, such as Stanford and Duke, finished stronger in the Directors Cup Ranking.

Stanford placed first in the Directors Cup Ranking after winning multiple NCAA championships. However, the Cardinal finished three spots behind Yale in the NCSA Power Ranking at No. 8.

Yale finished 69th in the Directors Cup during the 2001-2002 season, while Princeton claimed the 21st spot.

Princeton’s perennial success in men’s and women’s lacrosse has boosted the Tigers’ standing in the Directors Cup.