Chalk up one more for the Nittany Lions. A USA Today/Directors' Cup survey, compiled by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics, currently ranks Penn State as having the No. 1 intercollegiate athletic program in the country.

The ranking was based on fall season finishes of the 10 most popular sports for men and women, with the highest finish in a wild-card spot. Penn State competed against 64 other schools in the survey, so a first-place finish granted a school 64 points, while a second-place finish granted 63.

The survey reflects the winning records of Penn State's six nationally-ranked teams. The men's cross country team finished 14th at the NCAA championships at Lehigh University, while the women's team took seventh.

The Lady Lion field hockey team lost to North Carolina at the NCAA Tournament semifinals, but finished out the season with a Big Ten Championship and a top-four national ranking. The No. 7 football team went to Orlando as underdogs, but trounced Tennessee 31-13 at the CompUSA Florida Citrus Bowl on New Year's Day.

Barry Gorman's soccer team lost to Princeton in the second round of the NCAA tournament, but still managed to claim a top-10 finish. After capturing a Big Ten Championship, the women's volleyball team qualified for its first Final Four Tournament, where it beat No. 4 Bringham Young in the semifinals.

"It's a rousing endorsement both for our coaches and student athletes," said L. Budd Thalman, associate athletic director for communications. "There's a little luck invloved and a little skill involved; we believe more skill than luck."

Penn State racked up 344 points in the survey, while the closest runner-up was Notre Dame with 324.5 points. The Wisconsin Badgers followed in third place with 272.5 points.

Athletic Director Tim Curley credited all of the student athletes, coaches and support staffs with the University's success.

"It's very pleasing and promising," he said.