Penn State tacked another national accolade onto its successful athletic season Tuesday, earning a top 20 finish in the Learfield Sports Directors' Cup standings -- the 14th time Penn State has received such a distinction in the past 16 years.

More than 300 Division I schools were eligible for the Cup in the 2008-09 year, and Penn State ranked No. 19, finishing in the Top 25 for their 16th consecutive year, according to the athletic department Web site.

The Nittany Lions made the cut along with four other Big Ten rivals, Michigan (5), Ohio State (10), Minnesota (14) and Illinois (20).

In the Spring 2009 season alone, Penn State men's volleyball, women's outdoor track and field and the men's golf team advanced to the NCAA Championships, and a combined 13 student-athletes from the men's volleyball and women's outdoor track and field teams were awarded All-American honors .

Penn State Assistant Athletic Director of Communications Jeff Nelson said making the list again shows how much continual athletic success Penn State has had throughout the years.

"The schools that are near the top are the one's that are excelling in a number of different sports across the board," Nelson said. "We're very pleased to be in the Top 20 once again this year."

However, Penn State is also looking for its athletes to succeed off the field, Nelson said.

"We want to be recognized as one of the premier institutions in terms of the academic and athletic success of our student athletes," he said. "If someone really took a good hard look at it, you would find very few schools that would be in the same category as Penn State."

Nelson credited Penn State Athletic Director Tim Curley for leading the Lions in the right direction.

"Tim just has a great passion for Penn State and for making the athletic department and the university the very best that it can be," Nelson said. "His goal, as it is every year, is for Penn State, one day, to win the Directors' Cup. That's a driving force for him to make Penn State as successful as possible."

Curley did not immediately return calls for comment.