CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Washington University in St. Louis athletic department finished fourth in the Learfield Directors' Cup final standings, as announced by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) on Tuesday.
This marks the 20
th-straight year that the Bears have finished in the Top 10 of the Directors' Cup (there were no standings for 2019-20 and 2020-21 due to COVID-19). It is the highest finish in the final poll since 2019 when WashU finished third.
"I am so proud of the staff, the student-athletes, coaches, our University leadership, the W Club and the numerous talented individuals who came before us, to be a part of the successful two decades we have been in the Top 10 of the Directors' Cup," said Associate Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs and Director of Athletics
Anthony J. Azama. "Sustaining excellence requires commitment to values and good stewardship of resources while simultaneously ensuring our young people graduate ready for lifelong success. WashU is a special place for student-athletes who want to become and graduate a Scholar-Champion. What a competitive conference as four UAA schools finished in the top 10 of the Directors' Cup out of 425 NCAA DIII institutions."
The Bears collected 1,044.75 points, highlighted by two national championships in women's soccer and women's tennis.
In total, 15 WashU programs reached the postseason, earning points in baseball (37.5), women's golf (75), softball (50), women's tennis (100), women's outdoor track and field (90) men's outdoor track and field (65.25), men's basketball (83), men's swimming and diving (70.5), women's swimming and diving (53.5), women's indoor track and field (90), men's indoor track and field (52.5), women's soccer (100), women's cross country (67.5), men's cross country (60) and volleyball (50).
Overall, 18 sports are counted in the final DIII standings, four of which must be men's and women's soccer and men's and women's basketball. The next highest (14 max.) sports scored for each institution, regardless of gender, are used in the standings.
Final Standings (Top 10):
- Emory – 1,198.75 (UAA)
- Johns Hopkins – 1,147.00
- Tufts – 1,069.00
- WashU – 1,044.75 (UAA)
- Middlebury – 971.75
- MIT – 943.50
- Amherst – 933.25
- NYU – 880.50 (UAA)
- Chicago – 856.50 (UAA)
- UW-La Crosse – 856.00
About the Learfield Directors' Cup
The Directors' Cup is widely considered the ultimate measurement of overall athletic program success in collegiate sports. It 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.
