CLEVELAND - The 2025-26Â Learfield Directors' Cup season is coming to a close in the next few weeks and we have finalized two NCAA winning institutions and the winning NAIA institution:
- Division II - Grand Valley State University
- Division III - Washington University in St. Louis
- NAIA - Cumberlands (Kentucky)
- Division I - Due to track and field and baseball still competing over the next few weeks, we will not have final standings for Division I until after the baseball championship in late June. The standings do not include any potential points that will be removed due to the maximum number of 19 total sports counted in the final standings.
Complete Release ----- For the 18
th time in the Learfield Directors' Cup history,
Grand Valley State University (GVSU) will take home the hardware after compiling 1,089.75 total points in 20 total sports, including three of the four sports that must be counted. The Lakers took home the title in women's basketball, women's cross country and men's outdoor track and field. Due to scoring in the max number of 11 additional sports being counted, the following scores were omitted in the final total – women's soccer, men's swimming and diving, women's lacrosse, men's tennis and women's outdoor track and field.
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Complete Release ----- –
Washington University in St. Louis becomes just the eighth different institution to take home the Learfield Directors' Cup, capturing first for the 2025-26 year with 1,266.50 overall points. The Bears have finished as high as second on four separate occasions (2017, 2016, 2012 and 2008). WashU scored in 18 total sports (all 4 countable sports), including 13 teams with top 10 finishes. The Bears claimed the title in women's soccer and women's indoor track and field.
Complete Release -----Â For the third-straight year,
Cumberlands (Kentucky) finishes first in the Learfield Directors' Cup standings with 1,021 total points.
Overall, Cumberlands scored in 24 total sports, including all 4 sports that must be counted towards the final standings (women's basketball, men's soccer, and women's volleyball). 11 sports were omitted in the final standings – women's cross country, women's indoor track and field, women's wrestling, men's wrestling, baseball, men's golf, women's lacrosse, men's lacrosse, softball, women's tennis and men's tennis - due to Cumberlands scoring in more (18) than the maximum number of countable sports allowed (9). The Patriots took home the national championship in men's outdoor track and field and earned four runner-up finishes –women's soccer, men's swimming and diving, men's indoor track and field, and women's outdoor track and field.
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Complete Release -----Â Due to track and field and baseball still competing over the next few weeks, we will not have final standings for Division I until after the baseball championship in late June. The standings do not include any potential points that will be removed due to the maximum number of 19 total sports counted in the final standings.Â
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As a reminder
, 19 total sports are counted for the final standings including the five countable sports (men's and women's basketball, baseball, women's soccer and women's volleyball), and the next highest 14 (max.) sports scored for each institution, regardless of gender.
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The top five institutions in the standings are currently
Stanford,
North Carolina,
Texas,
Virginia and
UCLA.
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.
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Please note, standings published midseason are unofficial. Official standings will be published upon the completion of the spring season. Complete standings and the scoring structure can be found on NACDA's website atÂ
www.directorscup.org. In addition, please visitÂ
www.thedirectorscup.com and follow us on TwitterÂ
@ldirectorscup.
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About Learfield: Learfield is the leading media and technology company powering college athletics. Through its digital and physical platforms, Learfield owns and leverages a deep data set and relationships in the industry to drive revenue, growth, brand awareness, and fan engagement for brands, sports, and entertainment properties. With ties to over 1,200 collegiate institutions and over 12,000 local and national brand partners, Learfield's presence in college sports and live events delivers influence and maximizes reach to target audiences. With solutions for a 365-day, 24/7 fan experience, Learfield enables schools and brands to connect with fans through licensed merchandise, game ticketing, donor identification for athletic programs, exclusive custom content, innovative marketing initiatives, NIL solutions, and advanced digital platforms. Since 2008, it has served as title sponsor for the acclaimed Learfield Directors' Cup, supporting athletic departments across all divisions.
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