Directors' Cup Standings

CLEVELAND – TCNJ's outstanding overall athletic year resulted in a top-25 finish in the Learfield Directors' Cup.
 
The Lions placed 23^rd in the annual competition, which recognizes colleges and universities with the most overall success and competitive excellence. Points are awarded to institutions based on their teams' finishes in official NCAA and NAIA championship events.
 
Overall, up to 18 total sports may count towards the final Directors' Cup standings, four of which must be men's basketball and soccer, and women's basketball and soccer, leaving the next 14 highest points scored to also be counted.
 
TCNJ achieved its best Directors' Cup finish since placing 21^st in 2018, the only other top-25 year-end ranking in the last decade. The Lions moved up 18 spots from last year, jumping inside the top-30 for the first time since the 2017-18 athletic year. TCNJ ranked fifth-highest among public schools, behind only Wisconsin-La Crosse (No. 8), Rowan (No. 18), Christopher Newport (No. 21), and Salisbury (No. 22).
 
The Lions accumulated 623.75 points in the Directors' Cup, bolstered by a highly successful winter season in which five different programs placed in the top-20 (two in the top-10) at their respective NCAA Championships.
 
Wrestling led the way with 75 points via its 5^th-place showing, while men's indoor track & field collected 66.8 points from its 10^th-place finish. Men's swimming produced 66 points by taking 11^th at NCAAs, and women's indoor track & field picked up 56.5 points by finishing 17^th at nationals. Additionally, men's basketball netted 50 points by making the second round of the NCAA Tournament, and women's basketball's NCAA berth gave TCNJ 25 more points.
 
TCNJ racked up 339.25 points during the winter season, good for 6^th among all Division III institutions, and at its conclusion the Lions found themselves 18^th in the overall Directors' Cup standings.
 
In the spring, women's lacrosse paced the pride with 73 points from its run to the NCAA quarterfinals. Both men's and women's tennis served up 50 points from their NCAA second-round bids, and men's outdoor track and field's All-American relay was enough to score 37 points from a 34^th-place team finish.
 
The cross country teams combined for 74.5 points in the fall, 42 coming from the NJAC champion men's team.
 
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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.