Virginia finishes fifth in final Learfield Directors Cup standings

Sparked by NCAA titles in women's swimming and men's tennis, Virginia finished fifth in the final Learfield Directors Cup standings released Wednesday afternoon.

The Cavaliers compiled 1,148.75 points in the 19-sport survey, which measures postseason success at the NCAA tournament level. The Cavaliers trailed only Texas (1,322), Stanford (1,263.50), UCLA (1,199.25) and North Carolina (1,166.75).

It marked the third time in the past four years that the Cavaliers have finished in the top five of the Learfield standings. They have placed in the top 30 in all 33 years of the survey (excluding the COVID-shortened 2020-21 school year, in which no results were announced). Virginia's best finish was a third-place showing in 2009-10.

“This year brought extraordinary challenges, and we chose to see those challenges as an opportunity to elevate and further differentiate UVA,” Director of Athletics Carla Williams said in a statement on the school athletics website. “The fight in our coaches, staff and student-athletes is inspiring, and it uplifts the entire University community. We are grateful for the support we receive from everyone who loves UVA and we’re grateful for the opportunity to serve this outstanding institution.”

Virginia's women claimed their sixth consecutive NCAA team title, and the men's tennis squad won the seventh team crown in school history. The Cavaliers also got a fourth-place NCAA finish from their rowing team. Men's cross country placed ninth at their NCAA championship meet, men's swimming ninth and men's golf 11th. The women's basketball reached reached the Sweet 16 in its first NCAA appearance since 2018.

The Cavaliers also claimed five Atlantic Coast Conference team titles (women's swimming, men's cross country, men's golf, men's lacrosse and men's track and field).

Virginia equaled its highest NCAA Graduation Success Rate (GSR) at 96%. It was the third consecutive year that they were able to accomplish that.

Another outstanding stat to know is that 11 Virginia programs recorded perfect 100 percent GSR’s (men’s golf, men’s tennis, women’s basketball, women’s cross country and track & field, women’s golf, women’s lacrosse, women’s squash, women’s swimming & diving, women’s tennis, softball, and volleyball).

Looking ahead, UVA is going to look to improve on their results in next year's competition. Virginia is hoping to take another step under Tony Elliott, Ryan Odom seems primed to have men's basketball ready for a big season, and other sports are also primed for big seasons.

Let's see if UVA can top this year's standing.

Add us as a preferred source on Google