Trinity Leads Seven SCAC Members Ranked in Final Learfield Sports Directors' Cup Standings

Trinity Leads Seven SCAC Members Ranked in Final Learfield Sports Directors' Cup Standings

CLEVELAND, Ohio – Led by Trinity University’s 22nd place finish, the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) placed seven institutions, including two in the top 80, in the prestigious 2023-24 Division III LEARFIELD Directors' Cup final standings in an announcement made Tuesday by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA). Complete Standings

The seven ranked SCAC institutions in the Division III LEARFIELD Directors' Cup final standings are the most by the conference since the league placed nine back in 2012. This year also marks the third consecutive year the SCAC has placed five or more schools in the final rankings, the first time such a feat has occurred since the league posted a streak of six-straight years from 2007-2012.

This year also marks the first time since 2019 the SCAC has placed two institutions inside the top 80 as Trinity was joined by Colorado College, who finished in a tie for 80th. The SCAC is one of just 21 NCAA Division III conferences that had at least two institutions finished ranked in the top 80. Other conferences included: American Rivers, CCIW, Centennial, Coast-To-Coast, HCAC, Landmark, Liberty League, MAC, MIAA, MIAC, NCAC, NESCAC, NEWMAC, NJAC, OAC, ODAC, SCIAC, SUNYAC, UAA and WIAC.

A total of 13 Trinity teams contributed to the department’s 594.00 points. The Tigers' volleyball team led the charge following it’s third-straight trip to the national quarterfinals, securing 73 points. This spring, Trinity's women's tennis team advanced to the round of 16 and finished in a tie for ninth to score 64 points.

Colorado College amassed 242.00 points and finished tied for 80th, the best finish for the Tigers since 2016-17 when they finished 77th. CC closed out the spring season with an additional 69 points after posting a tie for ninth in women’s lacrosse and earning five points for a 79th place in men’s track and field.

Schreiner University rounded out the top-three ranked SCAC schools finishing 216th with a total of 67.50 points. The Mountaineers were powered behind a top-10 finish from the men’s golf program this spring. Additionally, Austin College finished 237th in the standings with 54.00 total points, following a 20th-place finish at the women’s swimming and diving National Championships behind the strength of three All-American swims from Sammi Thiele.

Rounding out the SCAC teams represented in the Division III LEARFIELD Directors' Cup final standings are Centenary College, University of St. Thomas and Texas Lutheran University, who all tied for 240th in the standings with 50 total points each. Centenary added 25.00 additional points this spring following the baseball Gents' magical run to the NCAA Tournament, while TLU’s softball team finished tied for 17th to collect 50 points for the Bulldogs.

Johns Hopkins took the top spot in Division III for the second-straight year with 1,117.50 points, highlighted by a second-place finish in women’s field hockey and third-place finish in women’s indoor track & field. Williams finished second with 1,026.08 points, while Emory rounded out the top three in third with 1,009.00 total points.

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. 

After the completion of all 14 spring NCAA championships, the following institutions captured titles: baseball – Misericordia University; beach volleyball – Southern California; women's golf – Carnegie Mellon; men's golf – Methodist; women's lacrosse - Middlebury; men's lacrosse – Tufts; women's rowing - Tufts; softball – East Texas Baptist; women's tennis - UChicago; men's tennis – UChicago; women's track and field – WashU; men's track and field – Wisconsin La-Crosse; men's volleyball - UCLA; women's water polo - UCLA.

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