Cardinals Finish 40th in Final Directors' Cup Standings

CLEVELAND, Ohio - The University of Louisville athletics department finished 40th nationally in the Learfield IMG Directors' Cup Division I Standings announced today by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA). It is the 11th consecutive season the Cardinals have finished in the top 40 of the national standings.

Louisville accumulated 103.75 points in the spring season, for a final total of 532.75 to place 40th in the national competition. The Cardinals were one of nine Atlantic Coast Conference schools which completed the year in the top 40, tied for the most among all Division I conferences.

The UofL sports accruing points in the competition include:
Field Hockey, Third, 83 points
Men's swimming and diving - Fifth, 75 points
Women's basketball - Fifth, 73 points
Men's golf - Ninth, 68.25 points
Volleyball - Ninth, 64 points
Women's swimming and diving - 13th, 63 points
Women's indoor track and field - 20th, 52.5 points
Women's golf - 38th, 35.5 points
Men's outdoor track and field - 53rd, 18.5 points
Total Department - 40th, 532.75 total points

Louisville's men's golf team earned the most points of any of the school's spring sports. The Cardinals tied for ninth in the NCAA Championship – its best finish in school history -- after advancing to the playoff round of the national championship for its third time ever. Senior John Murphy became the first player in school history to compete in the prestigious Walker Cup.

Hosting a regional for the first time in school history, UofL's women's golf team finished in a tie for 11th-place in the NCAA Regional competition. Senior Lauren Hartlage became the first UofL player to qualify as an individual for the NCAA Championship since 2016 and ended her career with a 12th-place finish in the national title event.

The Cardinals achieved multiple points for the rankings earlier in the sports year. Men's swimming and diving matched its highest-ever finish, ranking fifth in the NCAA Championship with an individual and relay national title, while women's swimming and diving finished 13th. Women's track & field captured its third NCAA National Individual Champion in school history as Makenli Forrest won the NCAA indoor weight throw national title. Louisville field hockey reached the program's first Final Four, women's basketball advanced to the NCAA Elite Eight, and volleyball reached the NCAA Sweet 16.

A synopsis of the Cardinals' 2020-21 sports year is available here.

The Learfield IMG College Directors' Cup was developed as a joint effort between the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) and USA Today, releasing its first standings after the 1993-94 season. Points are awarded based on each institution's finish in NCAA Championships. Complete standings and the scoring structure can be found on NACDA's website at www.directorscup.org, and fans can visit www.thedirectorscup.com and follow on Twitter at @ldirectorscup.

Louisville's Rankings in the Final Directors' Cup Standings:
2020-21: 40th
2019-20: 8th in Fall*
2018-19: 35th
2017-18: 30th
2016-17: 26th
2015-16: 29th
2014-15: 29th
2013-14: 30th
2012-13: 38th
2011-12: 32nd
2010-11: 34th
2009-10: t-41st
2008-09: 32nd
2007-08: 32nd
2006-07: 28th
2005-06: 54th
2004-05: 50th
2003-04: t-106th
2002-03: t-150th
2001-02: 157th
2000-01: t-151st
1999-00: t-174th
1998-99: t-131st
1997-98: t-142nd
1996-97: 100th
1995-96: 126th
1994-95: t-129th
1993-94: 97th
*Standings ended with the Fall season after the COVID-19 pandemic forced the cancellation of 2019-20 winter sports championships and nearly all of the spring sports season.

University of Louisville Athletics

Cardinals Finish 40th in Final Directors' Cup Standings

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