GREENSBORO, N.C. (theACC.com) – Six ACC schools are ranked among the top 25 of the final Division I LEARFIELD College Directors’ Cup standings announced Thursday.
North Carolina finished sixth and was joined in the top 10 by Notre Dame, which placed eighth. Virginia (11th), Florida State (14th), NC State (17th) and Duke (21st) complete the ACC’s top-25 contingent.
Virginia Tech (33rd place), Louisville (34th), Wake Forest (45th) and Miami (50th) followed to give the ACC 10 institutions among the top 50.
The ACC tied for first among all conferences with seven NCAA team titles in 2021-22. In the league’s 69-year history, ACC institutions have captured 173 team national championships and 371 individual NCAA titles. The seven national team titles this academic year matched the conference record first set in 2009-10.
“The collective success of our 15 amazing institutions is a testament to the incredible work by our student-athletes, coaches and administrators,” said ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips, Ph.D. “As reflected in the final 2021-22 LEARFIELD Directors’ Cup standings, it was an outstanding year in the ACC.”
This marks the 20th consecutive year that four or more ACC schools placed among the top 30 in the final rankings. North Carolina and Virginia have ranked among the top 30 nationally in each of the 28 years the Directors’ Cup has been conducted.
Other ACC highlights in 2021-22 included 11 programs finishing the 2021-22 season ranked either No. 1 or No. 2 in their respective sports:
· Boston College women's lacrosse (No. 2 – IL Women/IWLCA)
· Clemson men's soccer (No. 1 – United Soccer Coaches)
· Florida State women’s soccer (No. 1 – United Soccer Coaches)
· North Carolina men's basketball (No. 2 – USA Today Coaches)
· North Carolina women's lacrosse (No. 1 – IL Women/IWLCA)
· NC State men's swimming & diving (No. 2 – CSCAA)
· NC State women's cross country (No. 1 – USTFCCCA)
· Notre Dame men's fencing (No. 1 – USFCA Coaches)
· Notre Dame women's fencing (No. 2 – USFCA Coaches)
· Virginia men's tennis (No. 1 – ITA, Tennis Channel/USTA)
· Virginia women's swimming and diving (No. 1 – CSCAA)
The ACC brought home NCAA Championships in women's cross country (NC State), women's soccer (Florida State), men's soccer (Clemson), women's swimming & diving (Virginia), fencing (Notre Dame), men's tennis (Virginia) and women's lacrosse (North Carolina). Additionally, ACC student-athletes won 20 individual national titles this year.
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.
Complete standings and the scoring structure can be found on NACDA’s website at
www.directorscup.org. In addition, please visit
www.thedirectorscup.com and follow on Twitter
@ldirectorscup.
About the ACC
The Atlantic Coast Conference, now in its 69th year of competition and 15 members strong, has long enjoyed the reputation as one of the strongest and most competitive intercollegiate conferences in the nation. ACC members Boston College, Clemson, Duke, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Louisville, Miami, North Carolina, NC State, Notre Dame, Pitt, Syracuse, Virginia, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest continue to build upon the cornerstones on which the league was founded in 1953 with a consistent balance of academics, athletics and integrity. The ACC currently sponsors 27 NCAA sports – 14 for women and 13 for men – with member institutions located in 10 states. In August 2019, ESPN and the ACC partnered to launch ACC Network (ACCN), a 24/7 national network dedicated to ACC sports and league-wide original programming. For more information, visit theACC.com and follow @theACC on Twitter and on Facebook (facebook.com/theACC).
About LEARFIELD
LEARFIELD is a leading media and technology services company in intercollegiate athletics. The company unlocks the value of college sports for brands and fans through an omnichannel platform with innovative content and commerce solutions. LEARFIELD services includes licensing and multimedia sponsorship management; publishing, audio, digital and social media; data analytics; ticketing, ticket sales and professional concessions expertise; branding; campus-wide business and sponsorship development; and venue technology systems. Since 2008, it has served as title sponsor for the acclaimed LEARFIELD Directors' Cup, supporting athletic departments across all divisions.