Virginia Finishes 11th in Final LEARFIELD Directors’ Cup Standings
CLEVELAND, Ohio – NCAA championships in women’s swimming and diving and men’s tennis propelled Virginia to its second consecutive 11th-place finish in the final 2021-22 LEARFIELD Directors’ Cup competition, announced Thursday (June 30) by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA).
Virginia placed in the top 25 for the 15th consecutive time and is one of 10 schools to rank in the top 30 of the final Directors’ Cup standings in the 29-year existence of the program (not awarded in 2020 due to the pandemic).
Points in the Directors’ Cup standings are awarded by a school’s NCAA postseason finish in 19 sports, four of which must be men’s and women’s basketball, baseball and volleyball.
“It’s been a remarkable year and it is humbling for me to be able to watch the resiliency, work ethic and grit of our coaches and student-athletes,” said Virginia director of athletics Carla Williams. “Our entire staff should take great pride in knowing we cannot accomplish anything without their commitment and dedicated work. Two more team titles this year bringing the total to 31 NCAA team championships all-time is absolutely phenomenal. We also celebrated eight individual national championships this year, and are so grateful for the opportunity to represent the University and our fans on the national stage.”
In addition to the pair of NCAA championships, men’s lacrosse and women’s tennis advanced to the NCAA quarterfinals, and rowing (ninth) and men’s swimming and diving (10th) added top-10 finishes. Men’s track and field placed 14th at the NCAA Championships and women’s golf placed 15th. Women’s soccer, field hockey and women’s lacrosse each advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16. Eight wrestlers advanced to the NCAA Championships, tying for second-most in program history, and baseball, women’s lacrosse, women’s track and field and men’s golf and men’s and women’s cross country made NCAA tournament appearances.
UVA captured four Atlantic Coast Conference championships during the year and its 90 conference titles since the spring of 2002 are the most of any ACC school during that time. In 2021-22, UVA claimed ACC championships in women’s swimming and diving (18th championship in program history and 13th title since 2008), men’s tennis (14th championship in program history), men’s lacrosse (19th overall) and rowing (12th consecutive and 21 of 22 overall).
The Cavaliers also claimed ACC regular-season titles in women’s soccer and men’s tennis.
Individually, Kate Douglass won the Honda Sport Award for Swimming & Diving and was named College Swimming & Diving Coaches Association of America Women’s Swimmer of the Year. Douglass won three individual (50 free, 100 fly, 200 breast) NCAA championships and was part of four NCAA relay championships (200 medley relay, 200 free relay, 400 medley relay, 400 free relay).
Alex Walsh won three individual NCAA championships (200 IM, 400 IM, 200 fly) and was part of three NCAA championship relays (200 free relay, 400 medley relay, 400 free relay). Gretchen Walsh claimed one individual NCAA championship (100 free) and was part of four NCAA championship relays (200 free relay, 400 medley relay, 200 medley relay, 400 free relay). Claudio Romero captured the NCAA discus title. Beth Lillie became the first Cavalier to post two top-10 finishes at the NCAA Women’s Golf Championships. Iñaki Montes de la Torre was named ACC Men’s Tennis Player of the Year, while Emma Navarro was named ACC Women’s Tennis Player of the Year.
Todd DeSorbo (women’s swimming), Andres Pedroso (men’s tennis), Kevin Sauer (rowing) and Lars Tiffany (men’s lacrosse) earned ACC Coach of the Year honors. DeSorbo was named College Swimming & Diving Coaches Association of America Women’s Coach of the Year. Pedroso was named the ITA National Coach of the Year.
Texas finished first in the NCAA Division I Directors’ Cup standings for the second consecutive year. The Longhorns had 1,449.50 points, while Stanford was second with 1,352.25 points.
UVA was one of six ACC programs to finish in the top 25 of the Directors’ Cup standings. Other ACC schools in the top 25 of the Directors’ Cup standings were North Carolina (6th, 1,087.25), Notre Dame (8th, 1021), Florida State (14th, 910), NC State (17th, 870) and Duke, (21st, 849.50) and.
There are five LEARFIELD Directors’ Cup awards, one to honor the institution with the best overall athletics program in each of the NCAA’s Divisions I and I-AAA, II and III, and the NAIA.
Additional highlights of Virginia’s 2021-22 athletics year included:
• Tony Elliott took over as Virginia’s Fralin Family Head Football Coach in December after working the previous 11 seasons at Clemson
• Amaka “Mox” Agugua-Hamilton was named head coach of the Cavaliers’ women’s basketball program, serving as the head coach at Missouri State the past three seasons
• Men’s basketball (21-14) advanced to the NIT quarterfinals and won 21 or more games for the 10th time under head coach Tony Bennet
• In December UVA announced a Graduation Success Rate (GSR) of 95 percent, matching its highest in the 15-year history of the NCAA issuing the report
• Four Cavalier programs – women’s cross country, women’s golf, women’s lacrosse and women’s track and field – posted perfect multi-year rates of 1,000. A total of 18 (of 23) teams had a perfect APR for the 2020-21 academic year
• Jake Gelof (first team), Owayne Owens (first team) and Natasha Subhash (second team) were named 2021-22 Division I Academic All-America by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA)
• UVA had 127 student-athletes receive ACC All-Academic Honors
• Kate Douglass (women’s swimming) and Nicola Lawless (rowing) were named ACC Scholar-Athlete of the Year
• Matt Moore was selected as the 2022 Senior CLASS Award winner in NCAA Division I men’s lacrosse. The award is given annually to the most outstanding senior or graduate-level student-athlete in Division I men’s lacrosse
• Courtlynne Caskin (women’s lacrosse), Rebecca Jarrett (women’s soccer) and Owayne Owens (men’s track and field) earned 2022 Weaver-James-Corrigan Postgraduate Scholarship awards
• Women’s lacrosse student-athlete Alex Burtnett received the T. Rodney Crowely Jr. Memorial Scholarship that recognizes a student who demonstrates leadership, sportsmanship, character and integrity
• UVA dedicated the show court at the Virginia Tennis Facility at Boar’s Head Resort in the name of former athletics head coach Gordon Burris
• Virginia broke ground on its new Football Performance Center on June 2.
2021-22 LEARFIELD College Directors’ Cup Final Top 25 Point Standings
1. Texas – 1449.50
2. Stanford – 1352.25
3. Michigan – 1245.25
4. Ohio State – 1184.50
5. Florida – 1180.75
6. North Carolina – 1087.25
7. Arkansas – 1050.75
8. Notre Dame – 1021.00
9. Kentucky – 979.75
10. Oklahoma – 968.50
11. Virginia – 942.50
12. USC – 933.75
13. Tennessee – 921.00
14. Florida State – 910.00
15. UCLA – 906.50
16. LSU – 883.75
17. NC State – 870.0
18. Princeton – 868.25
19. Georgia – 865.00
20. Ole Miss – 852.00
21. Duke – 849.50
22. Alabama – 841.25
23. Oklahoma State – 802.75
24. Wisconsin – 795.00
25. Texas A&M – 794.75
ACC Schools in Final 2021-22 Directors’ Cup Standings
6. North Carolina – 1087.25
8. Notre Dame – 1021.00
11. Virginia – 942.50
14. Florida State – 910.00
17. NC State – 870.00
21. Duke – 849.50
33. Virginia Tech – 688.25
34. Louisville – 663.50
45. Wake Forest – 530.00
50. Miami (FL) – 516.00
65. Clemson – 357.50
68. Georgia Tech – 352.25
72. Syracuse – 304.00
73. Pittsburgh – 298.00
109. Boston College – 165.00
Schools Ranked in the Top-30 of All 28 Directors’ Cup Point Standings (1994-2019, 2021-2022)
Florida
Georgia
Michigan
North Carolina
Ohio State
Stanford
Texas
UCLA
USC
Virginia
Virginia’s Final Position in Each of the Directors’ Cup Rankings
2022 – 11th
2021 – 11th
2020 – N/A
2019 – 8th
2018 – 21st
2017 – 19th
2016 – 8th
2015 – 6th
2014 – 4th
2013 – 20th
2012 – 15th
2011 – 7th
2010 – 3rd
2009 – 8th
2008 – 17th
2007 – 13th
2006 – 26th
2005 – 13th
2004 – 30th
2003 – 19th
2002 – 27th
2001 – 30th
2000 – 13th
1999 – 8th
1998 – 13th
1997 – 22nd
1996 – 21st
1995 – 19th (tie)
1994 – 19th