Virginia Finishes Fourth in Final LEARFIELD Directors’ Cup Standings
CLEVELAND, Ohio – The third consecutive NCAA women’s swimming and diving championship and second consecutive NCAA men’s tennis championship vaulted Virginia to a fourth-place finish with 1,105.50 points in the final 2022-23 LEARFIELD Directors’ Cup competition, announced Wednesday (June 28) by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA).
The fourth-place finish tied for UVA’s second-best finish in the 30-year existence of the program (not awarded in 2020 due to the pandemic). The Cavaliers finished third in 2010 and fourth in 2014, respectively.
Virginia placed in the top 25 for the 16th consecutive time and is one of 10 schools to rank in the top 30 of the final Directors’ Cup standings in every year of the competition.
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.
“This year brought both incredible pain and incredible triumph and through it all, our student-athletes, coaches and staff showed up every day for each other and we found purpose and healing in competing for something greater than ourselves,” said Virginia director of athletics Carla Williams. “They are amazing and it’s an honor to be around such inspiration on a daily basis.”
In addition to the pair of NCAA championships, baseball advanced to its sixth Men’s College World Series and men’s lacrosse advanced to its third consecutive NCAA Final Four. Men’s golf finished a program-best fifth at the NCAA Championship, while women’s cross country finished ninth at the NCAA Championships. Women’s soccer advanced to the NCAA quarterfinals, rowing placed 10th at the NCAA Championship and men’s track and field placed 11th at the NCAA Championship. Men’s swimming and diving finished 15th at the NCAA Championship, while women’s tennis and field hockey advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16. Women’s track and field finished 17th at the NCAA Championship and four wrestlers qualified for the NCAA Championship. Men’s basketball, women’s lacrosse, men’s soccer, women’s golf, men’s cross country and men’s and women’s indoor track and field made NCAA championship/tournament appearances.
UVA captured three Atlantic Coast Conference championships during the year and its 93 conference titles since the spring of 2002 are the most of any ACC school during that time. In 2022-23, UVA claimed ACC championships in women’s swimming and diving (19th championship in program history and 14th title since 2008), men’s tennis (15th championship in program history) and rowing (13th consecutive and 22 of 23 overall).
The Cavaliers also claimed ACC regular-season titles in men’s basketball and men’s tennis.
Individually, Kate Douglass won the Honda Sport Award for Swimming & Diving for the second straight year after winning three individual (200 IM, 100 fly and 200 breast) NCAA championships and was part of four NCAA relay championships (200 medley, 200 free, 400 medley, 400 free relay).
Gretchen Walsh won a pair of individual championships (100 back, 100 free) and was part of four relay titles (200 medley, 200 free, 400 medley, 400 free). Alex Walsh won the 400 IM and was part of four relay championships (200 medley, 800 free, 400 medley, 400 free).
Ethan Dabbs became the first-ever competitor to win four ACC men’s javelin titles. Dabbs added a silver in the men’s javelin at the NCAA Championship for the second consecutive season. UVA baseball catcher Kyle Teel was named ACC Player of the Year, while Douglass was named ACC Women’s Swimmer of the Year. Wrestler Justin McCoy captured an ACC championship at 165 and Amanda Sambach won the ACC Women’s Golf Individual Title, setting a conference scoring record. UVA third baseman Jake Gelof become the program’s all-time home runs leader with 45. Ben James became the first UVA golfer to win the NCAA Division I Phil Mickelson Outstanding Freshman Award presented by StrackaLine.
Todd DeSorbo (women’s swimming) and Andres Pedroso (men’s tennis) earned ACC Coach of the Year honors. DeSorbo was named College Swimming & Diving Coaches Association of America Women’s Coach of the Year, while Pedroso was named the ITA National Coach of the Year.
Stanford finished first in the NCAA Division I Directors’ Cup standings with 1,412 points, while Texas was second with 1,370.50 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 (8th, 1,068 points), Duke (16th, 977.80 points), Florida State (17th, 909.25 points), NC State (19th, 893 points) and Notre Dame (20th, 884.00 points).
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 2022-23 athletics year included:
• Under first-year coach Amaka Agugua-Hamilton, the UVA women’s basketball team opened the season 12-0 and undefeated in non-conference play (for the first time since 1991-92)
• Former Cavalier defense back Ronde Barber was selected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The induction will take place in August. He spent his entire 16-hear NFL career with the Tampa Bay Bucs. He becomes the fifth person from Virginia inducted into the Hall
• Dontayvion Wicks was drafted by the Green Bay Packers during the 2023 NFL Draft. It marked the 38th time in the last 40 years a Cavalier player has been selected in the draft
• Carla Williams was one of four recipients of a Women in Sports and Events (WISE) Women of the Year Award
• Tony Bennett became Virginia men’s basketball all-time wins leader, passing Terry Holland (326 wins) with UVA’s win over Syracuse
• Virginia honored former head coach at athletics director Terry Holland with a banner in John Paul Jones Arena
• Baseball head coach Brian O’Connor recorded his 800th career win
• Lexi Cuomo (women’s swimming and diving), Ben Vander Plas (men’s basketball) and Jake Gelof (baseball) were named their sports All-America Team Member of the Year by the College Sports Communicators
• Kate Douglass (women’s swimming), Owayne Owens (indoor men’s track and field), Chris Rodesch (men’s tennis), Connor Shellenberger (men’s lacrosse) and Ethan Dabbs (outdoor men’s track and field) were named the ACC Scholar-Athletes of the Year for their respective sports
• Four Cavalier programs – women’s golf, women’s lacrosse, softball and field hockey – posted perfect multi-year Academic Progress Rates of 1,000. A total of 12 (of 23) teams had a perfect APR for the 2021-22 academic year.
• Andreas Ueland was named a United Soccer Coaches First-Team Scholar All-American. He is just the second to accomplish the feat from the program (Joe Bell – 2019).
• Iñaki Montes de la Torre was named to the 2023 Academic All-America Men’s Tennis Team as selected by College Sports Communicators
• Natasha Subash was named to the 2023 Academic All-America Women’s Tennis Team as selected by College Sports Communicators
• Subash was the national recipient of the 2023 Arthur Ashe Leadership & Sportsmanship Award
• Women’s golfer Rebecca Skoler was presented the UVA Alumni Association’s Gray-Carrington Award for personal integrity, achievement, leadership and humility
• Women’s soccer player Laughlin Ryan received the UVA Alumni Association’s Sky Alland Scholarship as the rising fourth-year who exemplifies the five qualities Enterprising Spirit, Leadership, Achievement, Humility and Devotion to the University
• Men’s lacrosse player Cole Kastner was the recipient of the T. Rodney Crowley Scholarship awarded to an accomplished UVA student who demonstrates leadership, sportsmanship, character and integrity
• Ella Nelson (swimming), Jayna Francis (volleyball), and Quentin Matsui (men’s lacrosse) were selected as 2023 Weaver-James-Corrigan-Swofford Postgraduate Scholarship Award recipients by the Atlantic Coast Conference
• The Virginia football team had an ACC-best 11 players selected by the National Football Foundation to its Hampshire Honor Society
• UVA had 363 student-athletes receive ACC All-Academic Honors
Schools Ranked in the Top-30 of All 28 Directors’ Cup Point Standings (1994-2019, 2021-2023)
Florida
Georgia
Michigan
North Carolina
Ohio State
Stanford
Texas
UCLA
USC
Virginia
Virginia’s Final Position in Each of the Directors’ Cup Rankings
2023 – 4th
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