CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – National championships in women’s swimming and diving and men’s tennis vaulted Virginia to a fifth place finish in the final 2025-26 Learfield Directors’ Cup standings, announced Wednesday (June 24) by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA).
The Cavaliers have finished in the top-five in three of the last four Directors’ Cup competitions. The fifth-place showing marked UVA’s seventh consecutive top-16 finish (19th overall) in the 33-year existence of the program (not awarded in 2020 due to the pandemic). The Cavaliers finished 12th in 2024-25.
Virginia placed in the top 25 for the 19th consecutive year 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 extraordinary challenges, and we chose to see those challenges as an opportunity to elevate and further differentiate UVA,” Director of Athletics Carla Williams said. “The fight in our coaches, staff and student-athletes is inspiring, and it uplifts the entire University community. We are grateful for the support we receive from everyone who loves UVA and we’re grateful for the opportunity to serve this outstanding institution.”
In addition to the pair of NCAA championships, rowing placed fourth at the NCAA Championship, and men’s cross country finished seventh at the NCAA Championship. Men’s swimming & diving placed ninth at the NCAA Championship, while men’s golf finished 11th at the NCAA Championship. UVA football won a school-record 11 games, defeated Missouri in the Gator Bowl and advanced to the ACC Championship game. Women’s basketball earned its first NCAA Tournament berth since 2018 and advanced to its first Sweet 16 since 2000. The UVA men tied for 12th at the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championship and women’s soccer and women’s tennis advanced to the NCAA Tournament round of 16. Men’s basketball won 30 games for the sixth time in school history and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Women’s golf tied for 18th at the NCAA Championship and men’s track and field finished 19th at the NCAA Outdoor Championship. Baseball, women’s cross country, field hockey, men’s lacrosse, men’s soccer, softball and women’s indoor and outdoor track and field made NCAA postseason appearances. Wrestling advanced three wrestlers to the NCAA Championships.
UVA captured five Atlantic Coast Conference championships during the year and its 103 conference titles since the spring of 2002 are the most of any ACC school during that time. In 2025-26, UVA claimed its seventh straight women’s swimming and diving league title, men’s cross country won its fifth ACC championship, men’s golf captured its second straight ACC title, men’s lacrosse won its 20th ACC championship and men’s outdoor track and field won its third ACC championship.
Dylan Dietrich and Mäns Dahlberg captured the 2025 NCAA Men’s Doubles Championships. Swimmers Aimee Canny (800 Free Relay, 400 Medley Relay), Sara Curtis (200 Free Relay, 400 Free Relay, 200 Medley Relay, 400 Medley Relay), Claire Curzan (100 Back, 200 Back, 200 Free Relay, 400 Free Relay, 200 Medley Relay, 400 Medley Relay), Bryn Greenwaldt (200 Free Relay, 200 Medley Relay), Bailey Hartman (800 Free Relay), Madi Mintenko (400 Free Relay, 800 Free Relay), Anna Moesch (200 Free, 200 Free Relay, 400 Free Relay, 800 Free Relay, 400 Medley Relay), Emma Weber (200 Medley Relay) Maximus Williamson (200 Free, 200 IM) claimed NCAA individual titles.
Todd DeSorbo (women’s swimming), Tony Elliott (football), George Gelnovatch (men’s soccer) and Bowen Sargent (men’s golf) earned ACC Coach of the Year honors. DeSorbo was named Women’s Division I Swim Coach of the Year by the College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) for the sixth consecutive year, while Sargent was named the 2026 Dave Williams National Coach of the Year. Andres Pedroso was named the ITA/Dunlop National Coach of the Year and Vin Lananna was named the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Southeast Region Men's Coach of the Year for the 2025 cross country season. Wally Walker and Tony Bennett were inducted into the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame.
Texas finished first in the NCAA Division I Directors’ Cup standings with 1,322 points, while Stanford was second with 1,263.50 points.
UVA was one of six ACC programs to finish in the top 25 of the Directors’ Cup standings, joining Stanford (2nd), North Carolina (4th), Duke (11th), Notre Dame (19th) and NC State (22nd).
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.