The University of Virginia’s athletics program ranks fourth in the nation, based on results released Wednesday from the National Association of College Directors of Athletics.
UVA’s jump in the rankings was fueled in part by a third consecutive NCAA women’s swimming and diving championship and second consecutive NCAA men’s tennis championship. The results come in the final 2022-23 LEARFIELD Directors’ Cup competition, a national ranking of intercollegiate athletics programs.
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 year and is one of only 10 schools to rank in the top 30 of the final Directors’ Cup standings in every year of the competition.
Schools earn points in the Directors’ Cup standings by their performance in NCAA postseason competition 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,” UVA Director of Athletics Carla Williams said, alluding to November’s tragic shooting that resulted in the deaths of three football student-athletes and the wounding of a football player and a manager for the track and field team. “They are amazing and it’s an honor to be around such inspiration on a daily basis.”
Other contributions to Virginia’s ranking included:
- Baseball advancing to its sixth College World Series.
- Men’s lacrosse’s third consecutive NCAA Final Four appearance.
- Men’s golf finishing fifth in the NCAA Championship, a program best.
- Women’s cross country finishing ninth in the NCAA championships.
- Women’s soccer advancing to the NCAA quarterfinals.
- Rowing’s 10th-place finish in the championships.
- Men’s track and field placing 11th.
- Men’s swimming and diving placing 15th.
- Women’s tennis and field hockey advancing to the NCAA Sweet 16.
- Women’s track and field finishing 17th.
- Men’s basketball, women’s lacrosse, men’s soccer, women’s golf, men’s cross country and men’s and women’s indoor earning postseason appearances.
UVA captured three Atlantic Coast Conference championships during the year – in women’s swimming and diving, men’s tennis and women’s rowing – and its 93 conference titles since the spring of 2002 are the most of any ACC school.
The Cavaliers also claimed ACC regular-season titles in men’s basketball and men’s tennis.
UVA amassed 1,105.5 points in the LEARFIELD Director’s Cup competition for Division I teams. Stanford University finished first with 1,412 points; the University of Texas was second with 1,370.5 points; and Ohio State University was third with 1,170.75.
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May 2, 2024
