Five UAA institutions, led by fourth-place Emory University, finished in the top-30 in the 2017-18 final Division III Learfield Directors’ Cup standings, a measure of the overall success of the department's teams by assigning points based on finishes at the NCAA Championships.
The Eagles captured the 2018 NCAA Division III Women's Swimming and Diving Championships, while finishing second in the men's championship. Overall, Emory recorded 10 top-10 finishes in NCAA Championships this season. This is the fourth time in the history of the Learfield Directors’ Cup that the Eagles have finished in the top four.
Washington University placed sixth and has finished in the top-10 in 16 consecutive years, including top-five finishes in 11 of the last 12 years – 2002-03 (fifth), 2003-04 (ninth), 2004-05 (third), 2005-06 (seventh), 2006-07 (fifth), 2007-08 (second), 2008-09 (fourth), 2009-10 (third), 2010-11 (third), 2011-12 (second), 2012-13 (fifth), 2013-14 (fourth), 2014-15 (fourth), 2015-16 (second) and 2016-17 (second).
The Bears' women’s cross country and women’s outdoor track and field teams each had a third-place finish, while women’s indoor track and field was fourth and men’s cross country was fifth. The Bears also had top-10 finishes by men’s tennis (fifth), women’s swimming and diving (seventh), men’s swimming and diving (ninth), women’s soccer (ninth) and women’s golf (10th).
University of Chicago earned its highest finish in school history with its 12th-place standing. The Maroons closed out with spring postseason points from men's tennis (NCAA semifinals), women's tennis (NCAA quarterfinals) and women's track & field to place in the top-15 for the third consecutive year.
Carnegie Mellon University finished 23rd, its best finish in the 23-year history of the Directors' Cup. The Tartans received their points from scoring in 10 championships – four fall, two winter, and four spring.
NYU moved up 10 spots from last season to place 30th this year. The Violets tallied the majority of their points in the winter, scoring in men's and women's swimming and diving, men's and women's indoor track and field, wrestling, and fencing.
University of Rochester finished 67th in the final standings, buoyed by NCAA quarterfinal appearances in men's soccer and women's basketball.
Brandeis University finished in 80th place, its highest finish since its 70th-place finish in 2010. The Judges, who scored the bulk of their points in the fall, finished among the top 20 percent of the 442 NCAA Division III schools.
Keyed by a fifth-place showing in softball, Case Western Reserve University moved up to 122nd in the final standings.
About Learfield: An industry leader for more than four decades, Learfield has a deep presence in the college athletics landscape nationwide. It manages the multimedia and sponsorship rights for nearly 130 collegiate institutions, conferences and arenas, and supports athletic departments at all competitive levels as title sponsor of the prestigious Learfield Directors’ Cup for 10 years. Learfield also provides its collegiate partners access to professional concessions and ticket sales; branding, licensing and trademark consulting; digital and social platform expertise; campus-wide business and sponsorship development; and venue and technology systems through its affiliated companies.