Wittenberg Finishes 75th In 2025-26 Learfield Directors’ Cup Standings
SPRINGFIELD, Ohio – Wittenberg University’s Department of Athletics recently completed an outstanding all-around academic year, ranking 75th out of 422 NCAA Division III schools in the final 2025-26 Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup, presented by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA).
Tiger teams finished the fall 2025 season with 50 points thanks to a national tournament appearance by the women’s volleyball team, and in the winter sports season, Wittenberg ran its point total to 105.5 thanks to a top-20 national finish in men’s indoor track and field. The point total improved to 264.50 during the spring season thanks to national finishes for baseball, men’s outdoor track & field, and men’s volleyball, which made a surprising run to the NCAA Division III Tournament semifinals.
The 2025-26 finish was the 22nd top-100 placement for Wittenberg in 29 years of the Directors’ Cup competition, and it was the Tigers’ best performance since the 2017-18 season, when Wittenberg placed 70th with 285.5 points. Wittenberg’s best finish ever in the Directors’ Cup came in 2002-03, when the Tigers placed 20th with 408.25 points.
The Directors' Cup is an annual award that recognizes the colleges and universities with the most successful overall athletic departments across both men's and women's sports in the United States. It was first introduced prior to the 1995-96 season. Points are awarded based on each institution's order of finish in NCAA Championships. A first-place finish earns 100 points, second earns 90, and decreasing amounts are awarded for lower finishes. To encourage broad-based athletic programs, schools are limited to a maximum number of sports they can count per year (e.g., 18 for Division I). The university with the highest total points at the end of the academic year claims the cup for its respective division.
“It is exciting to see the high level of performance that our athletes, coaches, and teams show on gameday,” Wittenberg Vice President and Director of Athletics and Recreation Brian Agler said. “We will continue to push to improve, and most importantly strive to represent our University with the Wittenberg Way of competitive excellence.”
Wittenberg was the fourth-highest North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) finisher, behind Denison University (19th), John Carroll University (28th) and Kenyon College (51st). Washington University (Missouri) won the 2025-26 Learfield Directors’ Cup with 1,266.50 points, followed closely by Tufts and Johns Hopkins.
Written By: Ryan Maurer