Kentucky finishes ninth in Directors' Cup, a school record

On3 imageby:Tyler Thompson07/01/22

MrsTylerKSR

It was another banner year for UK Athletics. The final 2021-22 Learfield Directors’ Cup standings were released yesterday and Kentucky is ninth, a new school record. That beats out the tenth place finish in 2016-17 and extends Kentucky’s streak of five straight years in the top 20 and ten straight years in the top 30. Contributing to this year’s record was a national championship in rifle, an NCAA runner-up finish in men’s tennis, and a third-place finish by women’s indoor and outdoor track and field.

“We’re grateful to our teams, athletes, coaches and staff for the achievements which have led to this unprecedented ranking. I also want to thank the Big Blue Nation, whose support is the foundation of our program,” Athletics Director Mitch Barnhart said in a press release.

“The Directors’ Cup is a measure of success in the arenas and fields of competition. At the same time, our young people have maintained success in the classroom – school records this year for graduation rates and total number of graduates from athletics, along with extending our streak of 20 consecutive semesters with a department-wide 3.0 GPA.

“We will celebrate those successes, yet we will never be satisfied.  Undoubtedly, there remains room for growth as we continue our quest of being among the elite athletics departments in the nation.”

The Directors’ Cup measures competitive success for more than 350 Division I schools. For each NCAA-sanctioned sport, points are awarded based on NCAA championship participation. This year, 18 of Kentucky’s 22 eligible teams reached the postseason and therefore contributed points to Kentucky’s final Directors’ Cup tally. Complete national finishes and Directors’ Cup point totals for each sport are as follows:

  • Rifle – first, 100 points
  • Men’s tennis – second, 90 points
  • Women’s indoor track and field – third, 85 points
  • Men’s indoor track and field – third, 85 points
  • Gymnastics – ninth, 66.75 points
  • Men’s soccer – ninth, 64 points
  • Women’s swimming and diving – 12th, 64.5 points
  • Football – 15th, 60 points
  • Volleyball – 17th, 50 points
  • Softball – 17th, 50 points
  • Men’s indoor track and field – 21st, 52 points
  • Men’s swimming and diving – 31st, 43 points
  • Women’s cross country – 32nd, 27 points
  • Men’s Basketball – 33rd, 25 points
  • Women’s Basketball – 33rd, 25 points
  • Men’s outdoor track and field – 36th, 37 points
  • Women’s golf – 37th, 33.5 points
  • Men’s golf – 49th, 22 points

Just think, that’s with the men’s basketball team losing in the first round of the NCAA Tournament and the baseball team not even making it.

Final 2021-22 Learfield Directors’ Cup Standings

Kentucky is one of three SEC teams in the top ten of the final Directors’ Cup standings. Texas finished first, followed by Stanford and Michigan.

  1. Texas (Big 12) – 1,449.5 points
  2. Stanford (Pac-12) – 1,352.25 points
  3. Michigan (Big Ten) – 1,245.25 points
  4. Ohio State (Big Ten) – 1,184.50 points
  5. Florida (SEC) – 1,180.75 points
  6. North Carolina (ACC) – 1,087.25 points
  7. Arkansas (SEC) – 1,050.75 points
  8. Notre Dame (ACC) – 1,021.00 points
  9. Kentucky (SEC) – 979.75 points
  10. Oklahoma (Big 12) – 968.50 points

Kentucky’s history in the Directors’ Cup

Here is Kentucky’s history in the Directors’ Cup, with the progression of the school record in bold:

  • 1993-94:             37th place
  • 1994-95:             46th place
  • 1995-96:             32nd place
  • 1996-97:             26th place
  • 1998-99:             49th place
  • 1999-2000:         70th place
  • 2000-01:             37th place
  • 2001-02:             36th place
  • 2002-03:             50th place
  • 2003-04:             45th place
  • 2004-05:             35th place
  • 2005-06:             33rd place
  • 2006-07:             45th place
  • 2007-08:             36th place
  • 2008-09:             34th place
  • 2009-10:             29th place
  • 2010-11:             36th place
  • 2011-12:             29th place
  • 2012-13:             25th place
  • 2013-14:             11th place
  • 2014-15:             22nd place
  • 2015-16:             26th place
  • 2016-17:             10th place
  • 2017-18:             17th place
  • 2018-19:             14th place
  • 2019-20:             no standings because of pandemic
  • 2020-21:             12th place
  • 2021-22:             9th place

Go Cats.

Discuss This Article

Comments have moved.

Join the conversation and talk about this article and all things Kentucky Sports in the new KSR Message Board.

KSBoard

2024-03-28