Kentucky Finishes in Top 20 of Learfield Directors' Cup Standings
The University of Kentucky has done it again. For the sixth straight year Kentucky has a top 20 finish in the Learfield Director’s Cup, ending the 2022-23 sports calendar year ranked No. 18.
The Director’s Cup is an annual competition between university athletic programs that awards points for postseason excellence in more than 20 sports. The system rewards the depth of talent in an athletic department, not necessarily the most dominant teams in the most visible sports. That’s why Stanford won for the 26th time this year. Even though Texas football is not back, the Longhorns finished second in the Director’s Cup standings.
Take a Closer Look at the Complete Learfield Director’s Cup Standings.
The Wildcats finished strong thanks to an excellent showing in the spring sports. Men’s tennis earned a fifth-place finish, just ahead of the No. 6 final ranking for the women’s track and field team.
The resurgent Kentucky baseball team also helped the Cats climb up the standings. Nick Mingione’s club lost to LSU, the eventual College World Series Champs, in just the program’s second ever Super Regional appearance, finishing ninth overall. The Wildcats were in the top 20 of all the postseason college baseball polls.
Despite the impressive efforts by spring sports, Kentucky fell from an all-time high at No. 9 to No. 18, the lowest since 2015-16.
“We had some folks miss (the NCAA post-season tourneys),” athletic director Mitch Barnhart told the Herald-Leader. “We need folks to make deeper runs.”
The biggest hits are in what once was the top sport in the University of Kentucky athletic department, basketball. Kyra Elzy only tallied two SEC wins and a 12-19 overall record in her second season as the full-time head coach. The season ended for John Calipari’s team ended in a second round NCAA Tournament loss to Kansas State. The Kentucky men’s basketball team has not advanced to the second weekend of the Big Dance since 2019.
In addition to the struggles on the hardwood, this year featured turnover within the UK athletics department. Mitch Barnhart hired a new men’s golf coach (Gator Todd) and women’s tennis coach (Shelley Jaudon). They were two of the six programs that failed to reach the postseason last year.
The Wildcats are playing catch-up, ranking seventh among all SEC programs, but they don’t have too far to go. It all starts this fall when UK volleyball and football return to action in August.
Final Standings and Points Earned for Each Sport
- Rifle – third, 85 points
- Men’s tennis – fifth, 73 points
- Women’s outdoor track and field – sixth, 73.5 points
- Gymnastics – seventh, 71.3 points
- Baseball – ninth, 64 points
- Volleyball – ninth, 64 points
- Men’s soccer – ninth, 64 points
- Men’s Basketball – 17th, 50 points
- Women’s indoor track and field – 17th, 57 points
- Women’s swimming and diving – 19th, 55 points
- Men’s indoor track and field – 19th, 54 points
- Softball – 33rd, 37.5 points
- Men’s swimming and diving – 28th 45 points
- Women’s golf – 31st, 40.5 points
- Men’s outdoor track and field – 36th, 38 points
- Football – 51st, 25 points
History of Kentucky in Final Director’s Cup Standings
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
2022-23: 18th place
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