Arkansas earns fifth-consecutive Top-20 Finish in Final Learfield Directors’ Cup Standings

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – For a record-breaking fifth-consecutive year, Arkansas has earned a top-20 finish in the Learfield Directors’ Cup Standings. The Razorbacks ranked No. 5 in the Southeastern Conference and No. 11 overall in the final standings released on Thursday by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of America (NACDA).

Arkansas tallied a total of 966.7 points and is one of 11 league programs in the top 25 of the final standings.

Arkansas has secured a top-20 national finish in the Learfield Directors’ Cup Standings in a program record five-consecutive years. In addition to this year’s top-20 finish, Arkansas finished No. 18 in 2023-24, No. 13 in 2022-23, No. 7 in 2021-22 and No. 8 in 2020-21. The Directors’ Cup tracks the nation’s most successful intercollegiate athletics programs for their performance throughout the year. The Directors’ Cup program has been tracking the success of the nation’s top intercollegiate athletics programs since 1993-94.

Arkansas has won eight NCAA titles and 39 Southeastern Conference team championships in the past seven years, including 31 conference titles in the past five years alone. Both conference championship totals lead all SEC programs and the Razorbacks’ 39 titles are more than seven other league programs combined in that same timeframe.

“Thanks to the dedicated efforts of our student-athletes, coaches, staff and the loyal support of our Razorback Foundation members, the University of Arkansas once again ranks among the nation’s top performing collegiate athletics programs,” Vice Chancellor and Director of Athletics Hunter Yurachek. “Our program has finished in the top 20 of the Directors’ Cup for a school record five years in a row, even while competing against programs that have far more than 19 sports. We are grateful for the loyal support of Razorback fans who have and will continue to play an integral part in our success as we move forward into a new era of intercollegiate athletics.”

The final Directors’ Cup standings include points awarded in baseball, men’s and women’s basketball, women’s beach volleyball, women’s bowling, men’s and women’s cross country, fencing, women’s field hockey, football, men’s and women’s golf, men’s and women’s gymnastics, men’s and women’s hockey, men’s and women’s lacrosse, rifle, women’s rowing, men’s and women’s soccer, softball, skiing, men’s and women’s swimming, men’s and women’s tennis, men’s and women’s indoor track & field, men’s and women’s outdoor track & field, men’s and women’s volleyball, men’s and women’s water polo and wrestling.

Arkansas capped a remarkable baseball season with its 12th appearance at the College World Series. Led by Golden Spikes Award winner Wehiwa Aloy, the Razorbacks swept through the NCAA Regional and Super Regional rounds at Baum-Walker Stadium to earn a trip to Omaha. Arkansas finished tied for third at the CWS, falling one step short of the Championship Series. The Hogs finished the season with a record of 50-15 and earned a top-five national finish for the seventh time in school history. For its efforts on the diamond, Arkansas earned 83 Directors’ Cup points.

The 2025 SEC Champion Razorback men’s track and field team made a valiant run at yet another national championship at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championship. A strong final day of performances clinched the Razorbacks a third-place finish, just one point shy of two teams that tied for the national championship. It marked the seventh podium finish for the Coach Chris Bucknam and the Razorback men in the past eight NCAA championships held in cross country, indoor and outdoor track and field. Jordan Anthony starred for the Razorbacks, capturing the individual title in the 100m with a time of 10.07. Arkansas tallied 85 Directors’ Cup points for its top-three national finish in men’s outdoor track and field.

Arkansas tallied 70.5 Directors’ Cup points in women’s outdoor track and field after the Razorbacks finished eighth at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championship. Led by a runner-up finish in the 4 x 400m relay and a bronze medal effort from Rosey Effiong in the 400 meters, the Hogs tallied a top-10 finish at the national meet for Coach Chris Johnson. It marked the fourth straight top 10 finish and the 10th time in the past 12 NCAA Outdoor meets. the Razorback women’s squad has accomplished that feat.

The Razorback women’s golf team made some history on its way to a deep run in the postseason. Arkansas advanced through the NCAA Regional and team stroke play at the NCAA Championship, before falling in the quarterfinals of match play competition to the eventual national championship team (Northwestern). Sophomore Maria José Marin led the team and, in the process, became the third Razorback in history to win the individual national championship, joining Arkansas greats Stacy Lewis and Maria Fassi in that feat. For its NCAA quarterfinal finish, Arkansas earned 72.75 Directors’ Cup points.

Led by the Softball America and USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Bri Ellis, Arkansas finished the 2025 campaign with a 44-14 overall record while making its fourth Super Regional appearance in program history. The Hogs’ 44 wins were the most since 2022 (48) and tied for the third-most in program history. The Razorbacks were named the No. 4 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament and won the NCAA Fayetteville Regional, before falling in game three of the Fayetteville Super Regional to Ole Miss. Arkansas earned 64 points towards its Directors’ Cup total from softball.

Arkansas men’s golf returned to a familiar place again in 2025, the NCAA postseason. The Razorback men’s team played in its 17th straight NCAA Regional and has competed as a team or with individuals in 31 of the 36 Regionals held since 1989. Arkansas finished seventh as a team at the NCAA Amherst Regional and fell just short qualifying for the NCAA Championship. For its regional appearance, the Hogs tallied 33.5 Directors’ Cup points.

Another standout season from Razorback Gymnastics netted Arkansas 60.8 Directors’ Cup points. The Gymbacks advanced to the NCAA University Park Regional as a team before finishing one step shy of the NCAA Final. Senior Maddie Jones and freshman Joscelyn Roberson advanced to the NCAA Championship as individual competitors with Jones competing on the uneven bars and Roberson competing in in the all-around competition.

Arkansas found itself in a familiar place on the podium following both the men’s and women’s competition at the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships in Virginia Beach, Va. A victory by Jordan Anthony in the 60m and a silver medal finish for Jack Turner in the heptathlon propelled the Arkansas men to a fourth-place trophy finish. Anthony became the first Razorback to win the 60m at the NCAA Indoor. Turner’s score of 5,962 points placed second to a 6,013 total for Peyton Bair of Mississippi State in the heptathlon. The Hogs earned 80 Directors’ Cup points for the team finish.

A scintillating performance by Razorback Isabella Whittaker produced an American and collegiate record in the 400m as she blasted a 2025 world-leading time of 49.24 seconds to lead the Razorback women. Arkansas finished in a three-way tie for fourth place in team standings with 31 points, earning 76.2 Directors’ Cup points.

After starting SEC play winless in its first five outings, Coach John Calipari’s Razorback men’s basketball team made an improbable run into the NCAA Tournament advancing to the Sweet 16. Arkansas finished the season with a 22-14 record, earned its 37th NCAA appearance and its 15th NCAA Sweet 16, including its fourth in the last five years. The Hogs were a No. 10 seed and topped No. 7 seed Kansas (79-72) in the opening round, before upsetting No. 2 seed St. John’s (75-66) in the second round of the tournament. Arkansas’ season came to an end in a last-second heartbreaker to No. 3 Texas Tech (85-83). The Razorbacks earned 64 Directors’ Cup points for the NCAA Tournament run.

Freshman diver Maria Sanchez competed in three different events and led Arkansas to a 40th place finish at the NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships. Sanchez-Moreno competed in the 1-meter (20th), 3-meter (13th) and platform (24th) diving competitions. Her performances at the national meet earned All-America Honorable Mention honors and netted the Razorbacks 26 Directors’ Cup points in women’s swimming and diving.

A win over former Southwest Conference rival Texas Tech capped the season in style as the Razorbacks won their fourth straight AutoZone Liberty Bowl. The win was also the third bowl win under Arkansas head coach Sam Pittman. Pittman is 3-0 as a head coach in bowl games at Arkansas, becoming the first Razorback coach to win his first three bowl outings. The victory earned Arkansas 45 Directors’ Cup points.

The Razorback men’s cross country team earned the program’s first top-five national finish of the year with yet another trip to the podium at the NCAA Cross Country Championships. Arkansas, ranked No. 3 all season long, secured a third-place finish at the national meet with 202 points. Three Razorbacks earned All-America honors as the Hogs secured their 24th top-four NCAA Cross Country finish in school history, including their fourth such finish in the past five seasons. Coach Chris Bucknam’s squad earned 85 Directors’ Cup points for its championship performance.

Led by sophomore Paityn Noe, the Arkansas women’s cross country team recorded a top-20 finish at the NCAA Cross Country Championships. Noe crossed the line seventh in the individual race to earn All-America honors and lead the Hogs to a No. 17 team finish. Arkansas earned 57 Directors’ Cup points for the performance.

Razorback Soccer continued its recent run of success on the pitch. Arkansas earned a No. 2 seed in the 2024 NCAA Tournament and hosted three rounds of postseason play in front of capacity crowds at Razorback Field. Coach Colby Hale’s squad advanced to the round of 16 in the NCAA Tournament for the fourth time in program history in 2024, including the third time in the past four seasons. The postseason success netted Arkansas 64 points in the Directors’ Cup standings.