Arkansas tops SEC and ranks No. 12 in initial Learfield Directors’ Cup Standings
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Arkansas tops the Southeastern Conference and ranks No. 12 overall in the initial 2024-25 Learfield Directors’ Cup Fall Standings released on Monday by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of America (NACDA).
Arkansas has earned 206 points and is one of two league programs in the top 25 of the initial standings. Texas is the only other SEC program in the top 25 of the standings, with the Longhorns checking in at No. 16.
The standings released on Thursday included men’s and women’s cross country, women’s field hockey, men’s and women’s soccer, women’s volleyball and men’s water polo. Points for FBS football will be added upon completion of the bowl season with the final fall standings set to be released on January 23, 2025.
Arkansas has secured a top-20 national finish in the Learfield Directors’ Cup Standings in four-consecutive years. The streak marks the first time in school history that the Razorbacks have finished among the nation’s top 20 programs in four-straight final standings. Arkansas finished No. 18 in 2023-24, following a 13th-place finish in 2022-23, a seventh-place finish in 2021-22 and an eighth-place finish in 2020-21.
Arkansas has won eight NCAA titles and 37 Southeastern Conference team championships in the past seven years, including 19 conference titles in the past four years alone. All three marks lead all SEC programs and the Razorbacks’ 37 titles are more than six other league programs combined in that same timeframe.
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 Sweet Sixteen 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.
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.
