Best NCAA Finish in 31 Years Boosts Arkansas in Directors' Cup
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Boosted by its best finish in more than three decades at the NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships, the University of Arkansas remains among the nation’s top 25 intercollegiate athletics programs in the second edition of the 2018-19 Learfield IMG College Directors’ Cup Winter Standings released on Thursday by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of America (NACDA). The Directors’ Cup tracks the nation’s most successful intercollegiate athletics programs for their performances throughout the year.
Arkansas, ranked No. 23, is one of only five league programs (Florida, Kentucky, Texas A&M, Tennessee) in the top 25 of the most recent Directors’ Cup standings. The standings released on Thursday included fencing, women’s field hockey, football, men’s and women’s cross country, women’s hockey, men’s and women’s swimming and diving, men’s and women’s indoor track and field, rifle, skiing, men’s and women’s soccer, men’s water polo, wrestling and volleyball. The Razorbacks currently have 377 points.
Coach Neil Harper helped lead the Razorbacks to a 19th-place finish at the NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships, the highest team finish by Arkansas since 1988. It marked only the third top-20 finish in program history. Sophomore Brooke Schultz earned a pair of top-five finishes in diving, including a national runner-up finish in the 3-meter and a fourth-place finish in the one-meter competition. Junior Anna Hopkin broke a school record and finished as the national runner-up in the 100 freestyle while also breaking a school record and placing fifth in the 50 freestyle. Arkansas earned 55 Directors’ Cup points for its top-20 team finish.
Ranked No. 1 nationally from pre-season to the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships, Coach Lance Harter led the Razorback women’s squad to its third NCAA championship in program history and helped secure the 44th NCAA Championship overall in cross country and track and field at the University of Arkansas. Arkansas led the nation with 21 All-Americans, including 18 who earned first-team honors, including back-to-back NCAA Indoor pole vault champion Lexi Jacobus and three-time 2019 Indoor All-American Payton Chadwick. The Razorbacks racked up 100 Directors’ Cup points for winning the national title.
The Arkansas men also turned in a strong performance, earning a Top-15 team finish at the NCAA Indoor Championships at the Birmingham (Alabama) Crossplex. The Razorbacks featured 11 All-Americans, led by Gabe Moore, who finished as the national runner-up in the men’s heptathlon. Arkansas earned 61.5 points for its 13th-place finish in the men’s team standings.
Arkansas earned a total of 160.5 Directors’ Cup points from fall sports. The Razorbacks tallied 50 points thanks to another post-season run by the soccer program. Arkansas reached its third-straight SEC Tournament final and earned its third-straight NCAA Tournament appearance under Coach Colby Hale. For the second time in school history, Arkansas hosted an NCAA Tournament match at Razorback Field and advanced to the second round of the draw.
The 2019 cross country season was full of championships for the University of Arkansas. The women’s team won its sixth-straight SEC cross country crown while junior Gilbert Boit won the SEC individual men’s title. After the Arkansas men’s and women’s teams won the NCAA South Central Regional crowns in College Station, Texas, both squads advanced to the NCAA Cross Country Championships in Madison, Wisconsin.
The Arkansas women’s cross country team raced to a 14th-place finish at the NCAA Cross Country Championship to earn 61.5 points. Freshman Katrina Robinson was the Razorbacks’ top individual finisher, earning a 41st-place finish in her first national race. Dating back to its 14th-place finish at the 2011 Championships, the Razorbacks have finished in the top-20 eight-consecutive years, including four top-15 finishes in the past five years.
Arkansas’ men’s cross country team finished 25th at the NCAA Cross Country Championship. Senior Cameron Griffith led the way for the Razorbacks finishing 42nd in the individual race. Arkansas earned 49 points for its Top-25 team finish.
In 2017-18, Arkansas tied a program record with a No. 16 finish in the Directors’ Cup. The Razorbacks finished in the top 25 for the ninth time in the past 11 years and in the top 20 for only the seventh time since the Directors’ Cup program began 25 years ago. Arkansas ranked first in the nation among programs with 19 or fewer sports.
The Directors’ Cup program has been tracking the success of the nation’s top intercollegiate athletics programs since 1993-94.
tle. After the Arkansas men’s and women’s teams won the NCAA South Central Regional crowns in College Station, Texas, both squads advanced to the NCAA Cross Country Championships in Madison, Wisconsin.
The Arkansas women’s cross country team raced to a 14th-place finish at the NCAA Cross Country Championship to earn 61.5 points. Freshman Katrina Robinson was the Razorbacks’ top individual finisher, earning a 41st-place finish in her first national race. Dating back to its 14th-place finish at the 2011 Championships, the Razorbacks have finished in the top-20 eight-consecutive years, including four top-15 finishes in the past five years.
Arkansas’ men’s cross country team finished 25th at the NCAA Cross Country Championship. Senior Cameron Griffith led the way for the Razorbacks finishing 42nd in the individual race. Arkansas earned 49 points for its Top-25 team finish.
In 2017-18, Arkansas tied a program record with a No. 16 finish in the Directors’ Cup. The Razorbacks finished in the top 25 for the ninth time in the past 11 years and in the top 20 for only the seventh time since the Directors’ Cup program began 25 years ago. Arkansas ranked first in the nation among programs with 19 or fewer sports.
The Directors’ Cup program has been tracking the success of the nation’s top intercollegiate athletics programs since 1993-94.
