Notre Dame Places No. 14 In Final Directors’ Cup Standings
Notre Dame’s athletics department secured its highest Learfield IMG Directors’ Cup placement in six years.
The Fighting Irish finished 14th in the 2021 Directors’ Cup standings, released Friday, which measure performance in each of a Division I university’s athletic programs during the prior academic year. It was their best finish since a No. 10 ranking in 2014-15.
Notre Dame had 900 points, five ahead of No. 15 LSU and 33.25 behind No. 13 UCLA. For just the second time in the cup’s 28-year history, a school other than Stanford won first place. Texas, which amassed 1,252 points, earned the top spot ahead of the Cardinal.
Notre Dame was third among ACC schools, behind No. 4 North Carolina and No. 11 Virginia. The Irish won a national championship in fencing, their highest-scoring sport of the year. Football earned 75 points for its No. 5 finish. Men’s cross country was the fall’s highest-placing sport, netting 90 points due to its second-place finish. Men’s and women’s lacrosse each finished fifth to score 70 points, the best spring-sport results.
Notre Dame was eighth after the final fall standings and 15th after the winter sports season ended. All told, Irish athletic programs had six top-10 finishes in 2020-21: football, cross country, fencing, men’s lacrosse, women’s lacrosse and baseball.
A first-place finish in a sport earns 100 points, second place earns 90 points and third place gets 85 points. Values descend for lower finishes.
The 2019-20 Directors’ Cup was not awarded due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Notre Dame finished 17th in 2018-19, 22nd in 2017-18, 23rd in 2016-17 and 17th in 2015-16.
Full standings:
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