CLEVELAND, Ohio – The final standings for the 2021-22 Learfield Directors’ Cup in NCAA Division III were released Thursday and Gustavus finished in 38th place out of 326 institutions. Gustavus had nine teams compete in the NCAA postseason, accumulating 456 points in the Directors’ Cup. Tufts won the Directors’ Cup with 1080 points.
Women’s hockey led the way for Gustavus by taking second place at the NCAA Championships, garnering 90 points. Women’s outdoor track & field earned fifth place for 75 points, men’s tennis took ninth for 64 points, men’s golf finished 24th for 50 points, women’s swimming & diving took 25th for 49 points, women’s indoor track & field finished 41st for 31 points, women’s basketball took 33rd for 25 points, men’s swimming & diving earned 41st for 22 points, and volleyball finished 17th for 15 points.
The 38th place finish for Gustavus is the highest among MIAC institutions and the best finish since 2012-13 when the Golden Gusties took 36th place. Gustavus last finished in the top-10 in 2008-09 with an eighth place finish. The highest finish in school history is sixth place in 2002-03.
Overall, 18 sports are counted in the final DIII standings, four of which must be men’s and women’s soccer and men’s and women’s basketball. The next highest (14 max.) sports scored for each institution, regardless of gender, are used in the standings. The Learfield Directors’ Cup was develops as a joint effort between the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) and USA Today. Points are awarded based on each institution’s finish in NCAA Championships. The Division III Director’s Cup began during the 1995-96 academic year.