For the 12th straight year, the University of Virginia finished in the top 25 of the Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup. The final standings, which consist of how each program finishes in NCAA postseason play, were revealed Saturday.

UVa ranked 21st out of 292 Division I schools, which was good for fifth out of the 15 Atlantic Coast Conference schools (Florida State was 9th, Duke 11th, UNC 12th and N.C. State 15th). Notre Dame (22nd), Virginia Tech (28th) and Louisville (30th) also cracked the top 30.

Although it was the school’s lowest finish since coming in 26th overall in 2006, Virginia is one of only 12 DI programs in the country to appear in the top 30 in each of the 25 years that the standings — compiled by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics — have been in existence.

North Carolina is the only other conference school to achieve that feat. The other 10 institutions are California, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State, Texas, UCLA, Southern Cal and Stanford, which finished first in the standings for an impressive 24th straight year.

“Finishing in the top 25 of the Director’s Cup for the 12th consecutive year is a testament to Craig Littlepage, our coaches, staff and student-athletes,” said UVa Athletic Director Carla Williams. “This type of accomplishment requires a lot of people pulling in the same direction and we’re looking forward to continuing this incredible legacy.”

The University accumulated 348 of its 830 total Directors’ Cup points during an overall successful spring season, despite the baseball program not qualifying for postseason play for the first time in the Brian O’Connor era (2004).

The women’s rowing team had a strong showing, finishing in fifth place at the NCAA Championships on May 26th to help boost the school’s final standing. In addition, the women’s golf, women’s lacrosse and men’s and women’s tennis teams each contributed to the strong spring finish.

The Cavaliers have enjoyed seven top-10 finishes since the first standings were accumulated in 1994, six of which occurred in the last decade (2009-11, 2014-16), with the best result coming in 2010 when Virginia came in third place overall.

In the state, UVa was once again top dog. The next-best finish came from the ACC rival Hokies, followed by James Madison (81st), Liberty (126th), VCU (138), Old Dominion (144), Richmond (212), Radford (T-217), William & Mary (T-217), Norfolk State (286) and George Mason (288).

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Would Love To See A Little More Sense Of Urgency With ACC Network

(updated )

Earlier this week, David Teel of the Newport News Daily press wrote this piece on the ACC Network, set to launch in 2019. It noted Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel had told the university’s Board of Regents last week that his department’s share of Big Ten revenue was $51.1 million in 2017-18, with $52.1 million projected in 2018-19. That’s a stark comparison to the ACC’s $26.6 million divulged in its most recent federal tax filing, according to Teel. Wow, I thought. The gap just keeps getting bigger and bigger between the Big 10 and the ACC. Wow, I also thought. […]

Would Love To See A Little More Sense Of Urgency With ACC Network

(updated )

Earlier this week, David Teel of the Newport News Daily press wrote this piece on the ACC Network, set to launch in 2019. It noted Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel had told the university’s Board of Regents last week that his department’s share of Big Ten revenue was $51.1 million in 2017-18, with $52.1 million projected in 2018-19. That’s a stark comparison to the ACC’s $26.6 million divulged in its most recent federal tax filing, according to Teel. Wow, I thought. The gap just keeps getting bigger and bigger between the Big 10 and the ACC. Wow, I also thought. […]