BYU No. 17 in Learfield Directors’ Cup final standings

CLEVELAND — BYU finished the 2020-21 athletic season ranked No. 17 in the nation in the Learfield Directors’ Cup Division I final standings, the Cougars’ highest finish since 2000-01, eighth Top-25 finish and third-highest finish in BYU history.

"It has been a remarkable athletic season, in a truly unprecedented time," said Tom Holmoe, BYU director of athletics. "A huge congratulations to our resilient, tough, committed, passionate, fun-loving student-athletes and coaches for all that they were able to accomplish. To be 17th in the nation, among the athletic programs we are among, is something for all of Cougar Nation to be proud of." 

The Directors’ Cup annually ranks college athletic programs around the country by awarding points based on each institution’s finish in NCAA Championships. The 17th-place placement this season is the highest of any program in the state of Utah and among schools currently in a non-Power 5 conference.

In 25 years of the Directors’ Cup, BYU has an average final ranking of No. 29 and has posted 14 top-30 finishes. The Cougars’ highest finish was No. 12 in 1998-99.

Fourteen BYU teams contributed to the Cougars’ 871.25 point total, helping the program finish ahead of 48 universities in Power 5 conferences. Women’s cross country led all BYU teams in scoring with 100 points, No. 1 among women’s cross country programs after winning the national championship. They were followed by men’s volleyball (90), women’s indoor track and field (72), men’s cross country (69), women’s volleyball (69), women’s track and field (67.5), football (66), men’s indoor track and field (57.75), men’s track and field (57), gymnastics (53), softball (50), soccer (50), women’s basketball (50) and men’s basketball (25). 

The Learfield Directors’ Cup was created through joint efforts by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) and USA Today. Points are awarded based on each institution’s finish in the NCAA championships for both men’s and women’s sports. The overall winner is the school that records the highest number of points in the Directors’ Cup standings. 

See all of BYU’s annual finishes in the Directors’ Cup.

Director's Cup 2020-21 Final Standings | Top-25

Contributions to BYU's Directors' Cup Point Total

• Women’s cross country (100 points, No.1) won its fourth all-time national title in its sixth-straight nationals’ appearance. Head coach Diljeet Taylor was named National Women’s Coach of the Year. The women's cross country and track and field programs combined to be awarded USTFCCCA program of the year. 
• Men's Volleyball (90 points, No. 2) made its eighth all-time national title match appearance. Head coach Shawn Olmstead repeated as MPSF Coach of the Year, while players Gabi Garcia Fernandez, David Gardini and Wil Stanley repeated as First Team All-Americans. 
• Women’s indoor track and field (72 points, No. 7) took seventh at NCAA Championships. Courtney Wayment won the women's 3000m individual national title and the DMR team won the national title with a school record 10:52.96. 
• Men’s cross country (69 points, No. 7) took seventh at NCAA Championships in its 22nd appearance there. Conner Mantz became the third all-time Cougar to win the NCAA Men’s Cross Country Individual National Championship.
• Women’s volleyball (69 points, No. 9) completed an undefeated home season with its ninth consecutive NCAA Tournament berth and seventh WCC title in 10 years. Setter Whitney Bower was named WCC Player of the Year and head coach Heather Olmstead named WCC Coach of the Year.
• Women's track and field (67.5 points, No. 10) qualified 10 entries to the NCAA Championships where Anna Camp-Bennett claimed the 1500m individual national title. 
• Football (66 points, No.11) finished an 11-1 season ranked No. 11, the program’s highest final national ranking since 1996. Quarterback Zach Wilson became the highest NFL Draft pick in program history when he was selected No. 2 overall by the New York Jets on April 29.
• Men’s indoor track and field (57.75 points, No. 16) took 16th at NCAA Championships where Zach McWhorter finished national runner-up in the men's pole vault after posting a school-record clearance of 5.80m/19-0.25. 
• Men's track and field (57 points, No. 17) qualified 14 entries to the NCAA Championships where four athletes would finish as First Team All-Americans. 
• Gymnastics (53 points, No. 17) achieved a final national ranking of No. 19 while winning its second-straight Mountain Rim Gymnastics Conference Championship and advancing to NCAA Regionals. 
• Softball (50 points, No. 17) won its 12th-straight conference title and made its 16th-straight trip to NCAA Regionals. Head coach Gordon Eakin surpassed 700 career wins and freshman centerfielder Violet Zavodnik became the first player in WCC and BYU history to be named both conference Freshman and Player of the Year. 
• Women’s soccer (50 points, No. 17) received its eighth NCAA Tournament bid in the last nine seasons and was led by WCC Offensive Player of the Year Mikayla Colohan.
• Women’s basketball (50 points, No. 17) concluded an undefeated home season with its 14th all-time NCAA tournament appearance. There, the Cougars upset No. 6 seed Rutgers and were led by WCC Co-Player of the Year Shaylee Gonzales and WCC Coach of the Year Jeff Judkins.
• Men’s basketball (25 points, No.33) recorded its first NCAA tournament appearance since 2015 to cap off a second-straight 20-win season. The Cougars were led by Honorable-Mention All-American Alex Barcello and WCC Defensive Player of the Year Matt Haarms.