BYU finishes 31st in Learfield Directors' Cup standings

PROVO, Utah – BYU athletics finished the 2016-17 season ranked No. 31 in the Learfield Directors’ Cup Division I final standings.

The Cougars’ No. 31 ranking is the highest among schools not in a Power Five conference and one spot lower than its 30th-place ranking in 2015-16. BYU finished 39 spots ahead of the next best program in the West Coast Conference (Pepperdine, 70th) and had the highest ranking among all NCAA Division I programs in the state of Utah, ahead of Utah (54), Southern Utah (153), Utah State (198), Weber State (T-252) and Utah Valley (287).

Stanford won the 2016-17 Directors’ Cup while Ohio State, Florida, USC and North Carolina rounded out the top five.

In 24 years of the Directors’ Cup, BYU has an average ranking of 33 and 12 top-30 rankings. The Cougars’ highest finish was 12th in 1998-99.

The Directors’ Cup honors institutions maintaining a broad-based program, achieving success in many sports, both men's and women's. Begun in 1993-94 for Division I by NACDA and USA Today, it was expanded in 1995-96 to include Division II, III and the NAIA and, in 2011-12, expanded to the Junior/Community Colleges.

In NCAA Division I, points are awarded in 10 women's and 10 men's sports for each program based on NCAA finishes. The overall champion is the institution that records the highest number of points in their division's Directors' Cup standings.

BYU teams earned points towards the 2016-17 Directors’ Cup in women's cross country (67.5), men's cross country (72), football (45), women's soccer (64), women's volleyball (64), women's gymnastics (46.5), women's indoor track and field (55), baseball (25), women’s golf (27), men’s golf (28.5), softball (50), women’s outdoor track and field (29), men’s outdoor track and field (37.5) and men’s volleyball (90).

To watch a review of BYU’s 2016-17 athletic seasons, click here.

Click here for BYU’s annual finishes in the Directors’ Cup.

Visit NACDA.com for information on the 2016-17 Director’s Cup.