CLEVELAND, Ohio – St. Olaf College recorded its highest finish in the LEARFIELD Directors' Cup since 2015-16 by finishing 71st, as the final standings updated through the spring season were released on Thursday by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA).
Out of the 327 NCAA Division III institutions to earn points this academic year, St. Olaf placed 71st with 245 points, ranking third among Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) institutions in the standings. The 245 points and 71st-place finish were the best finishes for the Oles since placing 36th with 447 points in 2015-16.
St. Olaf carried 230 points into the spring season and added 15 points to its total from men's track and field's 56th-place finish at the NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championships. The Oles earned 184 points this past fall, thanks to men's soccer's appearance in the "Sweet 16", women's cross country's 13th-place national finish, and men's cross country's 17th-place showing at the national meet. In the winter, men's hockey earned 25 points by virtue of qualifying for the NCAA Tournament and women's swimming and diving banked 21 points after its tie-for-42nd-place finish at the NCAA Championships.
The Oles posted their highest-ever finish in the LEARFIELD Directors' Cup by finishing 19th in 1999-00 and also posted a top-20 finish in the first year of the program by placing 20th in 1995-96. St. Olaf has 12 top-50 finishes in the program's 24 years. The Directors' Cup did not take place during the 2019-20 and 2020-21 academic years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The LEARFIELD Directors' Cup is a program that honors institutions maintaining a broad-based program, awarding points based on each institution's national finish in the NCAA Championships. The program was started in 1993-94 by NACDA and
USA Today and expanded to include NCAA Division II, III, and the NAIA in 1995-96. Currently in NCAA Division III, 18 teams can count towards an institution's total and four must be men's basketball, women's basketball, men's soccer, and women's soccer.
St. Olaf Learfield Directors' Cup Finishes
| Academic Year |
Place |
Points |
| 2021-22 |
71st |
245.0 |
| 2020-21 |
Directors' Cup Canceled |
N/A |
| 2019-20 |
Directors' Cup Canceled |
N/A |
| 2018-19 |
120th |
156.0 |
| 2017-18 |
152nd |
124.5 |
| 2016-17 |
126th |
158.0 |
| 2015-16 |
36th |
447.0 |
| 2014-15 |
35th |
427.5 |
| 2013-14 |
31st |
423.0 |
| 2012-13 |
45th |
351.25 |
| 2011-12 |
41st |
382.5 |
| 2010-11 |
75th |
231.5 |
| 2009-10 |
T-70th |
238.5 |
| 2008-09 |
85th |
212.0 |
| 2007-08 |
132nd |
147.0 |
| 2006-07 |
95th |
190.5 |
| 2005-06 |
91st |
170.0 |
| 2004-05 |
T-91st |
170.0 |
| 2003-04 |
116th |
130.0 |
| 2002-03 |
37th |
294.5 |
| 2001-02 |
37th |
298.0 |
| 2000-01 |
33rd |
323.0 |
| 1999-00 |
19th |
385.5 |
| 1998-99 |
T-45th |
140.0 |
| 1997-98 |
T-66th |
100.0 |
| 1996-97 |
26th |
296.5 |
| 1995-96 |
20th |
336.5 |
