UNC Finishes 4th in Learfield Directors’ Cup Standings; Best Finish in 16 Years

UNC finished fourth in the final standings for the 2024-25 Learfield Directors’ Cup, which measures achievements across 19 different sports. The fourth-place finish is UNC’s best in the last 16 seasons.

The Tar Heels accrued 1,195.25 points in the standings. The only schools ahead of UNC were No. 1 Texas (which won its fourth title in the last five years), No. 2 USC and No. 3 Stanford. It’s the sixth straight season, ninth time in the last 10 seasons and 26th time overall UNC has finished in at least the Top 10. Filling out the rest of the Top 10 were No. 5 UCLA, No. 6 Tennessee, No. 7 Florida, No. 8 Ohio State, No. 9 Oklahoma and No. 10 Duke. No. 12 Virginia and No. 20 NC State were the other ACC schools in the Top 20 of the standings.

UNC is one of only three schools who have ever won the Directors’ Cup, with Texas and Stanford being the others. Carolina was the champion for the 1993-94 season, the first time the Directors’ Cup was awarded. Overall, UNC’s 26 Top 10 finishes account for nearly half of the ACC’s 54 as a conference. The 2024-25 season is also the 26th time in 31 years of the competition that UNC had the most or second-most points among all ACC member schools. For a full look at the Directors’ Cup standings, click here.

The UNC women’s soccer and women’s lacrosse programs each took home NCAA titles during the 2024-25 season, the 51st and 52nd for the school as a whole and the 38th and 39th won by women’s programs. The 2024-25 academic year is the seventh in a row in which at least one UNC team won an NCAA title and the second in the last three years in which multiple programs have won titles.

UNC had nine different programs finish in their respective Top 10s: women’s soccer (first), women’s lacrosse (first), field hockey (third), women’s tennis (third), men’s cross country (sixth), men’s indoor track and field (eighth), baseball (ninth), women’s basketball (ninth) and men’s lacrosse (ninth). Women’s cross country, fencing, gymnastics, women’s swimming and diving, men’s outdoor track and field, volleyball, men’s swimming and diving and women’s indoor track and field all finished in their respective Top 25s. In total, 26 of UNC’s 28 varsity programs made it to their respective postseasons.

Featured image via UNC Athletic Communications

Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees, and you can directly support our efforts in local journalism here. Want more of what you see on Chapelboro? Let us bring free local news and community information to you by signing up for our newsletter.

‹

No. 1 UNC Women's Lacrosse Rolls Past Notre Dame in ACC Tourney Semifinals

The high-powered UNC women’s lacrosse team showed once again why it’s the overwhelming favorite to win a national championship this season, rolling to an 18-4 victory on Friday in Chapel Hill over No. 4 seed Notre Dame as part of the ACC Tournament semifinals. Stars Jamie Ortega and Katie Hoeg each tallied seven points in […]

No. 1 UNC Women's Lacrosse Steamrolls Past No. 2 Syracuse

A matchup between the nation’s top two women’s lacrosse teams on Saturday at Dorrance Field saw the top-ranked Tar Heels demolish No. 2 Syracuse by a score of 17-6. Jamie Ortega led UNC (11-0, 5-0 ACC) with five goals and three assists for a season-high eight points, while Katie Hoeg added three goals and four […]

Women's Lax: No. 6 UNC Crushes No. 3 Syracuse 11-5

An impressive display from the sixth-ranked UNC women’s lacrosse team on Saturday in Chapel Hill had the Tar Heels putting on an absolute clinic in an 11-5 victory over the No. 3 Syracuse Orange. Freshman Tayler Warehime had four goals to lead the Tar Heel offense, while Kara Klages added three goals and Gianna Bowe […]

UNC Women's Lacrosse Thumps Syracuse, Moves on to ACC Tournament Semifinals

Thursday’s ACC Tournament opener against seventh-seeded Syracuse could not have gone any better for the No. 2 seed UNC women’s lacrosse team, which used six goals from Jamie Ortega–and five more from Kara Klages–to defeat the Orange 21-12 at Koskinen Stadium in Durham. Ela Hazar added three goals and four assists, while Katie Hoeg chipped […]

No. 5 UNC Women's Lacrosse Explodes for 12 Second-Half Goals in Win Over Syracuse

Kara Klages and Marie McCool each scored five goals Saturday afternoon at the Carrier Dome to help lead the fifth-ranked UNC women’s lacrosse team to a 20-11 blowout on the road over the Syracuse Orange. The Tar Heels (10-3, 5-1 ACC) led 8-5 at halftime, but saw that deficit shrink just a bit when Syracuse […]

Syracuse Stuns No. 2 UNC Women's Lacrosse on Senior Day

Riding a nine-game win streak entering Saturday’s home game vs. No. 11 Syracuse, the second-ranked UNC women’s lacrosse team appeared to be cruising into postseason play with a great shot at repeating as national champions. The Orange offered a huge wake-up call, however, as they defeated the Tar Heels 13-11 on UNC’s senior day. Emily […]

Orange Upset Tar Heels For ACC Title

The Syracuse Orange downed the Tar Heels, 9-8, in overtime sudden victory to claim their first league title in just their second year in the ACC.

UNC Women's Sports Programs Win 2024-25 Capital One Cup

UNC has been named the winner of the 2024-25 Capital One Cup, awarded annually to the most successful women’s athletic program of the season. The winner is determined by accumulating points in a combination of NCAA championship wins and major poll finishes. Four women’s sports programs at UNC – field hockey, soccer, lacrosse and tennis […]

Check Out the Complete Schedule for UNC's 'ACC Network Takeover' July 8

The ACC Network will feature 24 hours of Tar Heel highlights from the 2024-25 athletic year Tuesday as part of its annual “ACC Network Takeover.” Programming begins at midnight and lasts through 11:59 p.m. Featured games include the women’s basketball team’s win against No. 10 NC State at Carmichael Arena back in February. Those who […]

UNC Finishes 4th in Learfield Directors' Cup Standings; Best Finish in 16 Years

UNC finished fourth in the final standings for the 2024-25 Learfield Directors’ Cup, which measures achievements across 19 different sports. The fourth-place finish is UNC’s best in the last 16 seasons. The Tar Heels accrued 1,195.25 points in the standings. The only schools ahead of UNC were No. 1 Texas (which won its fourth title […]

›