Clemson positioned well in Directors Cup after winter sports

Clemson's Elite Eight run in men's basketball has the program much higher in the Directors Cup this year versus in 2023.

by TigerNet Staff - Thu Apr 25 10:41:47 GMT-04:00 2024

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (theACC.com) – The Atlantic Coast Conference has seven schools among the top 30, leading all conferences in the updated 2023-24 LEARFIELD Directors’ Cup Division I Standings, which were published Thursday following the conclusion of all NCAA winter sports seasons.

Clemson ranks just outside of the top 30 at No. 31 with 413.50 points, just ahead of Virginia Tech (393.75) at No. 34 and Syracuse (333.00) at No. 45. For Clemson, that is a 30-spot improvement year-to-year after the winter competitions. The program scored points in men's basketball (5th; 73 points), the first-year gymnastics program (33rd; 37), women's indoor track and field (38th; 34) and men's indoor track and field (41st; 32.5). The program tallied 98.50 points last year versus 176.5 points this year in winter competitions.

Third place North Carolina (733.50 points) leads the ACC contingent, followed by No. 6 Notre Dame (698.00), No. 12 NC State (651.50), No. 16 Virginia (524.00), No. 25 Florida State (444.38), No. 26 Duke (433.50), and No. 27 Louisville (431.50).

Virginia won its fourth straight NCAA title in women’s swimming and diving, which increased the ACC’s national team titles this year to five – NC State women’s cross country, North Carolina field hockey, Clemson men’s soccer, Florida State women’s soccer, and Virginia women’s swimming and diving.

The ACC leads all conferences with a total of five NCAA championships during the 2023-24 academic year to date. Overall, the 21 NCAA titles by the ACC in the last two-and-a-half academic years are also the most of any conference.

“It was an exciting winter season for our student-athletes, coaches and 10 sponsored sports, including Virginia women’s swimming and diving winning the league’s fifth NCAA Title this year,” said ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips, Ph.D. “Our spring sports are in full swing, and competing at the highest level, and we look forward to watching what’s ahead as we round out the 2023-24 academic year.”

Future ACC member Stanford leads the way with 977.00 points, while fellow incoming schools California (428.50) and SMU (220.00) rank 28th and 68th, respectively.

The final LEARFIELD Directors' Cup Division I standings will be updated and published in June, following the conclusion of spring sports.

The LEARFIELD Directors' Cup was developed as a joint effort between 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.

(ACC press release contribution)