University of the Cumberlands Wins NAIA Directors' Cup
Tennesse’s victory in the College World Series officially ended the 2023-24 season of college athletics. To mark the end of the year, the Learfield Directors’ Cup awarded the best overall athletic programs in the country. The Kentucky Wildcats did not have a great showing, but another Kentucky school took home the top prize.
The University of the Cumberlands won the NAIA division of the Directors’ Cup, a first for the school in Williamsburg. The Patriots posted back-to-back Top 10 finishes before reaching the top spot in the 2023-24 season. Cumberlands won NAIA National Championships in three sports: women’s soccer, men’s indoor track and field, and men’s outdoor track and field.
In addition to three National Championships, the men’s cross country and swimming and diving teams finished third in their respective championships. The women’s basketball team reached the Fab Four for the first time in program history after knocking off Campbellsville 88-77 in the quarterfinals. The softball and baseball teams also reached the World Series. Needless to say, it was a pretty great year for the Patriots.
“Winning the Learfield Cup is a tremendous achievement for our institution. It shows the commitment to excellence that starts with Dr. Cockrum and runs through our administration, faculty and staff, coaches, and most importantly our student-athletes,” said athletic director Chris Kraftick.
“We had a vision years ago with this department and to see it come to fruition has been incredibly rewarding. We truly are One Big Team and the future looks bright for Patriots Athletics.”
Where Kentucky Finished in the Learfield Directors’ Cup
Even though the Bat Cats made history by making their first College World Series appearance, it was not a banner year for UK Athletics. Kentucky finished No. 32 in the final Directors’ Cup standings, snapping a few impressive streaks. The Cats ranked 11th in the SEC.
Kentucky was a Top 20 athletic program for six straight years. They also had 11 straight finishes inside the Top 30. Two years ago Kentucky had its best Directors’ Cup finish ever at No. 9 overall.
Four sports must be included when calculating every athletic department’s score in the Directors’ Cup: women’s volleyball, baseball, and men’s and women’s basketball. The baseball team carried a heavy workload, while the women’s hoops program did not make the postseason and John Calipari’s Cats were ousted in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
It wasn’t a great yar for Kentucky, but it wasn’t as bad as Cincinnati. Every Power Five program made the Top 100 except the Bearcats, who finished No. 259. In their first year in the Big 12, every major team sport missed the postseason and only the baseball team finished over .500 in conference play.
Discuss This Article
Comments have moved.
Join the conversation and talk about this article and all things Kentucky Sports in the new KSR Message Board.
KSBoard