CLEVELAND, Ohio – The final 2025-26 LEARFIELD Directors' Cup standings were released on Tuesday, with The Sun Conference leading all NAIA conferences after placing three institutions in the top 10, four in the top 20, and six schools among the top 100.
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 NAIA National Championships.
Keiser University led the way for The Sun Conference, finishing third overall with 918.00 points. Southeastern University placed sixth, while SCAD Savannah rounded out the top 10 in 10th place. St. Thomas University finished 20th in the final standings.
The Seahawks claimed five NAIA National Championships during the 2025-26 campaign, winning titles in women's soccer, women's swimming & diving, men's swimming & diving, men's lacrosse, and women's tennis. Keiser also finished as national runner-up in football. Despite six qualifying sport scores not counting toward the final total due to Directors' Cup scoring limitations, Keiser accumulated 918.00 points and finished among the top five nationally for the ninth consecutive year.
Southeastern finished sixth overall, marking its third top-10 finish in the last four years. After sitting 31st following the completion of the fall and winter seasons, the Fire posted the second-highest spring point total in the NAIA with 415 points. Southeastern earned 90 points with a national runner-up finish in softball, while baseball and men's tennis each contributed 83 points. Women's golf added 66 points, while women's outdoor track & field and women's tennis rounded out the spring scoring effort with 48 and 43 points, respectively.
SCAD Savannah finished 10th nationally after capturing the NAIA Women's Golf National Championship. The Bees also recorded national runner-up finishes in women's lacrosse and women's swimming & diving while placing third in men's swimming & diving and men's lacrosse. SCAD added a ninth-place finish in women's tennis and also earned Directors' Cup points in bowling with national finishes of second in women's bowling and fifth in men's bowling.
St. Thomas rounded out the conference's top-20 finishers in 20th place. The Bobcats were led by a third-place finish at the NAIA Men's Outdoor Track & Field National Championships. During the winter season, St. Thomas earned points with fourth-place and fifth-place finishes in women's and men's swimming & diving, respectively, while also scoring points in football and women's volleyball during the fall campaign.
Ave Maria University and the College of Coastal Georgia also finished among the top 100 in the final standings. Ave Maria totaled 245.00 points during the 2025-26 academic year, while Coastal Georgia accumulated 171.50 points.
Complete standings and the scoring structure can be found on NACDA's website at www.directorscup.org. In addition, please visit www.thedirectorscup.com and follow them on X @ldirectorscup.
About Learfield: Learfield is the leading media and technology company powering college athletics. Through its digital and physical platforms, Learfield owns and leverages a deep data set and relationships in the industry to drive revenue, growth, brand awareness, and fan engagement for brands, sports, and entertainment properties. With ties to over 1,200 collegiate institutions and over 12,000 local and national brand partners, Learfield’s presence in college sports and live events delivers influence and maximizes reach to target audiences. With solutions for a 365-day, 24/7 fan experience, Learfield enables schools and brands to connect with fans through licensed merchandise, game ticketing, donor identification for athletic programs, exclusive custom content, innovative marketing initiatives, NIL solutions, and advanced digital platforms. Since 2008, it has served as title sponsor for the acclaimed Learfield Directors’ Cup, supporting athletic departments across all divisions.
About The Sun Conference: Now in its 36th year, The Sun Conference, a 501c3 organization, continues to be one of the most successful intercollegiate athletic conferences in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). Under the guidance of Commissioner Dustin Wilke, the league sponsors championships in 24 NAIA sports. Learn more at
thesunconference.com.
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