CLEVELAND, Ohio – The winter standings for the 2022-23 Learfield Directors’ Cup in NCAA Division III were released Thursday and Gustavus sits in 23rd place out of 274 qualified institutions. Gustavus had four winter sport teams compete in the NCAA postseason, accumulating 257 points in the Directors’ Cup. The 257 points during the winter season are the 14th most in Division III.
Women’s hockey led the way for Gustavus by winning the national championship, garnering 100 points. Women’s indoor track & field earned 55 points for taking 18th place, women’s swimming & diving earned 52 points for taking 22nd place, and women’s basketball earned 50 points for finishing 17th.
Gustavus ranked 47th after the fall season with 123 points. Men’s soccer took fifth place for 73 points and volleyball took 17th place for 50 points.
With 257 total points, Gustavus ranks No. 1 in the MIAC and No. 7 in the region (Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Nebraska).
Last year, Gustavus took 38th place in the final standings, which was the highest among MIAC institutions and the best finish since 2012-13 when the Golden Gusties took 36th place. Gustavus last finished in the top-10 in 2008-09 with an eighth place finish. The highest finish in school history is sixth place in 2002-03.
Overall, 18 sports are counted in the final DIII standings, four of which must be men’s and women’s soccer and men’s and women’s basketball. The next highest (14 max.) sports scored for each institution, regardless of gender, are used in the standings. 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 NCAA Championships. The Division III Director’s Cup began during the 1995-96 academic year.