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BYU Athletics: Cougars finish No. 31 in Learfield Directors’ Cup standings

By Nathan Cunningham

LAS VEGAS, NV - MARCH 11: Brigham Young University Cougars mascot Cosmo the Cougar poses before a semifinal game of the Conoco Mountain West Conference Basketball tournament against the New Mexico Lobos at the Thomas
LAS VEGAS, NV - MARCH 11: Brigham Young University Cougars mascot Cosmo the Cougar poses before a semifinal game of the Conoco Mountain West Conference Basketball tournament against the New Mexico Lobos at the Thomas /
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The final 2016-17 Learfield Directors’ Cup Division-I standings were released yesterday, and BYU athletics logged another quality year.

BYU finished at No. 31, just one spot behind its finish from 2015-16. It was a 17-spot improvement from 2014-15.

Also of note, BYU athletics finished ahead of every other school in the state. Utah was No. 54, Southern Utah No. 153, Utah State No. 198 and Weber State was tied for No. 252. Utah Valley rounded out the state’s rankings at No. 287.

The Cougars were also the highest-ranked non-P5 school. Denver (Summit League) was next at No. 35.

In terms of West Coast Conference competition, BYU athletics ran away with things. BYU’s finish was 39 spots ahead of Pepperdine.

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BYU has, on average, finished No. 33 in the 24-year history of the Cup. 1998-99 brought the best finish in school history (No. 12).

So what exactly is the Learfield Directors’ Cup? From their official website:

“This program honors four all-sports champions in the NCAA Divisions I, II and III and the NAIA. Each institution is awarded points in a pre-determined number of sports for men and women. The overall champion is the institution which has a broad-based program, achieving success in many sports, both men’s and women’s. The winner in each division receives a crystal trophy.”

Here’s how the different BYU programs contributed to the school’s total points:

Men’s volleyball was the highest point-getter with 90. The men’s and women’s cross country teams finished with the 72 and 67.5, respectively. Women’s soccer and women’s volleyball each added 64. The football team added 45.

For the complete list, click here.

Stanford captured the Cup, with Ohio State (2), Florida (3), USC (4) and North Carolina rounding out the top five.

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