Penn State Finishes 23rd in Learfield Directors' Cup

Led by a wrestling national championship, the Nittany Lions record their fifth top-25 finish since 2017.

The Penn State Nittany Lions celebrate after winning the NCAA Wrestling Title at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City. / Reese Strickland-USA TODAY Sports

Led by its national-championship wrestling team, Penn State finished 23rd in the Learfield Directors' Cup standings for the 2023-24 academic year. Penn State recorded its fifth top-25 finish since the 2016-17 academic year.

Penn State wrestling, under head coach Cael Sanderson, won its 11th NCAA team title in the last 13 events, generating 100 points for the Nittany Lions in the Directors' Cup standings. As a result, Penn State placed fifth overall in the Directors' Cup winter standings.

A few highlights from Penn State's athletic season:

Penn State earned 271 points during the fall, with women's soccer generating 73 by reaching the NCAA quarterfinals. Women's volleyball reached the NCAA regional semifinals, while the Nittany Lions football team went 10-2 during the regular season and played in the Peach Bowl.

The men's volleyball team went 23-7, won the EIVA title and made the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament. Coach Clarisa Crowell led the women's softball to its first NCAA Tournament in 13 years. And the men's track team claimed its first NCAA individual outdoor title since 2018, as sprinter Chieckna Traore won the 200-meter men's race. Hayley Kitching placed fifth in the women's 800 meters to earn All-America honors.

Texas won the 2023-24 Learfield Directors' Cup, followed by Stanford, Tennessee, Florida and Virginia. Penn State place fourth among Big Ten schools behind Ohio State (11th overall), Michigan (15th) and Nebraska (23rd).

Visit the Learfield Directors' Cup site for more.

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AllPennState is the place for Penn State news, opinion and perspective on the SI.com network. Publisher Mark Wogenrich has covered Penn State for more than 20 years, tracking three coaching staffs, three Big Ten titles and a catalog of great stories. Follow him on Twitter @MarkWogenrich.