Mustangs Lay Claim as AAC's Best Fall Athletics Program

Football, soccer, volleyball lead way as SMU climbs into national recognition with Directors' Cup standings

CLEVELAND - SMU has finished the fall sports session ranked as the No. 1 American Athletic Conference program and ranks 32nd nationally in the LEARFIELD Directors' Cup Division I Fall Standings with 164.5 points.

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 Mustangs won AAC championships in football, men's soccer and volleyball, while women's soccer finished runner-up and cross country placed third. Football, men's soccer, women's soccer and volleyball combined to go 38-4-2 (.886) in league play in the fall.

Football finished 11-3, claiming the program's first conference championship since 1984 and the most wins since 1982. This includes an undefeated run through AAC play for the first time that extended to the AAC championship game against Tulane. SMU earned its fifth consecutive bowl bid and finished No. 22 in the final AP poll.

Volleyball went 26-7, earning its first conference title since 2016 with an 18-1 AAC mark. The Mustangs landed an NCAA Tournament bid, advancing to the second round before losing to eventual national champion Texas.

The men's soccer finished 14-3-2, also going undefeated in the AAC at 7-0-1. That allowed the Mustangs to claim the No. 6 national seed in the NCAA Tournament and advanced to the third round.Women's soccer finished runner-up in The American for the second straight season, and 11-6-1 overall. Cross country finished third at the AAC Championships and sixth at the NCAA South Central Regional.

This recognition closes the book on AAC competition as they all will next compete in the ACC.

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