Texas Athletics Wins Programs' First Ever Learfield Directors' Cup

An accumulation of recent athletic success has earned Longhorn Nation the title of best all-around sports program in the country for 2021

Zach Dimmitt | Jul 2, 2021

The University of Texas at Austin has always claimed to have one of the country's top collegiate athletic departments. Now, Texas athletics can officially be labeled as "best-of-the-best."

In an official announcement on Friday, the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) stated that the University of Texas has won the 2021 Learfield IMG College Directors’ Cup. The award is given to the collegiate athletic department that had the most high-placing finishes in NCAA Championship action.

2021 marks the first time ever that UT has won the award. Stanford University placed in second place, ending the Cardinal unbelievable streak of 25 consecutive first-place finishes for the Directors' Cup dating back to 1994. No winner was crowned for the 2019-2020 season due to COVID-19.

UT Athletic Director Chris Del Conte sent out his own announcement to commemorate the award-winning Longhorns.

Texas earned 1,252 points through the scoring system from the athletic dominance across the board. Other notable finishes behind second-place Stanford included Michigan in third and North Carolina in fourth place.

Division 1 schools can score points from a maximum of 19 sports, four of which must be baseball, men's basketball, women's basketball, and women's volleyball. Texas' success encompassed these sports and more on the way to winning the Directors' Cup.

Of UT's 20 intercollegiate athletic programs, Texas' teams finished with seven Top-3 placements, nine in the Top 5, and 13 in the Top 10 during the academic year.

Texas won NCAA team titles in Men's Swimming and Diving and Women's Tennis and Rowing. Other Top-3 finishes included Texas Women's Volleyball team finishing in second place, followed by Women's Swimming and Diving, Men's Tennis and UT Baseball.

Top-5 NCAA placements by the Longhorns included the Women's Basketball team and Women's Golf. Additionally, Texas had Top-10 finishes from Men's Outdoor Track and Field (tied for sixth), Women's Outdoor Track and Field (tied for seventh), Women's Indoor Track and Field (eighth place), and Softball (ninth place).

Texas also tied its own league record by winning 13 different Big 12 Conference titles in Volleyball, Men's Indoor Track and Field, Women’s Indoor Track and Field, Men’s Swimming and Diving, Women’s Swimming and Diving, Men’s Basketball (tournament), Men’s Tennis, Women’s Tennis (regular season and tournament), Rowing, Women’s Outdoor Track and Field, Men’s Outdoor Track and Field and Baseball.

The Longhorns lead the Big 12 all-time with 194 conference championships (52 regular season and 142 postseason) across all sports. This dominance over the rest of the Big 12 was in full swing during this past year as well, as the next-best Big 12 team in the Directors' Cup standings was Oklahoma State in 18th place.

In the 28-year history of the Directors' Cup, Texas has had a Top-10 placement 21 times, including three second-place finishes (2001-02, 2002-03 and 2004-05) and one third-place finish (2005-06).

It will take a collective effort by UT Athletics to defend their crown come next summer. But after the year Longhorn Nation has had, nothing is too far out of reach.

CONTINUE READING: Longhorns Rise To No. 9 In SI All-American's 2022 Recruiting Class Rankings

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Published Jul 2, 2021

ZACH DIMMITT