With the return of the Learfield Directors’ Cup to Texas soil, the Longhorns have been awarded as the top collegiate athletics program for the third time in four years.
Led by the strength of the volleyball, rowing, softball and track and field teams, the Learfield Directors’ Cup is given to the national collegiate athletics program based on a points system. Each NCAA championship or runner-up spot is worth a certain amount of points. For the 2023-24 season, Texas was at the top with 1,377 points, putting Stanford into second place by only 65 points.
The Longhorns won multiple national championships this season and all 19 sports qualified for NCAA post-season games, propelling the Longhorns to the top of the board.
Volleyball won the national title for the second year in a row.
Women’s basketball made it into the Elite Eight before a season-ending game against North Carolina.
Rowing also won another national championship, beating Stanford and making a third NCAA victory.
Softball placed as the national runner-up, bumping Texas up the ranks with a final top-two finish.
Football finished third, qualifying for the College Football Playoffs for the first time before getting knocked out by Washington in the semifinals.
Track and field also assisted in garnering several points, with the men’s team finishing 12th in the NCAA Outdoor Championships and the women’s team placing third. Junior Ackelia Smith brought home two national championships in the triple jump and the long jump, bringing in 21 out of 40 team points. Additionally, senior Leo Neugebauer set a new record in the decathlon to push the men’s team into the top 20.
The NCAA titles from volleyball, rowing and softball’s runner-up added up to five top-two finishes for Texas, the second-most in school history, and 15 conference championships from a final season in the Big 12 broke the school record. No other team in a Power Five conference demonstrated such dominance.
Texas was announced as the recipient of the Directors’ Cup online through social media, including X and Instagram.
This achievement is more than an award showing off Texas’ strength in the athletics department. The Learfield Directors’ Cup highlights the significant milestones the Longhorns have collectively made during this past season. Each new record set, each award granted and each game won is represented by this award being placed in Texas’ halls.
