Cleveland, OH – The University of the Cumberlands athletic department closes out their most historic athletic season by capturing the 2023-2024 Learfield Directors' Cup, it was announced Tuesday afternoon.  The Patriots finished atop the standings after accumulating 985.5 points, the most by any NAIA school since the award's inception in 1994, to become just the tenth NAIA school to take home this honor.

"This is a tremendous honor for the Cumberlands community. It is a testament to the commitment and dedication of our student-athletes, coaches, administration, and our entire University as we strive for comprehensive success on the field, in the classroom, and in the community," said President Larry L. Cockrum.  "While the Patriots have excelled athletically, I'm also proud of the department-best 3.21 GPA and school record 361 Academic All-Conference selections."

The Patriots won a trio of NAIA National Championships this year with each garnering 100 points apiece, while Cumberlands had 16 teams post a top-ten finish at their respective national championship.  In addition, UC had 11 teams post their best finish at nationals in program history.  

"Winning the Learfield Cup is a tremendous achievement for our institution. It shows the commitment to excellence that starts with Dr. Cockrum and runs through our administration, faculty and staff, coaches, and most importantly our student-athletes," said Athletic Director Chris Kraftick.  "We had a vision years ago with this department and to see it come to fruition has been incredibly rewarding.  We truly are #OneBigTeam and the future looks bright for Patriots Athletics.

UC women's soccer captured the first Red Banner in Cumberlands history when they cwon the NAIA title in December.  The Patriots compiled an 18-1-3 record on the season, captured the MSC regular season title and hosted the First and Second Round of the NAIA Tournament.  Cumberlands went 4-0 at the final site, including a 2-0 win over second-ranked Spring Arbor in the semifinals, before defeating top-ranked William Carey in penalty kicks (3-2) of the championship game. 

Cumberlands men's track & field also won both the NAIA Indoor Track & Field Championship as well as the NAIA Outdoor Track & Field Championship.  The Patriots recorded 80 points to pull away from the field to capture the top spot by 39 points at indoor nationals, while Cumberlands edged out Marian by two points to claim the Red Banner during outdoor nationals.  UC garnered 26 All-American performances and six individual national champions over the two meets.

Men's cross country and men's swimming & diving each earned 85 points after placing third at their respective national championships. They both tied their respective program record for the highest finish in program history as men's cross country posted a third-place finish for the first time since 1998.  It was just the second time that men's swimming & diving notched a third-place finish at nationals.

Women's basketball tallied 83 points after reaching the Fab Four for the first time in program history.  The Patriots reached the final site for the second straight year and defeated Campbellsville 88-77 to win the Duer Quadrant and reached the national semifinals.

After advancing to the NAIA World Series for the second consecutive year, both softball and baseball posted top-ten national finishes. UC softball compiled a 49-9 record, won the MSC regular season title, and hosted the NAIA Opening Round for the second straight season.  The Patriots went undefeated during the opening round and earned a pair of wins at the World Series, including a 4-1 win over second-ranked Oklahoma City, to finish in the top six and earn 78 points towards Learfield.

Baseball compiled a program record 52 wins en route to capturing both the Mid-South Conference regular season and tournament titles.  UC went 3-0 in the NAIA Opening Round outscoring their opponents 52-14 over the three-game span.  Cumberlands defeated #7 William Carey 6-4 for the program's first World Series win.

Women's track & field and women's cross country each posted the best finish in program history at nationals.  The Patriots garnered 32 points to earn a sixth-place finish at outdoor nationals, while UC finished ninth at both cross country and indoor track & field nationals.  Their sixth-place finish garnered 73.5 points, while the ninth-place finish earned 69 points apiece.  In total UC garnered 13 All-American performances with a pair of national champions.

Rounding out the Patriots score were men's basketball, men's soccer, and volleyball.  Men's basketball garnered 64 points after reaching the NAIA round of 16 for the first time since 2015.  They also captured their first MSC regular season title since 2003.  Men's soccer garnered 50 points for reaching the second round of the NAIA Tournament, while volleyball won the MSC Tournament and qualified for nationals for the first time in program history.

Women's lacrosse and men's lacrosse reached the national semifinals, while women's golf (seventh), women's swimming & diving (eighth), women's wrestling (tenth), and cheerleading (tenth) all posted top-ten finishes at their respective championships.  Cumberlands archery also won the USA Archery 3D and Indoor Collegiate National Championships.  

In total, the Patriots had 21 teams qualify for their respective national championships, earning 985.5 points.  Indiana Wesleyan finished second with 873.38 points, Keiser was in third with 815.20 points, while Marian and William Carey round out the top five. 

The LEARFIELD Sports Directors' Cup was developed as a joint effort between NACDA and USA Today. Points are awarded based on each institution's finish in 13 sports during their championships.

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