UNC finishes atop ACC, 6th in country in Directors’ Cup

By R.L. Bynum

Led by the national champion women’s lacrosse team, North Carolina finished sixth in the final Division I Directors’ Cup standings for the 2021–22 school year.

Coach Jenny Levy’s unbeaten Tar Heels team was one of eight UNC teams to finish in the top 10 in NCAA championship play to help the school finish with an ACC-leading 1,087.25 points. Her team earned UNC 100 points and Coach Hubert Davis’ men’s basketball team earned 90 for playing in the national championship game.

For the Directors’ Cup, points are awarded sport-by-sport based on each school’s finish in NCAA championships.

It’s the 20th time the Tar Heels have secured the most points among ACC schools. No other league school has done it more than three times.

Other Carolina teams with top-six NCAA championship finishes were women’s tennis (third) and men’s golf (fifth). Baseball, women’s basketball, field hockey and men’s tennis all placed ninth. Women’s cross country and women’s swimming and diving were both 14th, men’s soccer was 17th and men’s cross country and wrestling were 18th.

It is Carolina’s 23rd top-10 finish in the 28-year history of the Cup which is tied with UCLA for the third-most. Only the 28 by Stanford and Florida surpass the Tar Heels.

Texas won for the second year in a row as the Longhorns, outpointing runner-up Stanford by nearly 100 points (1,449.50–1352.25). Michigan, Ohio State, Florida, UNC, Kentucky, Arkansas, Notre Dame, Kentucky and Oklahoma round out the top 10.

Directors’ Cup standings

National
1. Texas 1449.50
2. Stanford 1352.25
3. Michigan 11245.25
4. Ohio State 1184.50
5. Florida 1180.75
6. North Carolina 1087.25
7. Arkansas 1050.75
8. Notre Dame 1021.00
9. Kentucky 979.75
10 Oklahoma 968.50
ACC
6. North Carolina 1087.25
8. Notre Dame 1021.00
11. Virginia 942.50
14. Florida State 910.00
17. N.C. State 870.00
21. Duke 849.50
33. Virginia Tech 688.25
34. Louisville 663.50
45. Wake Forest 530.00
50. Miami 516.00
65. Clemson 357.50
68 Georgia Tech 352.25
72 Syracuse 304.00
73 Pittsburgh 298.00
109 Boston College 165.00