DU Pioneers Awarded the Directors' Cup

For the fifth consecutive year and the ninth time in 10 years, the University of Denver has been awarded the Learfield Sports DI-AAA Directors' Cup. The Pioneers' 35th place national finish in the overall Division I standings is the best finish in school history.

The Learfield Sports Directors' Cup was developed as a joint effort between the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) and USA Today. It is awarded annually to the nation’s best overall collegiate athletics program, and points are awarded based on each institution’s finish in up to 20 sports — 10 women’s and 10 men’s.

“Capturing the I-AAA trophy for the ninth time in 10 years is a tremendous achievement for everyone involved in our division, including the best collection of coaches in the country,” says Peg Bradley-Doppes, vice chancellor for Athletics, Recreation and Ritchie Center Operations. “Our current group of student-athletes has set the bar for years to come.”

For the fourth time in school history, the Pioneers finished first among all non-football schools. In the DI-AAA standings, DU finished 35 spots ahead of Pepperdine.

This year, the Pioneers’ hockey program claimed the University of Denver’s 32nd National Championship, making DU one of eight programs in the country to take home an NCAA title in each of the last four years. The Pioneers made the final four in three sports this season, tied for fifth most in the country, and reached the site of the national championship in eight sports, 34th most in the country.

“Denver Athletics continued to effectively demonstrate our wide-ranging success across several sports this past year, while also showcasing our scholastic prowess,” Bradley-Doppes says. “We had many programs make deep NCAA Tournament runs, capture conference championships and earn individual accolades this season. We also graduated an impressive 93 percent of our student-athletes, which shows our commitment to academic excellence in addition to athletic competition.”