GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Riding the strength of NCAA Tournament appearances by five sports and a pair of All-American performances in men's track & field, Furman University once again paced all Southern Conference schools in the 2024-25 Learfield Directors' Cup competition, according to final standings announced today.

Furman, which finished 96th overall among 303 Division I schools based on points scored for NCAA Tournament qualification, ranked first among SoCon institutions, easily outdistancing Mercer (125th), Samford (T226th), Wofford (T226th), and Chattanooga (239th).

The 96th place finish is the third highest in program history and highest ranking since a 94th place finish in 2019.

Furman has paced SoCon schools seven times over the last nine years and was the league front runner in March of 2020 when the worldwide Covid pandemic halted competition.

Furman's 197.5 points this year were earned on the merit of men's soccer, men's cross country, women's tennis, women's golf, and men's golf teams qualifying for NCAA Tournament play, and two men's track & field runners, Dylan Schubert (10,000m) and Carson Williams (Steeplechase), advancing to the finals of the NCAA Championships, where they finished seventh and third, respectively, to collect All-America honors.

Men's soccer made it into the Round of 32 after advancing past North Carolina in first round action.

Paladin Athletics ranked third among state institutions, trailing only South Carolina (23) and Clemson (47).  

Coastal Carolina (111), College of Charleston (T187), and South Carolina State (T187) rounded out the top five among Palmetto state representatives.

Texas won the competition, followed by Southern California, and Stanford.

Click HERE for the full release and 2024-25 Learfield Directors' Cup standings.

The Learfield Directors' Cup was developed as a joint effort between the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) and USA Today. Points are awarded based on each institution's NCAA Tournament competition finish in up to 20 sports in Division I — 10 men's and 10 women's.