FAYETTEVILLE – For the third-consecutive year, Arkansas secured a top-15 national finish in the Learfield Directors’ Cup Standings. Arkansas finished No. 13 with 1,031.5 points and ranked first among programs with 19 sports or fewer.
The final standings were released on Wednesday by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of America (NACDA). Arkansas was one of eight Southeastern Conference programs in the top 25 of the final standings.
The Razorbacks tallied two NCAA championships, recorded 11 top-10 national finishes and won five Southeastern Conference championships in the 2022-23 athletics season. In addition, Arkansas won a bowl game for the second-straight season, advanced to the Sweet Sixteen in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament for the third-consecutive year and won its first NCAA Volleyball Tournament match in 18 years.
“Once again, Razorback student-athletes delivered one of the most successful years in our program’s history,” Vice Chancellor and Director of Athletics Hunter Yurachek. “For the third-consecutive year and only the fourth time since the Directors’ Cup was initiated, Arkansas finished among the top 15 in the nation. That is truly remarkable and even more amazing when you consider we are competing against some programs with more than 30 sports. Congratulations to our student-athletes, coaches, staff and the Razorback Nation who cheers us on every step of the way!”
The Razorbacks finished eighth in 2020-21 and seventh in 2021-22. Prior to the current streak, Arkansas’ previous best Directors’ Cup finish was 14th in 1997-98. The Directors’ Cup program has been tracking the success of the nation’s top intercollegiate athletics programs since 1993-94.
The final standings include points awarded in baseball, men’s and women’s basketball, women’s beach volleyball, women’s bowling, men’s and women’s cross country, fencing, football, women’s field hockey, men’s and women’s golf, men’s and women’s gymnastics, men’s and women’s hockey, men’s and women’s lacrosse, rifle, women’s rowing, skiing, men’s and women’s soccer, softball, men’s and women’s swimming and diving, men’s and women’s tennis, men’s and women’s indoor track and field, men’s and women’s outdoor track and field, men’s and women’s volleyball, men’s and women’s water polo and men’s wrestling.
Following an SEC regular season championship, Arkansas earned the No. 3 national seed in the 2023 NCAA Baseball Tournament. The Razorbacks hosted an NCAA Regional at Baum-Walker Stadium and advanced to the regional final before seeing their season come to an end. The Hogs finished with a 43-18 record and earned 50 Directors’ Cup points.
Arkansas bolstered its Directors’ Cup total with a pair of podium finishes at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. After both the men’s and women’s teams earned SEC Outdoor Championships, each also finished in the top three at the national meet.
The Razorback men’s team earned a national runner-up team finish, scoring 53 points in the meet for Coach Chris Bucknam. Carey McLeod (long jump), Jaydon Hibbert (triple jump) and Phillip Lemonious (100m hurdles) all earned NCAA individual titles. The second-place national finish earned Arkansas 90 points in the Directors’ Cup.
In Coach Lance Harter’s final meet as the Razorbacks’ head coach, the women’s team tallied a third-place finish at the NCAA meet. Coach Harter retired following the 2022-23 season. His squad made it a memorable finale as Ackera Nugent (100m) and the Hogs’ 4x400m relay team captured NCAA individual crowns. Arkansas earned 46 points in the meet and added 85 points to its Directors’ Cup tally with the team finish.
Arkansas also earned Directors’ Cup points on the links with both the men’s and women’s golf teams competing in NCAA Championship play. The men’s golf team blazed through the regionals, setting multiple school records, on its way to qualifying for the NCAA Championships for the third-consecutive year. Coach Brad McMakin’s squad finished 18th at the national meet, earning 56 Directors’ Cup points.
The Arkansas women’s golf team also earned a berth to NCAA postseason play. Coach Shauna Taylor’s team narrowly missed advancing from the NCAA Regional to the NCAA Championships. The Razorbacks earned 40.5 Directors’ Cup points for the NCAA Regional showing.
On the softball field, Arkansas earned 50 points for advancing to the final in the NCAA Regional round of the tournament. The Razorbacks earned a national seed and hosted a regional at Bogle Park for the third-straight season. It was the fourth time overall Arkansas has hosted postseason play on its home field.
The Arkansas women’s tennis team made its 21st appearance in the NCAA Tournament, including its first under head coach Tucker Clary in the 2023 season. The Razorbacks earned a berth in the NCAA Regional in Norman, Oklahoma where they faced No. 21 Washington in the first round of the tournament. Arkansas came up short in its bid for a first-round upset but netted 25 points for its NCAA Tournament appearance.
Razorback Gymnastics earned a berth to the NCAA Regional in Norman, Oklahoma. Arkansas posted a program-best NCAA regional score of 197.275 but did not advance. The Razorbacks earned 53.5 points for their NCAA Regional appearance.
For the first time in its storied history, Arkansas swept both the men’s and women’s national championships at the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships. It’s the first sweep of men’s and women’s NCAA titles by any school since 2016 and gave Arkansas a combined 49 NCAA championships in cross country, indoor and outdoor track and field. Each team title earned 100 points in the Directors’ Cup standings for Arkansas.
An impressive weekend of performances by the men’s team resulted in 63 team points and a national team title. The title marked the 21st NCAA Indoor championship and 42nd overall for the Arkansas men’s program. Jaydon Hibbert set a collegiate record on his first and only attempt to win an individual national title in the triple jump, also claiming multiple records, including the Jamaican record, World U20 record and Arkansas school record. Arkansas closed out the meet with a victory in the 4 x 400 relay with a time of 3:02.09.
The Arkansas women, leading by two points over Texas, delivered a world all-time best 4 x 400 relay to secure the fourth NCAA Indoor team title and seventh overall for the program. Britton Wilson claimed the 400m title in an American and collegiate record of 49.48, which ranks second on the all-time world list.
For the third-consecutive season, the Razorback men’s basketball team advanced to the second weekend of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. Arkansas, a No. 8 seed, opened the Big Dance with a 73-63 win over Illinois in the first round of the tournament. The Hogs then shocked the bracket by pulling off a dramatic 72-71 upset of No. 1 seed Kansas in the second round. The Hogs advanced to the Sweet 16 for the third year in a row, before falling to No. 4 seed and eventual national champion UCONN in a Sweet 16 matchup in Las Vegas. Arkansas earned 64 points in the Directors’ Cup Standings for its March run.
Arkansas swimming and diving earned 45.5 points with a 28th-place national team finish. The Hogs scored 18 points to clinch the program’s fifth-consecutive top-30 finish at the NCAA Championships.
A return trip to the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight highlighted another outstanding season by Razorback Soccer. Coach Colby Hale’s squad earned a No. 3 seed and won three NCAA Tournament matches (Missouri State, Ohio State and Memphis) at Razorback Field before falling 1-0 at No. 1 seed Florida State, one step shy of the College Cup. Arkansas finished the season 13-4-5 and earned 73 Directors’ Cup points.
For the first time since 2005, Arkansas won a match in the NCAA Volleyball Tournament. Coach Jason Watson led the Razorbacks to their first NCAA Tournament bid since 2013 and defeated Utah State 3-0 in the first round of the draw. It was Arkansas’ first NCAA Tournament win since defeating St. Mary’s (California) in 2005. In the Round of 32, the Hogs secured the first set against No. 3 seed Oregon before dropping the match three sets to one. Arkansas’ return to the tournament netted 50 points in the Directors’ Cup standings.
Coach Sam Pittman and the Razorback football team earned a bowl invitation for the third-straight season. Following a 6-6 regular season, Arkansas defeated Kansas 55-53 in 3 OT in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl in Memphis. The Hogs also qualified for a bowl game in Coach Pittman’s first two seasons at the helm including the Texas Bowl in 2020 and the Outback Bowl in 2021. Arkansas tallied 45 Directors’ Cup points in football.
Arkansas earned a pair of top-25 finishes at the NCAA Cross Country Championships. Coach Lance Harter’s Razorback women’s squad finished tied for 21st, led by senior Isabel Van Camp who finished 48th individually. Arkansas’ men’s team earned a 23rd place finish for Coach Chris Bucknam. Patrick Kiprop earned All-America honors finishing 24th overall. Arkansas earned 53 and 51 Directors’ Cup points, respectively, for the women’s and men’s team finishes.
Note to Our Readers: The previous story was sourced directly and in its entirety from the University of Arkansas Office of Communications, Kevin Trainor.
