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CLEVELAND, Ohio – Lee University Athletics placed 28th in the LEARFIELD Directors’ Cup final standings for NCAA Division II with 475.0 total points. The Flames were listed as 41st after the winter sports season, but got a boost with six sports scoring in the spring semester.
Throughout the 2024-25 year, Lee earned points from men and women’s cross country, women’s basketball, men and women’s outdoor track and field, women’s indoor track and field, men and women’s golf, and men’s and women’s tennis.
The Flames were 15th last year. After the 2023-24 school year, Lee was 25th. The highest finish came in 2022 with an impressive 11thmark. The University of West Florida was the highest ranking Gulf South Conference school coming in 20th with 533 points. The Flames regional conference foe, the Sunshine State, stood out with two in the Top 10, Tampa (fifth) and Nova Southeastern (ninth).
This year women’s cross country placed ninth in the country for 69 points. Men’s cross country was 16th in the country for 58.5 points. Women’s basketball was credited with a 17th place finish and had 50 points. Women’s track and field finished 21st at the indoor championship with 52.5 points. In the spring, women’s golf came in 26th for 47 points while men’s golf finished 12th in the nation for 64.5 points. Both tennis teams qualified for the very first time to the NCAA tournament and both came in 33rd place for 25 points a piece. Men’s outdoor track and field had 38.5 points for coming in 33rd while women’s outdoor track and field was 29th for 45 points.
Lee Athletic Director John Maupin is proud of the continued excellence of the Flames athletic department. “We are excited to once again be ranked in the top echelon of Division II Athletics programs. It speaks to the caliber of student athletes, coaches, and staff that we have here at Lee University. We take great pride in the fact that our teams are relevant on a national level and that many of our student athletes get to experience competing in NCAA National Championships. It was another great year to be a Lee University Flame and we are already looking forward to next year! Go Flames!”
For the 17th time in the Directors’ Cup history, Grand Valley State University (GVSU) took home the hardware after compiling 1080.50 total points in 19 total sports, including three of the four sports that must be counted. The Lakers took home the title in women’s basketball and women’s outdoor track and field. Due to scoring in the max number of 11 additional sports being counted, the following scores were omitted in the final total – football, wrestling, men’s golf, women’s lacrosse and women’s tennis.
Overall, ten schools from the GSC were ranked in the final Learfield standings. It marks the ninth consecutive year and the 10th time since 2010-11 that at least ten Gulf South institutions were recognized.
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 finish in NCAA Championships. Overall, 15 sports are counted in the final DII standings, four of which must be women’s volleyball and basketball and men’s basketball and baseball. The next highest (11 max.) sports scored for each institution, regardless of gender, are used in the standings.
