CLEVELAND, Ohio – Williams, Tufts, and Middlebury finished in the top 10 of the final standings of the 2024 LEARFIELD Division III Directors' Cup and all 11 NESCAC institutions are ranked.
2024 LEARFIELD Directors' Cup Final Standings: Overall | Conference
Johns Hopkins won the Directors' Cup with a total of 1117.50 points. Williams finished second overall after scoring 383 points during the spring season. Tufts placed fourth with 992.50 points and scored the most points of any institution in the spring season (468.50) behind national championships in men's lacrosse and women's rowing. Middlebury, which won national titles in field hockey and women's lacrosse this season, finished sixth with 946.50 points.
Bowdoin (535.50 pts) and Amherst (523.50) ranked 26th and 27th, respectively. Wesleyan (42nd – 383 pts), Trinity (45th – 372 pts), Bates (48th – 367.50 pts), and Colby (55th – 330.50 pts) all finished in the top 100 while Connecticut College placed 106th with 181 points and Hamilton was 117th with 172 points.
Four NESCAC squads (Bates, Middlebury, Tufts, Williams) qualified for the NCAA Field Hockey Tournament with Middlebury reaching the Final Four. The Panthers claimed their sixth consecutive NCAA title with a 2-0 win over Johns Hopkins in the final.
Four NESCAC teams (Amherst, Conn. College, Middlebury, Tufts) were selected for the NCAA Men's Soccer Tournament highlighted by Amherst's appearance in the championship match.
Five teams from the NESCAC (Amherst, Bowdoin, Tufts, Wesleyan, Williams) participated in the NCAA Women's Soccer Tournament, with Tufts reaching the semifinal round.
Four NESCAC teams competed in the NCAA Volleyball Tournament (Middlebury, Tufts, Wesleyan, Williams) highlighted by Wesleyan advancing to the regional final.
Three NESCAC squads (Trinity, Tufts, and Williams) qualified for the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament and all three teams reached the Sweet 16 round. The Bantams, the NESCAC Champion, advanced to the Final Four before falling to eventual national champion Trine.
Bates, Bowdoin, and Trinity were selected for the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament. The Bobcats advanced to the Sweet 16 round while the Polar Bears, the NESCAC Champions, were knocked out in the Elite 8.
NESCAC Champion Trinity was the lone conference representative in the NCAA Men's Ice Hockey Championship. The Bantams, a pre-determined host of the 2024 Final Four, advanced to the championship game but fell to defending champion Hobart, 2-0, to finish as the national runners-up.
Three NESCAC teams competed in the NCAA Women's Ice Hockey Tournament (Amherst, Hamilton, and Middlebury). Amherst received a first-round bye but fell in the quarterfinal round. Hamilton won its first-round game and also bowed out of the tournament in the quarterfinals. Middlebury, the NESCAC Champion, reached the national semifinals.
NESCAC Champion Middlebury along with Colby represented the conference in the NCAA Baseball Championship while in softball Williams, the NESCAC Champion, and Tufts participated in the NCAA Softball Championship. The Jumbos hosted a regional at Spicer Field and both programs advanced to the Super Regionals. Tufts won its Super Regional at Salisbury to advance to the College World Series for the first time since 2015. The Jumbos finished tied for fifth overall.
Tufts, the NESCAC Champion, represented the conference at the NCAA Men's Golf Championship and finished 34th, while Williams, the NESCAC women's champion, competed in the NCAA Women's Golf Championship and placed 10th.
Four NESCAC teams (Bowdoin, Middlebury, Tufts, Wesleyan) were picked for the NCAA Men's Lacrosse Tournament field. The Jumbos and Polar Bears advanced to the national semifinals and Tufts captured its fourth NCAA title with an 18-14 win over RIT at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia.
Five conference teams (Colby, Middlebury, Trinity, Tufts, Wesleyan) were selected for the NCAA Championship in women's lacrosse. Middlebury captured its fourth straight NCAA title and 10th in program history.
In tennis, Bowdoin, Middlebury, Tufts, and Williams played in the NCAA Men's Tennis Tournament. Bowdoin and Middlebury reached the semifinal round. In the NCAA Women's Tennis Championship, the NESCAC was represented by Amherst, Middlebury, Wesleyan, and Williams. The Cardinals finished as the national runners-up after falling to the University of Chicago in the championship match. Bowdoin's Tristan Bradley won the NCAA Men's Singles Championship.
For the second consecutive year, NESCAC boats made up half the field at the NCAA Women's Rowing Championship. Tufts, the NESCAC Champion, earned an automatic bid and was joined by Trinity, Wesleyan, and Williams in the eight-team field. The Jumbos won their first NCAA title in program history while Wesleyan earned the tiebreaker over Williams to finish as the national runner-up and the Ephs took bronze in the final points trophy standings.
The NESCAC sent 55 athletes to the NCAA Track & Field Championships. Jackson Anderson of Williams won the NCAA title in the decathlon and NESCAC athletes collected 59 All-America citations over the three days of competition.
In 2023-24 a total of 69 teams and 159 individuals from NESCAC institutions participated in NCAA Championships. Six teams and eight individuals won national titles.
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 finishes in up to 18 sports - nine women's and nine men's.
Learfield Directors' Cup Division III Final Standings
NESCAC Institutions
2 - Williams, 1026.08 pts
4 - Tufts - 992.50 pts
6 - Middlebury - 946.50 pts
25 - Bowdoin - 535.50 pts
27 - Amherst - 523.50 pts
42 - Wesleyan - 383.00 pts
45 - Trinity - 372.00 pts
48 - Bates - 367.50 pts
55 - Colby - 330.50 pts
106 - Conn. College - 181.00 pts
117 - Hamilton - 172.00 pts
