CLEVELAND – The University of Denver athletic department finished as the top I-AAA school in the overall LEARFIELD Directors' Cup standings for the 12th-straight year and the 16th time in the last 17 tries, NACDA released in conjunction with its final overall standings on June 26. Denver finished No. 62 in the standings with a combined point total of 404.25 points to continue its streak of at least 400 points in the final standings to 11 times in the last 12 full seasons. 
 
In addition to its top finish among athletic programs that do not sponsor football, DU finished fourth in the standings amongst schools that are outside the FBS, trailing only Princeton (No. 32), Harvard (No. 34) and Cornell (No. 44) in the category. Denver's Home for College Sports also finished ahead of 10 Power-4 programs, six from the Big 12, three from the ACC and one from the Big Ten. The Pioneers finished fifth among schools outside the Power-4, trailing only the three aforementioned Ivy League programs and New Mexico (No. 49).  

Denver ended as the highest-ranked school in the state of Colorado (ahead of Colorado at No. 93, Colorado State at No. 105 and Air Force at No. 108 and Northern Colorado at No. 176). Among The Summit League schools, DU again topped the field with South Dakota State as the next closest at No. 86.   

"Achieving elite-level national success is something that we will never stop striving for and is an achievement we will always be proud of," Vice Chancellor for Athletics and Ritchie Center Operations Josh Berlo said. "On behalf of the entire athletic department, and the University as a whole, we are so proud of what our student-athletes and programs accomplished this last year. It marked another season where half of our programs reached the NCAA postseason which continues to put the University of Denver in the national spotlight and empowers our student-athletes to compete for national championships. As the college athletics' landscape continues to evolve, all those that support the Pioneers will need to remain committed to national competitive success and attaining such is proof that an emphasis on the people and culture within our department remains a recipe for broad-based holistic excellence." 

Denver opened its scoring in a big way in the fall when men's soccer reached its second College Cup appearance in program history, earning the No. 3 overall seed and defeating Gardner-Webb, No. 14 Indiana and UMass at the University of Denver Soccer Stadium before falling in penalties to eventual national champion Vermont in the national semifinal. The College Cup appearance earned the Pioneers 83 points, the Pioneers highest scoring fall since posting 100 points in the fall of 2018 when all three fall sports made the postseason for the first time in Denver's DI history.  

The Pioneers' winter was highlighted by another national semifinal appearance as Denver hockey reached its third Frozen Four in the last four seasons to earn another 83 points. DU skiing racked up another 80 points with its fourth-place finish at the 2025 NCAA Championships. Another NCAA Tournament run from head coach Melissa Kutcher-Rinehart and the Denver gymnastics squad earned the Pioneers 66.8 points after Denver earned a trip back to the NCAA Regional Final.  

Denver's spring saw the Pioneers earn another 91 points from four conference tournament titles and four NCAA Tournament appearances from women's golf, men's and women's tennis and women's lacrosse.     

In addition to the eight NCAA tournament appearances and seven programs that combined for 10 conference championships, the Pioneers produced 108 all-conference picks, 14 All-Americans and six conference coaches of the year. The Pioneers finished 2024-25 with a 104-39-4 record at home, Denver's third-consecutive 100-win season in the Mile High City. Prior to 2022-23, Denver had just three 100-win home seasons total since joining Division I in 1998-99.  

After Denver men's soccer's national semifinal appearance last fall, Denver ranked eighth in the country in the most unique programs to reach national semifinals in bracketed sports since January 1, 2023, joining Denver's women's lacrosse, hockey and men's lacrosse programs as the four to earn trips to their sport's final weekend.  

Denver recorded 32 wins against the Power-4 this season, led by 13 victories against the nation's elite by the gymnastics program, and five wins apiece from hockey and women's lacrosse.  

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 up to 19 sports – four of which must be men's and women's basketball, baseball and volleyball. 

Denver's Directors' Cup History (Years as highest I-AAA finisher in overall standings in bold)  
2025 – Denver (62– 404.25)  
2024 – Denver (46 – 527.75) 
2023 – Denver (63 – 373.25) 
2022 – Denver (59 – 417.75) 
2021 – Denver (51 - 408.25) 
2020 – Not awarded 
2019 – Denver (52 – 484.00) 
2018 - Denver (47 - 529.25) 
2017 - Denver (35 - 634.25) 
2016 - Denver (52 - 433.00) 
2015 - Denver (49 - 508.75) 
2014 - Denver (43 - 519.25) 
2013 - Denver (55 - 425.50) 
2012 - Pepperdine (Denver - 85 - 227.50) 
2011 - Denver (54 - 384.50) 
2010 - Denver (65 - 306.80) 
2009 - Denver (54 - 396.50) 
2008 - Denver (47 - 434.25) 
2007 - 74 - 267.25 
2006 - Not in top-100 
2005 - 68 - 250.50 
2004 - 59 - 333.75 
2003 - 75 - 214.75 
2002 - 75 - 241.00 
2001 - 87 - 180.00 
2000 - Not in top-100 
1999 - 74 - 110.00 

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