University of North Carolina Athletics
The women's lacrosse team finished No. 2 nationally and reached the NCAA final.
Photo by: Jeffrey A. Camarati
Carolina Repeats Fourth-Place Finish In Final Learfield Directors' Cup Standings
June 25, 2026 | General
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Two national runner-up teams and seven others in the top 10 led the University of North Carolina to a second-straight fourth-place finish in the 2025-26 Learfield Directors' Cup. The National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) released the final standings today.
The Learfield Directors' Cup measures NCAA postseason success in 19 sports (schools must count baseball, men's and women's basketball, women's soccer and volleyball as five of their 19 sports).
This is Carolina's seventh-consecutive top-10 finish, 10th in the last 11 seasons and 27th in the 32-year history of the competition. Only Stanford and Florida (with 32 apiece) have more.
The Tar Heels have accounted for 27 of the Atlantic Coast Conference's 57 all-time top-10 finishes.
Carolina amassed 1,166.75 points this year, the second-most in the ACC. This marks the 27th time in 32 years the Tar Heels totaled the most or second-most points in the ACC.
Texas won the 2025-26 Directors' Cup with 1,322 points, the Longhorns' fifth title in the last six years.
Texas, Stanford and UNC, which was the inaugural champion in 1993-94, remain the only schools to win the Directors' Cup.
This year's top 10 included Texas, Stanford, UCLA, Carolina, Virginia, Florida, Southern California, Georgia, Michigan and Ohio State.
Baseball and women's lacrosse led the Tar Heels this season, as both programs played in the NCAA championship games in their respective sports and were awarded 90 points for second-place finishes.
Field hockey was a national semifinalist (tied for third), men's lacrosse and women's tennis were quarterfinalists (tied for fifth), men's fencing placed seventh and women's basketball, men's golf and women's soccer each tied for ninth place in the NCAA Championships.
Twenty-five of Carolina's 28 teams appeared in NCAA post-season play with four finishing in the top five, nine in the top 10 and 17 in the top 25.
Carolina's all-time average finish in the Directors' Cup is seventh place. Stanford is first and four other current ACC institutions have averaged top-20 finishes (14th by Virginia and 17th Cal, Duke and Notre Dame).
2025-26 LEARFIELD DIRECTORS' CUP STANDINGS
TOP 10
Place School Points
1 Texas 1322.00
2 Stanford 1263.50
3 UCLA 1199.25
4 North Carolina 1166.75
5 Virginia 1148.75
6 Florida 1104.50
7 Southern California 1095.50
8 Georgia 1081.25
9 Michigan 1076.75
10 Ohio State 1071.25
2025-26 LEARFIELD DIRECTORS' CUP STANDINGS
ACC SCHOOLS
Place School Points
2 Stanford 1322.00
4 North Carolina 1166.75
5 Virginia 1148.75
11 Duke 1039.25
19 Notre Dame 898.50
22 NC State 860.00
29 Louisville 711.50
39 Cal 653.75
41 Florida State 604.00
42 Clemson 601.50
54 Wake Forest 505.75
55 Virginia Tech 470.50
57 Miami 452.00
59 Syracuse 447.00
64 SMU 447.00
83 Boston College 276.00
84 Pitt 267.75
90 Georgia Tech 233.00
UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA'S DIRECTORS' CUP FINISHES
2025-26 4th
2024-25 4th
2023-24 7th
2022-23 8th
2021-22 6th
2020-21 4th
2019-20 no competition due to Covid-19
2018-19 10th
2017-18 13th
2016-17 5th
2015-16 7th
2014-15 5th
2013-14 14th
2012-13 8th
2011-12 8th
2010-11 6th
2009-10 7th
2008-09 2nd
2007-08 14th
2006-07 3rd
2005-06 4th
2004-05 9th
2003-04 7th
2002-03 8th
2001-02 4th
2000-01 15th
1999-2000 5th
1998-99 17th
1997-98 2nd
1996-97 2nd
1995-96 6th
1994-95 2nd
1993-94 1st
The Learfield Directors' Cup measures NCAA postseason success in 19 sports (schools must count baseball, men's and women's basketball, women's soccer and volleyball as five of their 19 sports).
This is Carolina's seventh-consecutive top-10 finish, 10th in the last 11 seasons and 27th in the 32-year history of the competition. Only Stanford and Florida (with 32 apiece) have more.
The Tar Heels have accounted for 27 of the Atlantic Coast Conference's 57 all-time top-10 finishes.
Carolina amassed 1,166.75 points this year, the second-most in the ACC. This marks the 27th time in 32 years the Tar Heels totaled the most or second-most points in the ACC.
Texas won the 2025-26 Directors' Cup with 1,322 points, the Longhorns' fifth title in the last six years.
Texas, Stanford and UNC, which was the inaugural champion in 1993-94, remain the only schools to win the Directors' Cup.
This year's top 10 included Texas, Stanford, UCLA, Carolina, Virginia, Florida, Southern California, Georgia, Michigan and Ohio State.
Baseball and women's lacrosse led the Tar Heels this season, as both programs played in the NCAA championship games in their respective sports and were awarded 90 points for second-place finishes.
Field hockey was a national semifinalist (tied for third), men's lacrosse and women's tennis were quarterfinalists (tied for fifth), men's fencing placed seventh and women's basketball, men's golf and women's soccer each tied for ninth place in the NCAA Championships.
Twenty-five of Carolina's 28 teams appeared in NCAA post-season play with four finishing in the top five, nine in the top 10 and 17 in the top 25.
Carolina's all-time average finish in the Directors' Cup is seventh place. Stanford is first and four other current ACC institutions have averaged top-20 finishes (14th by Virginia and 17th Cal, Duke and Notre Dame).
2025-26 LEARFIELD DIRECTORS' CUP STANDINGS
TOP 10
Place School Points
1 Texas 1322.00
2 Stanford 1263.50
3 UCLA 1199.25
4 North Carolina 1166.75
5 Virginia 1148.75
6 Florida 1104.50
7 Southern California 1095.50
8 Georgia 1081.25
9 Michigan 1076.75
10 Ohio State 1071.25
2025-26 LEARFIELD DIRECTORS' CUP STANDINGS
ACC SCHOOLS
Place School Points
2 Stanford 1322.00
4 North Carolina 1166.75
5 Virginia 1148.75
11 Duke 1039.25
19 Notre Dame 898.50
22 NC State 860.00
29 Louisville 711.50
39 Cal 653.75
41 Florida State 604.00
42 Clemson 601.50
54 Wake Forest 505.75
55 Virginia Tech 470.50
57 Miami 452.00
59 Syracuse 447.00
64 SMU 447.00
83 Boston College 276.00
84 Pitt 267.75
90 Georgia Tech 233.00
UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA'S DIRECTORS' CUP FINISHES
2025-26 4th
2024-25 4th
2023-24 7th
2022-23 8th
2021-22 6th
2020-21 4th
2019-20 no competition due to Covid-19
2018-19 10th
2017-18 13th
2016-17 5th
2015-16 7th
2014-15 5th
2013-14 14th
2012-13 8th
2011-12 8th
2010-11 6th
2009-10 7th
2008-09 2nd
2007-08 14th
2006-07 3rd
2005-06 4th
2004-05 9th
2003-04 7th
2002-03 8th
2001-02 4th
2000-01 15th
1999-2000 5th
1998-99 17th
1997-98 2nd
1996-97 2nd
1995-96 6th
1994-95 2nd
1993-94 1st
Tuesday, June 23
Sunday, June 21
Sunday, June 21
Saturday, June 20