BATON ROUGE – National championships in baseball and women’s basketball along with Top 10 finishes in gymnastics, beach volleyball, and men’s and women’s outdoor track and field helped LSU to a No. 9 final ranking in the Directors’ Cup.
The No. 9 final ranking is the highest for LSU since finishing ninth overall in 2009. LSU’s highest Director’s Cup finish came in 2008 when the Tigers placed No. 8 nationally. LSU has placed No. 10 overall four times – 1997, 1998, 2000, and 2002.
The Directors’ Cup gauges the overall success of institution’s athletic programs by awarding points for each team based on its finish in NCAA Championships. A maximum of 19 sports are counted, four of which must be men’s and women’s basketball, women’s volleyball and baseball.
LSU scored points in 19 sports, the maximum used to tabulate the final standings, with baseball and women’s basketball leading the way with 100 points for winning national championships. The national title in baseball marked the seventh for the Tigers, second all-time among all Division I schools. LSU won its first national championship in women’s basketball this year.
Overall, LSU has now claimed 51 national titles in its history. This year also marked the 11th time in school history LSU won at least two national championships. The last time LSU claimed a pair of national titles in the same athletic year came in 2003-04 when men’s and women’s indoor track and field swept the NCAA titles.
LSU added 80 points for fourth-place finishes in gymnastics and men’s outdoor track and field. The Tigers picked up 70 points for a fifth-place finish in beach volleyball and 72 points for a seventh-place finish in women’s outdoor track and field.
The Southeastern Conference led all leagues with eight schools ranked in the Top 25 – Florida at No. 5, Tennessee No. 6, Georgia No. 7, LSU No. 9, Alabama No. 12, Arkansas No. 13, Kentucky No. 18 and Texas A&M No. 24.
Stanford won the overall title for the 26th time. They were followed by future SEC member Texas at No. 2.
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.
LSU’s Director Cup Points and NCAA Finish
| Sport | Points | NCAA Finish |
| Baseball | 100 | National Champion |
| Women’s Basketball | 100 | National Champion |
| Gymnastics | 80 | No. 4 |
| Men’s Outdoor Track/Field | 80 | No. 4 |
| Beach Volleyball | 70 | No. 5 |
| Women’s Outdoor Track/Field | 72 | No. 7 |
| Women’s Indoor Track/Field | 65.25 | No. 11 |
| Women’s Swimming/Diving | 63 | No. 13 |
| Women’s Golf | 60.75 | No. 14 |
| Football | 60 | No. 15 |
| Men’s Swimming/Diving | 57.8 | No. 16 |
| Softball | 50 | No. 17 |
| Women’s Soccer | 50 | No. 17 |
| Women’s Volleyball | 50 | No. 17 |
| Women’s Cross Country | 26 | No. 32 |
| Women’s Tennis | 25 | No. 33 |
| Men’s Tennis | 25 | No. 33 |
| Men’s Golf | 27.5 | No. 44 |
| Men’s Indoor Track/Field | 24 | No. 48 |