General 6/30/2025 12:00:00 PM Chris Brannick

UCO Finishes 18th In Learfield Directors' Cup

Bronchos Record Second Highest Finish In School History Following Tremendous 2024-25 Year

CLEVELAND, Ohio – Central Oklahoma finished 18th in the Learfield Director's Cup standings announced in June following a tremendous year of success for the Bronchos.

UCO recorded 546.0 total points with a dozen programs scoring with appearances in their respective national tournaments. Grand Valley State won its 17th Director's Cup with 1,080.50 points. The MIAA had four schools in the Top 18, with Pittsburg State (seventh), Washburn (15th) and Central Missouri (16th) joining UCO among the nation's best.

"This is a testament to a year's worth of hard work and determination by UCO coaches and student-athletes," UCO Vice President for Athletics Stan Wagnon said. "Winning is fun but also a bit contagious and rolling to nine MIAA championship trophies and four NCAA regional titles was a special year that gives great momentum for the seasons ahead."

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 volleyball, women's 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.

UCO was ranked 17th after the fall when the Bronchos scored 176 points. Central's volleyball program recorded 73 points for a fifth-place finish, reaching the national quarterfinals. Football received 53 points and women's soccer 50 points for a regional semifinal appearance.

The Bronchos got 75 more points in the winter, all from the wrestling team's fifth-place finish at nationals. UCO dipped to 31st in the standings heading into the spring. That's when UCO made its best push.

The Bronchos scored 78 points in softball with a fifth-place finish at nationals, falling in the consolation finals. UCO scored 69 points from its men's golf program, which finished ninth at nationals. Rowing earned 55 points with a fifth-place finish at nationals, and women's golf earned 43 points for its regional appearance. The UCO baseball team and women's tennis team also earned 25 points each for regional appearances.

This season's 18th-place finish is the second-best ever for Central Oklahoma. The Bronchos finished fourth in 1996-97, the second year of the program. The Bronchos also finished 22nd in 1997-98 and 1998-99. A 21st-place finish in 2016-17 was the second best until this year. UCO finished 49th last year.

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