CLEVELAND, OH – For the fifth consecutive year, Johns Hopkins has placed in the top two of the final Learfield Directors' Cup standings as JHU capped the 2024-25 academic year with a runner-up finish.  Blue Jay teams totaled 1,147 points – the second-highest total in program history – to earn their second-place finish. Emory, which accumulated 1,198.75 points, earned its first Directors' Cup title.
 
Four schools topped the 1,000-point mark with Tufts (1,069) and Washington-St. Louis (1,044.75) placing third and fourth, respectively, while Middlebury (971.75) rounded out the top five in the final standings.
 
Overall, up to 18 total sports may count towards the final Directors' Cup standings, four of which must be men's and women's basketball and men's and women's soccer, leaving the next 14 highest point-producing totals to also be counted.  From the 19 Johns Hopkins teams that accumulated points this year, the two lowest point totals were removed to account for the one non-scoring required countable sport.  This is not unique to Johns Hopkins as several of the teams at the top of the standings had a team or teams that scored points removed to account for the scoring parameters.
 
On the heels of winning back-to-back Learfield Directors' Cup titles in 2022-23 and 2023-24, Johns Hopkins totaled 495.5 points in the fall to sit in first place and added 369.5 points in the winter to hold its spot at the top of the standings. Seven Blue Jay teams qualified for the NCAAs in the fall with six qualifying in the winter and spring for a total of 19.  The points the Blue Jay men's & women's outdoor track teams compiled in the spring were the non-counting point-totals for Johns Hopkins.
 
2024-25 Learfield Directors' Cup
Final Division III Standings (6-10-2025) • Top 10
1 – Emory (1,198.75 points)
2 - Johns Hopkins (1,147)
3 – Tufts (1,069)
4 – Washington-St. Louis (1,044.75)
5 – Middlebury (971.75)
6 – MIT (943.5)
7 – Amherst (933.25)
8 – NYU (880.5)
9 – Chicago (856.5)
10 – Wisconsin-La Crosse (856)
 
Historically Speaking
This year's runner-up finish continues a remarkable run for Johns Hopkins.  JHU has placed in the top two in each of the last five years and six times overall with two titles (2023, 2024) and four runner-up finishes (2015, 2019, 2022, 2025).  The runner-up finish also marks the eighth top-five finish and the 13^th top-10 showing for Johns Hopkins; JHU has placed in the top seven in each of the last seven years and in the top 10 in 12 of the last 13 years dating back to 2010-11 (note the Directors' Cup was not awarded in 2019-20 or 2020-21 (COVID)).
 
Why They Vary
Directors' Cup points accumulated can vary by sport based on the size of a team bracket or the number of teams that score points at a particular NCAA championship.
 
Johns Hopkins' All-Time Final Directors' Cup Rankings
1995-96 – 49^th (220 points)
1996-97 – 16^th (352)
1997-98 – 24^th (210)
1998-99 – 25^th (200)
1999-00 – 22^nd (347)
2000-01 – 30^th (342.5)
2001-02 – 23^rd (371.5)
2002-03 – 14^th (482)
2003-04 – 16^th (469.5)
2004-05 – 22^nd (363.25)
2005-06 – 36^th (324.25)
2006-07 – 10^th (686.25)
2007-08 – 16^th (577.5)
2008-09 – 18^th (620.5)
2009-10 – 13^th (638)
2010-11 – 8^th (688)
2011-12 – 9^th (689.25)
2012-13 – 7^th (789.50)
2013-14 – 3^rd (977.50)
2014-15 – 2^nd (1,016.75)
2015-16 – 12^th (703)
2016-17 – 5^th (864.50)
2017-18 – 7^th (883.25)
2018-19 – 2^nd (1,083.75)
2019-20 – Not Awarded (COVID)
2020-21 – Not Awarded (COVID)
2021-22 – 2^nd (1,043)
2022-23 – 1^st (1,282)
2023-24 – 1^st (1,117.50)
2024-25 – 2^nd (1,147)
 
About the the Learfield Directors' Cup
 The Learfield Directors' Cup was developed as a joint effort between the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) and USA Today.  Through the course of the year, Directors' Cup points are awarded based on a school's finish in up to 18 sports in NCAA Championships.  New to the scoring structure several years ago in Division III, men's and women's soccer and men's and women's basketball must be included by every school in their scoring total; the next 14 highest-scoring teams – regardless of gender – will be used.  Previously, the top nine men's and women's scoring teams could be counted; now, regardless of whether a school's soccer and basketball teams qualify for the NCAAs, they must be counted.
                                                                         
About Learfield
About Learfield: Learfield is a media, data, and technology services leader in intercollegiate athletics. The company unlocks the value of college sports for brands and fans through an omnichannel platform with innovative content and commerce solutions. Learfield services include licensing and collegiate sports properties' multimedia sponsorship management; publishing, audio, digital and social media; data analytics and insights; ticketing software; and ticket sales, premium seating, and fundraising services; branding; campus-wide business and sponsorship development. Since 2008, it has served as title sponsor for NACDA's acclaimed Learfield Directors' Cup, recognizing athletic departments across all divisions.