Behind a spring season where six programs finished inside the top-11 at their respective NCAA Championships, the Emory University Athletics Department finished fifth in the final edition of the LEARFIELD Directors' Cup standings as announced by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) Wednesday afternoon.
Emory's fifth place finish marks the third top-five showing in the last five Directors' Cups with the Eagles placing fifth in 2019 and fourth in 2018. LEARFIELD did not announce a Directors' Cup in 2020 and 2021 due to COVID-19. This season also represents the 10th consecutive time the Eagles have finished inside the top-10 among Division III programs and the 20th top-10 finish over the last 21 Directors' Cups.
Emory stood ninth following the winter season but the Eagles were able to jump four spots with an excellent spring that saw six teams earn points. Women's Tennis led the way with 83 points after a semifinals appearance with men's tennis and women's golf following with fifth place finishes for 73 points each. Women's track & field and men's golf each secured 11th place efforts at the NCAA Championships for 66 points while men's track & field added an additional 35.5 points as they placed 38th at nationals.
Overall, the Eagles scored points across 16 different programs during the 2022-23 season. Women's soccer paced the department in the fall with a Sweet 16 appearance while men's and women's swimming & diving led the way in the winter with a pair of top-two finishes including the men's team claiming its third-ever national championship. The Eagles added six UAA Championships during the athletic calendar with men's cross country and volleyball in the fall, men's and women's swimming & diving in the winter, and women's golf and baseball in the spring.
The Eagles' 924.5 points marked the highest total among all eight member UAA institutions and were one of only seven Division III programs to cross the 900-point barrier. Johns Hopkins was the leading point getter in 2022-23 with 1,282 followed by Tufts University (1,126.5), Williams (1,112.75) and MIT (1,063.25).
The LEARFIELD Directors' Cup was developed as a joint effort between the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) and USA Today with points being awarded based on each institution's finish in NCAA Championships. Overall, 18 sports are counted in the final DIII standings, four of which must be men's and women's soccer and men's and women's basketball. The next highest (14 max.) sports scored for each institution, regardless of gender, are used in the standings.