Pack Athletics Records Highest-Ever Learfield Directors' Cup Finish

2024-25 NCAA DII FINAL LEARFIELD DIRECTORS' CUP OVERALL STANDINGS (PDF)

CLEVELAND, Ohio (June 10, 2025) – Colorado State University Pueblo recorded its highest ever finish in the Learfield Directors' Cup standings for the 2024-25 school year as the ThunderWolves' finished 12th overall in the ranking of athletic department performances at the NCAA Division II level.
 
CSU Pueblo recorded a program-best 592.50 total points to finish in the Top 25 in the final standings for the third consecutive year and just the second time finishing inside the Top 20 in program history. The previous best finish in the Learfield Directors' Cup standings came in 2022-23 when the Pack finished 16th with a then program-best 550.25 points.
 
"Our strategic goal—as part of Developing Champions—is to finish in the top 15 in the Learfield Directors' Cup standings. To finish 12th is a tribute to our dedicated and hard-working student-athletes, coaches and staff," said CSU Pueblo Vice President for Athletics and Strategic Partnerships Dr. Paul Plinske. "This is our highest in school history and reflects the commitment toward Pack Athletics by our university administration, alumni, donors and Pueblo community. I'm extremely grateful to those who made this possible and am excited to get back to work to attain even higher finishes in the future."

During the recently completed spring sports season, the Pack totaled 176.50 points after totaling 282.50 points during the fall and 133.50 points during the winter. After the winter standings were released, CSU Pueblo sat at No. 10 after being third at the conclusion of the fall sports season.

In the spring, the Pack tallied points in four sports as the women's outdoor track and field team scored the most points with 68.30 after its program-best ninth place finish at the NCAA Division II Outdoor National Championships hosted at the CSU Pueblo ThunderBowl. The Pack scored 60.8 points in men's outdoor track and field after its 14th place finish, while the men's and women's golf teams scored 42.5 and 5.0 points respectively after qualifying for NCAA Regionals in their respective sports.
 
In this year's Learfield Directors' Cup standings, 248 NCAA Division II schools scored points based on their qualifications and performances in NCAA postseason competition. During the 2024-25 school year, the Pack recorded a third-place finish in women's cross country, was tied for third in men's soccer, placed sixth at the NCAA Division II Women's Indoor Track and Field National Championships and the football team advanced to the second round of the NCAA Division II Playoffs. In addition, the Pack had Top 15 finishes in women's outdoor track and field, men's indoor and outdoor track and field championships.
 
Along with the Top 3 national team finishes in both women's cross country and men's soccer, CSU Pueblo captured four individual national titles during the 2024-25 school year as senior Katherine Higgins (Mead, Colo./Ponderosa) was the national champion in the women's outdoor shot put, while senior Reece Sharman-Newell (Hampshire, England) was the national champion in the men's outdoor 1,500 meters. During the indoor track and field season, senior Helen Braybrook (Frieston, United Kingdom/Oakham School) was the national champion in the women's 800 meters and women's Distance Medley Relay also took home a national championship. The members of the national championship DMR team were junior Jadyn Herron (Queen Creek, Ariz./Casteel), junior Gabrielle Dunich (Pueblo, Colo./Pueblo Central), freshman Leah Keisler (Biggar, United Kingdom/University of Edinburgh) and Braybrook. Higgins also took home the Elite 90 Award for women's outdoor track and field.
 
Meanwhile, the Pack had three national runners-up finishes during the 2024-25 season as Braybrook was the runner-up in the women's outdoor 800 meters, while Higgins was the runner-up in the women's indoor shot put and Sharman-Newell was the runner-up in the men's indoor mile run.
 
CSU was one of three schools from the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference to finish in the Top 25 of the final 2024-25 Division II Learfield Directors' Cup standings as Colorado School of Mines was the highest finishing team in the RMAC as they finished eighth overall with a total of 671.00 points, while Adams State was one spot behind CSU Pueblo in 13th place after scoring a total of 584.00 points. Colorado Mesa finished just outside the Top 25 at No. 27 with 479.00 points. Overall, 13 of the 15 league schools scored in this year's final Learfield Directors' Cup standings with seven schools overall placing in the Top 75 of the final standings.
 
Grand Valley State was the top overall Division II athletic program again this year as the Lakers, who have won 17 times in Learfield Directors' Cup history, scored a total of 1,080.50 points to win the honor for the second consecutive season in Division II. Wingate finished second with 837.25 points, while West Texas A&M was third with 806.25 points. Indianapolis (789.75 points) and University of Tampa (755.50 points) were fourth and fifth respectively in the final Division II standings.
 
During the spring, Grand Valley State won a national title in women's outdoor track and field and was third in men's outdoor track and field and fifth in men's tennis, while Wingate was fourth in men's outdoor track and field and West Texas A&M was runner-up in men's outdoor track and field and third in women's outdoor track and field. Tampa captured national titles in both baseball and women's lacrosse and was national runner-up in both men's lacrosse and softball and Indianapolis was third in women's lacrosse and fifth in men's tennis.

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 national finish in up to 14 sports in NCAA Division II championships. 
 

CSU Pueblo In The LEARFIELD NCAA Division II Directors' Cup (since 2011-12)

2024-25: 12th (592.50)
2023-24: 24th (491.00)
2022-23: 16th (550.25)
2021-22: 24th (478.80)
2020-21: Not awarded
2019-20: Not awarded
2018-19: 36th (357.75)
2017-18: 54th (330.75)
2016-17: 35th (414.50)
2015-16: 107th (190.00)
2014-15: T-54th (323.00)
2013-14: 146th (134.00)
2012-13: T-103rd (197.00)
2011-12: 97th (203.00)