CLEVELAND— Montreat College concluded its fifth consecutive academic year inside the top 100 of the Learfield Directors' Cup NAIA standings, that according to a release from the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) on Tuesday. After sitting in 32^nd and 59^th following the fall and winter updates, respectively, the Cavaliers moved to No. 63 in the final edition of the standings.
 
Overall, Montreat totaled 304.10 points across the fall, winter and spring seasons. The Cavs ranked second among Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) institutions and 63^rd out of 184 NAIA institutions that recorded points during the 2024-25 academic year.
 
Identified as the crowning achievement in collegiate athletics, the Learfield Directors' Cup honors institutions maintaining broad-based departments that attain national success in both men's and women's sports. The Directors' Cup ranks the top athletic department in the country at each level of competition—NCAA Division I, Division II and Division III and NAIA—based on postseason accomplishments.
 
To earn points in the standings, an institution must have teams competing at national championship events or tournaments. Not only do appearances on the national stage garner attention, but also the level of performance while at national events contributes to the number of points gained in the standings.
 
All 304.10 of Montreat's points came via its men's and women's cross country and track & field programs. During the fall, the Cavaliers captured the 32^nd-most points (128) thanks to their cross country squads. On the women's side, Montreat's program-best fifth-place effort secured 75 points. Meanwhile, the Cavs racked up 53 points with the men's 21^st-place showing.
 
The winter season added 97 points to the Montreat tally. Women's track & field delivered 67.5 of those points with its program-best 10^th-place outing at indoor nationals. Men's track & field contributed 29.5 points to that mark after finishing 43^rd. Women's wrestling sent one student-athlete to the national championships, but the Cavaliers didn't register any points in the Learfield Directors' Cup standings due to not scoring at the tournament.
 
Men's and women's track & field tacked on the Cavs' final 79.10 points in the spring. Competing at outdoor nationals, the Montreat women notched their third program-best placement of 2024-25. By finishing eighth on the women's side, the Cavaliers supplemented their score by 70.50 points. Men's track & field totaled the last 8.60 points with its tie for 62^nd at the outdoor national meet.
 
For the official NACDA release, click here. To view the full 2024-25 Learfield Directors' Cup standings, click here.