Following a strong spring season, highlighted by national championships for the men’s lacrosse and women’s rowing squads, Tufts finished the year ranked No. 3 nationally out of more than 300 NCAA Division III schools in the Learfield Directors’ Cup for the 2024-25 season. 

The spring teams’ success helped the university finish just behind eventual Directors’ Cup champion Emory University. Leading the way were the 100 points each from the NCAA champion men’s lacrosse and women’s rowing teams, while the women’s lacrosse team was NCAA runners-up and netted 90 points and the men’s tennis team finished with 83 points after placing third at the NCAA championships. 

Overall, the Jumbos finished third with 1069.00 points, behind only Emory (1198.75) and Johns Hopkins University (1147.00). Tufts was one of three New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) schools in the top 10, along with Middlebury College and Amherst College. (See the final Learfield Directors’ Cup results here [PDF].)

The Jumbos’ third-place finish in the Learfield Directors’ Cup this academic year was the 12th consecutive time that they have posted a Top 10 ranking and 15th since 1995-96. Tufts earned its first Directors’ Cup title in 2021-22, and finished second in 2022-23 and fourth last year. 

The Learfield Directors’ Cup, which was developed by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics and USA Today, is awarded to the colleges and universities with the most success in collegiate athletics. Points are awarded based on how teams finish in NCAA championships in up to 18 sports, including mandatory sports of men’s and women’s soccer and basketball. 

Tufts was boosted in the fall season by the Tufts field hockey squad’s NCAA runner-up finish. Both Tufts cross country teams and soccer teams earned points as well. 

In the winter, five teams earned points by competing in NCAA events, highlighted by the men’s and women’s swimming and diving squads posting 138 total points between the two teams. Both men’s and women’s basketball teams earned NCAA berths, while the Tufts women’s indoor track and field team added 51.5 points on the strength of a national title in the triple jump by Elysse Cumberland.

This spring, the women’s tennis team picked up 50 points thanks to its 17th place finish in the NCAA tournament, while the women’s track and field team posted 38.5 points. Softball also tallied 37.5 points for the spring total.

Overall, the Jumbos had six top 10 finishes on the year, with 17 teams accounting for the points’ total in the Cup standings.