UNC finishes eighth in Directors’ Cup standings

For the 24th time in the 29-year history of the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics Learfield Directors’ Cup, the North Carolina Tar Heels finished in the top ten in the final standings.

Virginia was the other ACC program in the top ten, with the Cavaliers finishing fourth in the standings. ACC programs have finished in the top ten of the standings 48 times, including UNC’s 24 top-ten finishes.

UNC’s field hockey and women’s tennis teams pushed Carolina to eighth place in the final standings. This season was the 12th time that multiple NCAA championships were won by UNC in the same season, with the last being in 2015-16.

Below are some highlights of the year:

• Field Hockey: UNC won its 10th national championship and its fourth in five years. Erin Matson won National Player of the Year for the third time, and ACC Player of the Year and Offensive Player of the Year for the fifth time.

• Women’s Tennis: Carolina won its first women’s tennis team national championship with a 4-1 win over NC State in the championship match. Fiona Crawley earned National Player of the Year honors.

Photo by Preston Mack/NCAA Photos via Getty Images

• Women’s Swimming and Diving: Aranza Vazquez became the first UNC diver to win a national title. After winning the one-meter, she followed that up with the NCAA title in the three-meter. Carolina earned its first top-10 finish since 2001.

Photo by Jessie Rogers/NCAA Photos via Getty Images

• Wrestling: Austin O’Connor finished his perfect 23-0 with his second NCAA title. The ACC Co-Wrestler of the Year led the program to a 12th-place finish, its best final team ranking since 1995.

Photo by Shane Bevel/NCAA Photos via Getty Images

• Women’s Soccer: The women’s soccer team advanced to the national championship game for the 27th time and lost the College Cup in double overtime.

• Men’s Golf: The men’s golf team finished third in the nation when the team advanced to the semifinals in match play in the NCAA Championship. David Ford won ACC Player of the Year.

Photo by Jamie Schwaberow/NCAA Photos via Getty Images

• Women’s Cross Country: The women’s cross country team finished fifth in the nation, the highest ranking in the history of the program.

Photo by C. Morgan Engel/NCAA Photos via Getty Images

• Men’s Cross Country: The men’s cross country team finished 10th in the country. That top-ten finish is the best since 1985. Parker Wolfe became the first Tar Heel to be named ACC Runner of the Year.
• Women’s Lacrosse: The women’s lacrosse team finished 10th in the NCAA, marking the 18th-straight top-ten finish for the program.

Photo by Greg Fiume/NCAA Photos via Getty Images