For the first time in its history, WashU won the Learfield Directors’ Cup for the 2025-26 school year. This prestigious honor is the ultimate measure of success for a university’s athletic program. The Bears outperformed over 400 NCAA Division III schools across the country for the title. WashU has placed among the top 10 for the past 22 years, including 16 top-five finishes.  The long-awaited victory represents WashU’s commitment to excellence beyond academics and in athletics. 

“There are very few universities out there that can do what we [WashU] do in the fact that we’re an elite academic institution, but also our athletic programs have an opportunity in each one of their sports to win a national championship,” said men’s basketball head coach Pat Juckem. 

WashU earned points from its national championship victories by the women’s soccer and women’s indoor track and field teams. Women’s tennis and outdoor track and field both finished in second place, propelling the Bears to win the Cup. All of the varsity teams at WashU except football made the NCAA tournament and ranked among the top 20 in the nation for their respective sport.

The all-around success of the athletic program last school year allowed WashU to record a total of 1,266.50 points, defeating Tufts by a close margin of 14 points. WashU is the eighth school to win the award since the Cup’s introduction to D-III athletics during the 1995-96 academic year. Historically, Williams College has dominated the award, winning the Cup 22 times.

The Learfield Directors’ Cup is awarded to schools from each NCAA division level and the  National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). WashU accompanies the University of Texas at Austin (D-I), Grand Valley State University (D-II), and the University of the Cumberlands (NAIA) as winners for their respective divisions. 

“The Ohio State University athletic director congratulated me,” said WashU Director of Athletics Anthony Azama. “He said Ohio State has never won this award. Then I got hit with the reality that this is rare. WashU is one of the few places where you can come and earn a world-class degree, compete for championships, and be prepared for postgraduate opportunities.”

Winning this award proves that WashU’s investment in its varsity athletic programs is not going unnoticed. Recently, the school has upgraded multiple teams’ locker rooms while also updating the lighting and walls in the Field House. These projects are funded with help from the W Club, the booster support club for WashU athletics. The new improvements to facilities, along with successful athletic programs, attract top athletes to WashU, including Division I transfers like graduate students Ana DiMaria from the University of Missouri (women’s soccer) and Coleson Messer from Vanderbilt University (men’s basketball). 

“For all the sports, the athletic department makes sure that we have the equipment that we need, the facilities that we need, the resources for both school and also for mental health and nutrition,” said Regan Cannon, a senior and defender on the women’s soccer team.

The Learfield Directors’ Cup has put WashU’s name on the map and reinforces the University’s commitment to continue raising the bar for D-III athletics. 

“I think [winning the Cup] just justified all of the shared sacrifice to do something that only seven other schools have done,” said Azama. 

Throughout the 2026-27 school year, the Bears are looking to keep their foot on the gas and earn their second consecutive Directors’ Cup. 

The University will host a celebratory event in Tisch Park on Sept. 23 to commemorate the victory of WashU’s student-athletes and athletics staff.