Middlebury Claims Fifth In LEARFIELD Directors’ Cup

Middlebury College claimed fifth place in the 2024-25 LEARFIELD Directors’ Cup Final Standings. The Panthers amassed 971.75 points, their most since earning third with 1,000.50 in the 2021-22 campaign. It is the 20th-consecutive year that Middlebury has grabbed a top-10 finish in the final standings. Emory earned its first cup with 1,198.75 points. Johns Hopkins (1,147) and Tufts (1,069) rounded out the top three. 

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The Panthers secured 200 of their points from two NCAA Championships. The field hockey team earned its seventh-straight crown with a 2-1 victory over the Jumbos in the title tilt. The women’s lacrosse program closed the season with its 11th championship in program history and fourth in a row.

Middlebury had four teams reach the NCAA Tournament alongside the field hockey squad in the fall, earning the second-most points across Division III (348). Men’s soccer advanced to the national semifinals for the first time since 2007 before falling 2-1 to eventual national champion Amherst. The squad finished 17-2-4, one victory behind the program record of 18 set by the 2007 NCAA Champion team. Volleyball put together a magical run, claiming its sixth NESCAC championship and its first NCAA Regional Final in 14 years. The women’s cross country team finished 22nd at the national meet to tally 52 points, while the men’s cross country program claimed 25th to post 49 points in the standings.

The Panthers had four teams secure points during the winter. Women’s ice hockey defeated Nazareth in the quarterfinals before falling to Amherst in the national semifinals. The Middlebury alpine and nordic ski programs combined for their best NCAA finish in 17 seasons with a sixth-place effort that earned 72 points. Bradshaw Underhill tallied two top-six finishes to grab All-American honors. Women’s swimming and diving closed the scoring by securing 42 points, headlined by an All-American swim in the 50-yard freestyle by rookie Anna McGrew.

Middlebury claimed 426.75 points in NCAA competition in the spring over seven sports. Women’s golf had a banner season with its first NESCAC crown and a share of sixth in the NCAA Championship for 72.75 points. The finish is the highest in program history. Men’s tennis grabbed its 12th conference championship and advanced to the NCAA Regional Finals. Under first-year head coach Olivia Leavitt, women’s tennis finished 10-0 in conference action en route to their initial NESCAC Title and a spot in the regional finals. Men’s lacrosse earned 50 points after making their 20th trip to the NCAA Tournament. Baseball grabbed its third conference championship in the last four seasons and reached the regional round before falling 4-3 to Cortland. The women’s track and field team closed out the point total with 38.5, headlined by two All-American First-Team honors by Audrey MacLean in the 3,000 steeplechase and 5,000.