08 Jul 2026 Harding places 35th in final 2025-26 LEARFIELD Directors’ Cup Standings

Posted at 9:30 PMh in Sports by

SEARCY — Harding University finished 35th out of more than 300 schools in the final NCAA Division II LEARFIELD Directors’ Cup standings for the 2025-26 school year, capping off another highly successful year for the athletic department.

The Bisons accumulated 469.75 total points across the fall, winter, and spring sports seasons. The 35th-place ranking marks the fifth-highest finish in school history and secures Harding’s fourth consecutive year finishing inside the national top 50.

The LEARFIELD Directors’ Cup, developed jointly by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) and USA Today, awards points based on each institution’s finish in NCAA championships.

Harding’s recent multi-year run represents the most sustained national success in the university’s history. The program recorded its highest-ever finish during the 2023-24 school year, placing 16th with 597.50 points, followed by a 25th-place finish in 2024-25 with 500.50 points. Harding also achieved top-35 finishes in 2005 (26th) and 2006 (29th).

Since first appearing in the standings in 1998, Harding has steadily solidified its place among the elite athletic departments in the country, maintaining its competitive edge through shifting conference alignments and postseason formats.

A complete year-by-year history of Harding’s finishes in the NACDA Directors’ Cup includes:

  • 2026: 35th (469.75 points)
  • 2025: 25th (500.50 points)
  • 2024: 16th (597.50 points)
  • 2023: 48th (365.00 points)
  • 2022: 92nd (228.30 points)
  • 2021: N/A (COVID-19)
  • 2020: N/A (COVID-19)
  • 2019: 151st (125.00 points)
  • 2018: 111th (179.00 points)
  • 2017: 62nd (298.00 points)
  • 2016: 139th (150.00 points)
  • 2015: 146th (136.50 points)
  • 2014: 142nd (138.50 points)
  • 2013: 116th (177.00 points)
  • 2012: 216th (39.00 points)
  • 2011: 104th (195.00 points)
  • 2010: 115th (179.50 points)
  • 2009: 90th (235.75 points)
  • 2008: 63rd (279.50 points)
  • 2007: 45th (341.25 points)
  • 2006: 29th (333.75 points)
  • 2005: 26th (356.25 points)
  • 2004: 39th (302.00 points)
  • 2003: 67th (230.00 points)
  • 2002: 64th (193.50 points)
  • 2001: 58th (186.00 points)
  • 2000: 139th (50.00 points)
  • 1999: Unranked (0.00 points)
  • 1998: 86th (60.00 points)