Bulls rank second for average ranking among AAC teams in last decade;
One of two programs to finish among the top six in AAC every year
TAMPA, JUNE 29, 2023 – USF Athletics has posted its fifth top-three finish among American Athletic Conference schools in the last nine Learfield Director’s Cup standings with the 2022-23 final standings complete for the overall sports performance evaluation.
The Bulls ranked third among American Athletic Conference members in 2022-23, posting 225.50 points (82nd in NCAA Division I overall) to finish behind only Houston (304.75/68th) and SMU (279.25/73rd).
Among 350 NCAA Division I programs, South Florida finished in the top 23 percent nationally and ahead of UCF (221.50/85th), Memphis (208.00/88th), Tulsa (178.00/99th), Tulane (148.80/102nd), Cincinnati (122.50/146th), ECU (120.0/147th), Wichita State (83.50/184th), and Temple (22.00/292nd) among AAC programs. The Bulls built on two national championships won by high jumper Romaine Beckford and the NCAA postseason performances of indoor and outdoor track and field, men’s soccer, women’s basketball and women’s golf.
The 2022-23 finish marked USF’s fifth ranking in the top three among American Athletic Conference teams in the 10 years since the conference formed, which encompasses nine final Learfield Cup Standings (there was no ranking during the 2019-20 COVID season). USF joined Houston as the only programs to finish in the top six among AAC schools in the Learfield Cup standings every year of the conference. The Bulls led the conference in 2014-15 and finished second in 2015-16 and 2020-21.
Over the 10 years The American has existed, USF ranks second only to Houston on average Learfield Director’s Cup rank among AAC teams, with the Bulls posting an average placing of 3.2, just 0.5 behind Houston (2.7) and 1.0 ahead of UCF (4.2), and nearly 2.0 ahead of the next-closest-program in Tulsa (5.1). Cincinnati, which is joining Houston and UCF in the Big 12 in July, ranked sixth among AAC schools in Director’s Cup standings averaging a 6.7 placing over the last decade. Similarly, Houston (276.70), UCF (257.60) and USF (235.75) rank in the top three in average Learfield Cup point totals, with only Tulsa (206.00) joining the programs posting an average above 200 and Cincinnati checking in seventh at 146.22.
“The Learfield Directors’ Cup is a great indicator of a program’s strength across all sports and I was pleased by our finish this year overall, and, in comparison with our conference peers,” said Vice President for Athletics Michael Kelly. “We have tremendous momentum at USF with facility enhancements and renovations, academics, the University reaching AAU academic status, and now a very strong comparison on how we rank overall athletically in the American Athletic Conference and beyond.”
Learfield Director’s Cup
The LEARFIELD Directors’ Cup was developed as a joint effort between the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) and USA Today. Points are awarded based on each institution’s finish in NCAA Championships.
About USF Athletics
USF Athletics currently sponsors 19 varsity men’s and women’s teams that compete in 11 different sports, 18 at the NCAA Division I level in the American Athletic Conference, which will expand to 21 teams with the recently announced additions of women’s lacrosse (2024-25) and women’s beach volleyball. The Bulls’ athletic program began in 1965 and is in its 57th season in 2022-23. Nearly 450 student-athletes train and compete in the athletic district located on the east end of the campus in Tampa, Fla. The Bulls have claimed 26 American Athletic Conference team titles since joining the conference in 2013, including seven trophies in the 2021 calendar year, and own 140 conference titles claimed in 15 sports in department history, led by 20 each for men’s tennis and men’s soccer. USF has claimed 74 men’s conference championships and 64 women’s titles, led by 14 in women’s tennis and 12 in volleyball. The Bulls have posted a combined annual grade-point average over 3.0 for more than eight straight years and have posted a program record of 17 straight semesters with a combined GPA over 3.0 as of the spring of 2023. USF has had over 600 student-athletes earn their degree since 2016-17.
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– #GoBulls –
