CLEVELAND, Ohio – In the final NCAA Division I LEARFIELD Directors' Cup fall standings, the University of Portland earned another top-50 finish, landing at 48th. That finish is tops among teams without football (I-AAA), second in the WCC and in the top 10 of mid-major teams.
"We are very excited to finish in the Top 50 of the LEARFIELD Directors' Cup fall standings for the second year in a row," Portland Vice President of Athletics Scott Leykam said. "WE are grateful to have such a talented and dedicated group of student-athletes and coaches here on The Bluff. Thank you to them, and to the rest of the Athletics department, for their hard work this fall and all they have done to elevate our Department."
The LEARFIELD Directors' Cup was created as a joint effort between NACDA and USA Today. Each school earns points based on how their team finishes in each NCAA Championship. The updated standings that includes winter sports will be published in early April.
The Pilots put together one of the best falls in athletics history in 2022. Both soccer teams competed in postseason soccer for the first time since 2009 and Laura Pellicoro represented the Pilots well at the NCAA Women's Cross Country Championships. Pellicoro was an All-American at the national meet, coming in at 25th for the third-best finish in program history.
Women's soccer returned to the postseason for the first time since 2013, hosting a playoff game as the 8-seed. They defeated the Arizona State Sun Devils 3-0 in the first round – their biggest win in a playoff game since 2010 – before falling to the top-seeded Alabama Crimson Tide. They finished 12-5-4 overall for their best record since 2013 as well.
Men's soccer was one of the best teams in the nation, advancing all the way to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1995. They finished the season 15-3-3 and 6-1 in WCC play, with their overall record being their best since 1995 as well. They ranked as high as sixth in the nation and finished the year 10th in the final United Soccer Coaches Top 25 poll.
Below is a link to the full fall standings.
LEARFIELD Director's Cup Fall Standings (PDF)
