CLEVELAND, Ohio – For the second consecutive year, St. Mary’s College of Maryland has been recognized as one of the Top 100 athletic programs in NCAA Division III. St. Mary’s College capped the 2024-25 academic year with a 92nd-place finish – a six-spot jump from last year’s finish – in the final Learfield Directors’ Cup standings.
The Seahawk teams amassed 221 points – the highest total in program history – to earn their 92nd-place finish – the best finish ever. SMCM also recorded the best placement and most points by any United East Conference member school for the third year in a row.
“The combined efforts of our outstanding coaches, student-athletes, and support staff continue to prove that St. Mary’s College, along with our United East Conference peers, belong at and can compete on national stage,” Director of Athletics & Recreation Crystal Gibson said.
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.
St. Mary’s College has appeared in 18 of the 30 Directors’ Cup standings since the program’s inception for Division III athletic programs in 1995-96. The Seahawks’ previous best finish and highest point total both came last year as SMCM placed 98th with 207 points.
Eighteen sports are counted in the final Division III standings, four of which must be men’s and women’s soccer and men’s and women’s basketball. The next-highest sports scored for each institution, regardless of gender, are used in the standings.
St. Mary’s College totaled 75 points in the fall to sit in 73rd place before falling to 95th in the winter with 51 additional points. Six Seahawk teams qualified for the NCAAs in the fall and spring with two qualifying in the winter for a total of eight.
Women’s rowing finished seventh at the NCAA Championships for 20 points while field hockey and men’s lacrosse both placed 17th for 25 and 50 points, respectively. Men’s soccer, women’s soccer, and women’s lacrosse all took 33rd for 25 points each.
During the winter, men’s swimming came in 23rd for 51 points as Luke Schwenk ’25 captured the national championship in the 50-freestyle, finished ninth in the 100-freestyle and 10th in the 100-backstroke.
| SMCM’s History in the Learfield Directors’ Cup | |||||
| Year | Final Rank | Team Points | Fall Points | Winter Points | Spring Points |
| 2024-25 | 92nd | 221 | 75 | 51 | 95 |
| 2023-24 | 98th | 207 | 50 | 47 | 110 |
| 2022-23 | 113th | 151 | 0 | 26 | 125 |
| 2021-22 | 114th | 171 | 0 | 0 | 171 |
| 2015-16 | 241st | 50 | 0 | 0 | 50 |
| 2012-13 | 186th | 98 | 0 | 73 | 25 |
| 2011-12 | 236th | 50 | 0 | 50 | 0 |
| 2010-11 | 214th | 73 | 0 | 73 | 0 |
| 2009-10 | 225th | 64 | 0 | 64 | 0 |
| 2008-09 | 197th | 77 | 25 | 52 | 0 |
| 2007-08 | 155th | 117 | 0 | 64 | 53 |
| 2006-07 | 263rd | 37.5 | 0 | 37.5 | 0 |
| 2003-04 | 200th | 53 | 0 | 0 | 53 |
| 2002-03 | 206th | 53 | 0 | 0 | 53 |
| 2001-02 | 209th | 50 | 0 | 0 | 50 |
| 2000-01 | 247th | 20 | 0 | 0 | 20 |
| 1998-99 | 176th | 20 | 0 | 10 | 10 |
| 1997-98 | 149th | 30 | 0 | 10 | 20 |