Liberty Athletics continues to see its national brand lifted across all sports, as the Flames have posted the second best finish in the final 2021-22 Learfield IMG College Directors’ Cup standings with a final ranking of No. 74. This marks the second best ever finsih for the school in the annual listing that ranks the top collegiate atheltic departments across the country.
Liberty just narrowly missed finishing with its best ever finish which was No. 72 just one year ago. Prior to the past two years, Liberty’s previous best Directors’ Cup ranking was No. 82 following the 2001-02 athletics season and No. 96 following the 2011-12 athletics campaign.
Texas led the rankings and the Longhorns were followed by Stanford, Michigan, Ohio State, Florida, North Carolina, Arkansas, Notre Dame, Kentucky, and Oklahoma who rounded out the top 10. Virginia checked in at No. 11. Princeton was the highest ranked non-Power Five program with a final ranking of No. 18.
Liberty finished No. 13 among non-Power Five programs for a second straight year, checking in behind Princeton, BYU, Harvard, Villanova, Yale, Denver, Pennsylvania, Pepperdine, Air Force, UCF, Georgetown, and Northern Arizona.
Liberty received points in this year’s Directors’ Cup rankings thanks to national championship finishes or bowl game appearances by field hockey, baseball, football, men’s tennis, men’s golf, softball, and women’s cross country.
Kennesaw State was the second highest ranked ASUN member, checking in at No. 124. North Florida ranked No. 156, FGCU No. 157, Lipscomb No. 186, Jacksonville No. 188, Stetson No. 229, Eastern Kentucky No. 251, and Jacksonville State No. 266 to round out the other ASUN member institutions that received points.
Liberty would have also been the highest rated team in the new look Conference USA. Sam Houston would have been the second highest placed CUSA team witha final ranking of No. 84, ollowed by Middle Tennessee at No. 98, FIU at No. 121, Western Kentucky at No. 134, New Mexico State at No. 151, Louisiana Tech at No. 168, UTEP at No. 255, and Jacksonville State at No. 266.
