The final 2024-25 LEARFIELD Directors' Cup standings were released on Tuesday, June 10, with the Keiser Seahawks placing second.
The Seahawks have now finished in the top-5 in the Learfield Cup standings for eight consecutive years, registered 954.00 points in the final 2024-25 Learfield Directors' Cup standings. The Seahawks had 16 teams qualify for the postseason during the year, with men's lacrosse, men's tennis, men's swimming & diving, and women's swimming & diving claiming NAIA National Championships.
The University of the Cumberlands (Ky.) topped the standings at 1014.00 points. Indiana Wesleyan finished third with 889.25 points while Marian and William Carey rounded out the top-5 with 872.75 and 832.00 points, respectively.
Senior
Kegan Hufford tied a career-high, scoring six goals, including the overtime game-winner, as the No. 1-ranked Keiser men's lacrosse team defeated the No. 4-ranked Cumberlands (Ky.) Patriots, 14-13, in the NAIA National Championship Game on Saturday, May 10. The win was the Seahawk's third straight National Championship, having won the NAIA Invitational crown in 2023 and 2024. In a closely fought battle, the Seahawks trailed for most of the contest, falling behind 7-3 in the second quarter. Keiser kept the game close pulling within one multiple times. It was Hufford, who netted the Seahawk's last three goals of the contest, who tied the game in the fourth and gave Keiser the lead with 7:02 left to play. The Patriots tied the NAIA Championship with a goal by Nick Kava with 3:51 left in regulation. Keiser had one last chance to win the game in the final seconds but were unable to break the tie. It took just 27 seconds in overtime to decide the NAIA National Champion as Hufford slipped a shot from the side of the net, beating goalkeeper Nathan Foskey.
For the first time in program history, Keiser men's tennis won the NAIA National Championship, defeating No. 1 Georgia Gwinnett 4-2 on Saturday, May 17, in Mobile, Alabama. The Seahawks took the first doubles match on court three, but wins by the Grizzlies on courts one and two put GGC up 1-0. In singles, Keiser rallied with wins on courts four, five, and six before Georgia Gwinnett grabbed a win on court two. With both remaining matches in the third set, Keiser would get the final point on court one to secure the national championship.
No. 1 Keiser women's swimming & diving won their fourth consecutive NAIA National Championship on Saturday, March 8, in Elkhart, Ind. The Seahawks had two individual National Championships, 45 All-Americans in addition to four relay National Championships. After the meet,
Nikoline Biltoft-Jensen won the Swim of the Meet Award.
No. 1 Keiser men's swimming & diving captured their sixth NAIA National Championship on Saturday, March 8, at the Elkhart Aquatics Center in Elkhart, Ind. The Seahawks won 11 individual National Championships and had 46 All-Americans in addition to four relay National Championships. After the meet,
Noel De Geus won the Swim of the Meet Award,
Juan Gonzalez was named Diver of the Year,
Isaiah Aleksenko was named Swimmer of the Year, and Head Coach
Adam Epstein was named the Coach of the Year.
Final Sport Standings
| Sport |
Finish |
Points |
| Women's Swimming & Diving |
National Champions |
100 |
| Men's Swimming & Diving |
National Champions |
100 |
| Men's Lacrosse |
National Champions |
100 |
| Men's Tennis |
National Champions |
100 |
| Football |
2nd |
90 |
| Women's Soccer |
2nd |
90 |
| Women's Tennis |
2nd |
90 |
| Women's Golf |
2nd |
90 |
| Men's Golf |
4th |
80 |
| Men's Basketball |
NAIA Final 16 |
64 |
| Men's Soccer |
NAIA Second Round |
50 |
*Overall, 13 sports are counted in the final NAIA standings, four of which must be men's basketball, men's soccer, women's basketball and women's volleyball. The next highest (9 max.) sports scored for each institution, regardless of gender, are used in the standings. Five total scores were not counted due to the maximum number of sports that are able to be counted – baseball, softball, men's indoor track & field, wrestling and women's lacrosse.
Sun Conference Schools in the Top 100 of the Standings
| School |
Finish |
Points |
| Keiser |
2nd Place |
954.00 |
| SCAD Savannah |
11th Place |
683.50 |
| Southeastern |
17th Place |
596.25 |
| St. Thomas |
18th Place |
539.50 |
| Ave Maria |
69th Place |
295.00 |
Overall Department Success on the Year
- 1 Sun Conference Commissioner's Cup
- 4 National Championships – Men's Lacrosse, Men's Tennis, Men's Swimming & Diving, and Women's Swimming & Diving
- 4 Conference Coach of the Year Winners
- 5 NAIA National Coach of the Year Award Winners
- 6 National Athletes of the Year Award Winners
- 8 Conference Tournament Champions
- 8 Conference Regular Season Champions
- 13 teams ranked in the final NAIA Top 25 polls
- 16 NAIA Tournament appearances
- 27 Conference Specialty Award Winners (ie Player of the Year, Freshman of the Year, Newcomer of the Year)
- 132 NAIA Scholar-Athletes
- 142 All-Americans
- 215 all-conference individual awards
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 NAIA Championships.
Please note, standings published midseason are unofficial. Official standings will be published upon the completion of the winter season. Complete standings and the scoring structure can be found on NACDA's website at
www.directorscup.org. In addition, please visit
www.thedirectorscup.com and follow us on Twitter
@ldirectorscup.
About Learfield: Learfield is the media and technology company powering college athletics. Through its digital and physical platforms, Learfield owns and leverages a deep data set and relationships in the industry to drive revenue, growth, brand awareness, and fan engagement for brands, sports, and entertainment properties. With ties to over 1,200 collegiate institutions and over 12,000 local and national brand partners, Learfield's presence in college sports and live events delivers influence and maximizes reach to target audiences. With solutions for a 365-day, 24/7 fan experience, Learfield enables schools and brands to connect with fans through licensed merchandise, game ticketing, donor identification for athletic programs, exclusive custom content, innovative marketing initiatives, NIL solutions, and advanced digital platforms. Since 2008, it has served as title sponsor for the acclaimed Learfield Directors' Cup, supporting athletic departments across all divisions.
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