CLEVELAND – Following one of its most successful fall seasons, Trinity University Athletics landed in fifth place out of more than 400 NCAA Division III schools in the Learfield Directors' Cup, the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) announced today.
Trinity scored points in women's cross country, football, men's soccer, women's soccer, and volleyball during the fall, piling up 334 total points. The fifth place standing after the fall is the best for the Tiger athletics program since the 2013-14 school year. The point total is the second highest for the fall sports teams in school history, trailing only the 339 points earned in Fall of 2002.
This fall was one of the most successful sports seasons in recent memory, injecting a boost of energy and excitement into Trinity student-athletes and coaches, as well as supporters both on and off campus. Two teams advanced to the NCAA Semifinals and five fall sports teams scored points for the first time since 2017.
The Tiger women's cross country team finished 27th at this year's NCAA Championships, tallying points (47) for the first time since 2019, and earning its best result since finishing 16th in 2017. Trinity qualified for nationals by finishing fourth at this year's NCAA West Region Championships, with four runners earning All-Region honors.
Women's soccer finished tied for 17th and scored 50 points. The Tigers wrapped up the season with a 14-2-4 record and won both the Regular Season and Tournament Championships in the first year in the Southern Athletic Association. Trinity hosted the first and second round of the NCAA Playoffs but were knocked out in a 2-1 overtime loss to California Lutheran University.
Volleyball won the SAA Regular Season Championship with a 13-1 conference record and received an at-large bid to the NCAA Playoffs with a 26-6 overall record this season. The Tigers won the Cambridge Regional by defeating #9 Massachusetts Institute of Technology 3-1, advancing to the NCAA Quarterfinals for the fifth time in the last six years. Trinity was eliminated in the NCAA Semifinals by eventual national champion University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, finishing in the Final Four for the third time since 2019.
Men's soccer had the deepest run of any of the Trinity fall sports teams, finishing as the national runner-up and posting a record of 20-2-1 this season. The Tigers won the SAA Regular Season title with a perfect 7-0-0 conference record but were upset in penalties at the SAA Tournament. From there, Trinity went on a tear in the NCAA Playoffs, posting five consecutive shutouts to reach the NCAA Championship game. The Tigers were beaten 2-1 in overtime by top-ranked Tufts University (MA), spoiling a chance at their first national championship since 2003. This was Trinity's fourth appearance in the Final Four and its third trip to the national final.
After the standings are updated to reflect the NCAA III football championship final game, the next scheduled update in the Learfield Directors' Cup will be after the winter sports season on April 2. Trinity competes in men's and women's basketball, men's and women's swimming & diving, and men's and women's indoor track & field during the winter. The final standings are scheduled to be released in June, which for Trinity, will cover baseball, men's and women's golf, men's and women's tennis, men's and women's outdoor track & field, and softball.
