The University of Tennessee was already experiencing significant athletic success before the recent College World Series.
Monday night’s national championship cemented its best year ever.
With college baseball season in the books to wrap up the 2023-24 school calendar, Tennessee earned its highest-ever final ranking in the Learfield Directors’ Cup standings, placing third behind Texas and Stanford. Florida finished fourth, with Virginia, Texas A&M, North Carolina, Alabama, UCLA and Notre Dame rounding out the top 10.
Tennessee’s finish tops its No. 6 ranking last year, which surpassed its previous best of No. 7 in 2007.
“Achieving a third-place national finish and leading the way in the SEC in the Learfield Directors’ Cup is a remarkable accomplishment, setting a new benchmark for our department,” athletic director Danny White said in a Tennessee release. “We take great pride in being the ‘Everything School.’ All 20 of our sports reaching the postseason for the first time, with 11 finishing in the top 10 nationally, is significant.
“This historic achievement is the result of everyone’s efforts on Rocky Top. Congratulations to our student-athletes, coaches, and staff for this outstanding accomplishment.”
White became Tennessee’s AD in January 2021, and the Volunteers and Lady Vols teams have combined to produce notable improvement every year. Tennessee finished 26th in the Directors’ Cup standings in 2021 and 13th in 2022 before the sixth-place showing last year.
Wednesday’s announcement of the final Directors’ Cup standings comes on the heels of Tennessee winning the Southeastern Conference All-Sports Trophy late last month for a third consecutive year.
“This is a proud moment, but the best is yet to come,” White said. “We have not come close to realizing our full potential yet at Tennessee. Buckle up, Vol Nation!”
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com.