The Lee University Flames punctuated another banner year with a 25th place finish out of 320 NCAA DII schools in the LEARFIELD Directors' Cup Final Standings the organization announced on Tuesday.
Lee scored 474.25 points and has now finished in the top 25 in the LEARFIELD Directors' Cup Standings in back-to-back seasons. The Flames finished 11th last year, their best finish since joining the NCAA in 2015.
A year removed from winning the National Title, men's golf put together another strong showing on the championship stage and earned 72.75 points with a T5th finish.
Women's golf earned 51 points after qualifying for nationals for the second straight season. Thanks to a National Title by Celine Ritter in the 1500-meter and a third-place finish in the 3000-meter the Lady Flames earned their highest Outdoor Track and Field finish at No. 19 and earned 55 points. Men's outdoor track and field placed 49th and tallied 23.5 points as Cale Kassen was sixth at nationals in the 110-meter hurdles.
Lee claimed 133.50 points in the winter as women's basketball advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament while men's hoops qualified for the Big Dance for the second straight year. Men's indoor track and field placed 37th at nationals while the ladies tied for 50th. Fall sports complied 138.50 points as the Lady Flames soccer program made it eight straight trips to the National Tournament. Men's cross county registered a program-best 16th place finish at nationals while the women crossed the finish line in 19th place.
"I am so proud of our coaches and student athletes. Finishing in the top 8 percent of all D2 schools for the second year in a row is a testament to their commitment to excellence and to the consistency you want to see in an athletic department," said Lee Athletic Director, Larry Carpenter.
Lee was second in the Gulf South Conference with West Florida placing 18th. The Gulf South Conference was one of just five D2 leagues to be represented by its entire membership. Mississippi College (73) and Alabama Huntsville (76) gave the conference four teams in the top 100.
Overall, 15 sports are counted in the final DII standings, four of which must be women's volleyball and basketball and men's basketball and baseball. The next highest (11 max.) sports scored for each institution, regardless of gender, are used in the standings. For the 15th time in the LEARFIELD Directors' Cup history, Grand Valley State University will take home the hardware after compiling 936.75 total points in 17 total sports.
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.