July 3, 2017
Another outstanding athletics season is in the books, and the South Carolina Gamecocks finished 21st nationally out of approximately 300 schools with a school-record 832.50 points in the Learfield Directors’ Cup Division I final standings. South Carolina climbed 10 places after finishing 31st last year, and it is the program’s third highest finish since the Learfield Directors’ Cup began during the 1993-1994 academic year.
“The Learfield Cup is a barometer that is used to measure success in all sports,” said Athletics Director Ray Tanner. “Our top 25 finish this year is a measure of the hard work, commitment and dedication of our student-athletes and coaches in their respective sports. Our goal is to compete for championships in every sport, year in and year out.”
This marks the fourth time that South Carolina has finished in the top 25 after finishing 11th in 2001-02, 18th in 2002-03, and 25th in 2000-01. The Learfield Directors’ Cup is a program that honors institutions for achieving success in all sports.
“The fact that 17 of our 20 eligible sports contributed to the point total shows the wide spread excellence in athletics that we have here,” said Executive Associate Athletics Director Charles Bloom.
Among the many highlights of the year, Dawn Staley’s women’s basketball team won its first NCAA National Championship after also winning its fourth straight SEC Regular Season Championship and third consecutive SEC Tournament title. Frank Martin’s men’s basketball team advanced to its first ever NCAA Final Four. Football went to a bowl game in Coach Will Muschamp’s first season at the helm, while Shelley Smith’s women’s soccer team won its second SEC Regular Season Championship and advanced to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament for the second time in three seasons.
“We’re just excited to do our part,” said women’s soccer head coach Shelley Smith. “We are always trying to be successful, and it’s just a tremendous environment to have all of these teams doing so well. When I first got here, women’s soccer may have been one of the teams that wasn’t in the NCAA Tournament, so I’m glad we’ve put together a good history of being successful to help the overall program. This is such a special place at the University and in the athletics department with Coach Tanner and everybody else here. We get a lot of support from the University, and we’re very thankful.”
Our goal is to compete for championships in every sport, year in and year out.
Athletics Director Ray Tanner
Men’s soccer, softball, beach volleyball, men’s tennis, women’s tennis, men’s golf, and women’s golf also reached team NCAA postseason play. Additionally, the Gamecocks were represented by individual qualifiers at NCAA Championships in men’s and women’s swimming and diving as well as men’s and women’s track and field, further demonstrating the depth and commitment for success by South Carolina Athletics in establishing themselves as an elite program nationally.
“I think it’s a great feeling to see where we finished,” said softball head coach Beverly Smith. “You can see all of the South Carolina sports playing well and performing at a high level. I do think it is bragging rights for the department, so anytime my team can contribute it’s great, and I love to see South Carolina’s name at the top.”
South Carolina ranked seventh in the SEC, and finished ahead of Clemson (52nd) for the ninth consecutive year. The Gamecocks have finished ahead of Clemson in 19 of the 24 years of the Learfield Directors’ Cup, including 17 of the last 19 years. South Carolina’s 832.5 points surpasses the program’s previous high of 828.5 points in 2001-02.
Stanford was the overall winner in the 2016-2017 Learfield Directors’ Cup Standings, while Florida was the highest ranking SEC school, finishing third
In addition to the Learfield Directors’ Cup, South Carolina finished fifth nationally in the Capital One Women’s Cup standings, anchored by the basketball team’s national championship, and NCAA Tournament runs from soccer, softball, beach volleyball, tennis and golf.
