Carolina Continues To Lead Learfield Directors' Cup Standings

Keyed by the women's basketball team's Sweet 16 appearance in the NCAA Tournament and top-20 finishes by men's and women's fencing and men's swimming and diving, the University of North Carolina continues its lead in the 2025-26 Learfield Directors' Cup standings.

Carolina has amassed 781.50 points, 35.25 ahead of Stanford. UNC led after the fall with 359.00 points and has added 422.50 points in the winter with two sports' championships remaining to be played.

UNC's men's fencing team placed seventh, which earned the Tar Heels 69 points in the Cup standings, while the women were 15^th for 45 points. This was the first time the NCAA Men's and Women's Championships were contested separately.

Freshman Youssef Shamel won the NCAA championship in the men's epee, Carolina fencing's first national title in 43 seasons, and Peter Bruk tied for third, UNC's top-ever finish in foil. Dagny Johnson placed seventh in the women's sabre, Carolina's best finish by a freshman in that weapon in the last 25 seasons. Carolina now has 25 top-20 NCAA finishes in fencing.

The women's basketball team won a pair of games in the NCAA Tournament, advancing to the Sweet 16 for the 20^th time, making the Tar Heels one of nine women's basketball programs to reach the Sweet 16 20 or more times.

Louis Dramm's three All-America honors led the men's swimming and diving team to its highest finish (19^th) since 2015.

Carolina and Stanford are two of five ACC schools currently ranked in the top 10 in the Directors' Cup standings. The rest of the top 10 includes Virginia, Princeton, Ohio State, Penn State, Notre Dame, Duke, Michigan and Texas.

UNC placed fourth last year in the final standings, which equaled the Tar Heels' best finish in the last 16 seasons. It was Carolina's sixth-consecutive top-10 finish and the ninth time in 10 years the Tar Heels placed in the top 10.

University of North Carolina Athletics

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