CLEVELAND – The Southern New Hampshire University athletic department has finished 50th out of 251 NCAA Division II institutions that were ranked following the final release of the LEARFIELD Directors' Cup standings – its third highest finish in department history – as it garnered 371.00 points. SNHU was coming off its best finish in 2022-23 with a 23rd-place showing.
The Penmen, who slotted in third in the NE10 Presidents' Cup race earlier this month, were the second best department in the LEARFIELD Directors' Cup standings in both the NE10 and the entire NCAA Division II East Region. Adelphi University led the way by placing 18th (557.00). The next closest East Region institution was Franklin Pierce University (72nd; 265.50) with Assumption University and Bentley University following in an 85th-place tie (231.00). Thomas Jefferson University (87th; 228.00) was the top finisher from the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC), while Roberts Wesleyan University (94th; 213.00) was first amongst East Coast Conference (ECC) institutions. They were the only two from their respective leagues to finish in the top 100, which included six NE10 schools.
Southern New Hampshire, meanwhile, finishes in the top 100 for the 11th consecutive final standings release (the LEARFIELD Directors' Cup standings were not tabulated in 2019-20 or 2020-21 due to the COVID-19 pandemic). The Penmen have steadily improved since being ranked 138th more than a decade ago, including four straight top-80 finishes that culminated in a then-best 41st in 2015-16. After four more top-80 placements, including a then-second-best 61st in the last standings release prior to the pandemic in 2018-19, SNHU beat its previous highest finish by 18 spots for its first top-25 recognition at No. 23 last season.
Since Director of Athletics & Recreation Anthony Fallacaro took over prior to the start of the 2013-14 season, the Penmen have not checked in lower than 88th, have five top-75 finishes and have now placed in the top 50 on three occasions. During his nine years the standings have been kept, SNHU has an average finish of 63.22, while in the seven years prior (only the top 100 schools in the standings were ranked before 2006-07 and SNHU was not in the top 100 in 2005-06), the department placed in the top 100 just twice and averaged a 149.57 finish in the standings.
SNHU, which was 26th after the fall standings release with 140.00 points and then 38th following the winter release with 98.00 points, amassed 133.0 points in the spring to solidify its spot in the top 50. The Penmen received a department-best 78 points from baseball, which earned its 12th NCAA postseason bid, and won its opening game at the NCAA National Championship to finish as one of five teams remaining in the nation. Men's tennis added 50 points for its 11th NCAA berth and winning a match to advance to the round of 32. Men's golf made the regional field for the 13th time and contributed five points.
In the winter, the Penmen collected 73 points in men's basketball, which made its 22nd appearance and punched its ticket to the NCAA Division II Elite Eight for the first time since 2015. Women's basketball claimed 25 points for its fifth NCAA selection, including third straight.
In the fall, SNHU collected 50 points in women's soccer, which advanced to the second round of the NCAA Championship in its ninth appearance, while women's cross country received 40 points for its 33rd-place finish at its third NCAA National Championship, The Penmen tallied 25 points each in men's soccer (23rd appearance) and women's volleyball (second appearance), which both bowed out in the opening round of the NCAA tournament.
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. 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 latest on Southern New Hampshire University athletics, follow the Penmen via social media on Twitter, Facebook, Youtube and Instagram. You can also sign up to receive text message alerts and e-mail newsletters about your favorite Penmen teams.
| Year |
Rank |
| 2023-24 |
50 |
| 2022-23 |
23 |
| 2021-22 |
76 |
| 2020-21 |
No standings |
| 2019-20 |
No standings |
| 2018-19 |
61 |
| 2017-18 |
79 |
| 2016-17 |
88 |
| 2015-16 |
41 |
| 2014-15 |
75 |
| 2013-14 |
76 |
| 2012-13 |
89 |
| 2011-12 |
81 |
| 2010-11 |
138 |
| 2009-10 |
148 |
| 2008-09 |
155 |
| 2007-08 |
232 |
| 2006-07 |
NR |
| 2005-06 |
NR |
| 2004-05 |
NR |
| 2003-04 |
159 |
