CLEVELAND, OHIO - Susquehanna University's terrific sports season placed them 135th in the final Learfield Directors' Cup standings, racking up 143.0 total points. The River Hawks moved up 60 spots from last year's final standings thanks to four Landmark Conference championships between football, field hockey, and men's indoor and outdoor track & field. These four sports all reached their respective NCAA national championships, along with women's indoor track & field. Susquehanna recently finished fourth in the Landmark Presidents' Trophy final standings and was the sixth-highest Landmark team in this year's Learfield Directors' Cup.
The orange and maroon consistently found themselves in the national spotlight throughout the year. Field hockey got the ball rolling by capturing their second consecutive Landmark Conference title and another trip to the NCAA Tournament. Football then picked up the gauntlet by reaching their second-ever NCAA Division III Semifinals game and first since 1991 after capturing their third consecutive conference championship and three NCAA playoff victories. Men's indoor track & field won their fourth straight Landmark title, then in the spring the men's outdoor team achieved their fifth consecutive Landmark championship and first-ever All-Atlantic Region Track & Field Conference (AARTFC) championship. Two programs also reached the top ten in their national rankings, with football finishing fourth and the men's outdoor track & field team ranking as high as seventh during the season. Women's indoor track & field also shouldered the load in the national stratosphere with two NCAA Division III qualifiers.
Susquehanna University's spring sports achieved plenty to wrap up the 2024-25 athletic year with the likes of softball, men's tennis, men's lacrosse, women's lacrosse and men's and women's track and field. The River Hawks saw the men's track and field team claim their fifth consecutive title. Women's track and field claimed the fourth spot in the finals. Susquehanna's thrilling end to the 2024-25 campaign saw women's golf claim third place in the Conference Championships off stellar performances from All-Landmark finishers Kennedy Petrovich, Peyton Cerminaro, and Isabella Westerfield. Softball earned their right to play in the Landmark Conference tournament, as well as baseball just missing the playoffs after a strong second half of their season. Men's golf finished eighth in their conference title bout. Women's tennis finished their season in eighth place in the conference, with their male counterparts earning a playoff spot, finishing fifth in the Landmark standings.
Men's and women's lacrosse also had much to brag about to wrap their seasons up, as both teams pulled off dominating wins in the opening round of the tournament to advance to the Landmark Semifinals. Women's lacrosse knocked off Moravian University in thrilling fashion, with the men's team defeating Drew to reserve their right to the next round of playoffs. The men's lacrosse program led the River Hawks spring teams with six All-Landmark selections between women's lacrosse with three, softball with four, baseball with two, and men's tennis with two. The men's tennis team received a major award winner in Logan Rauschenberger chosen as the Landmark Rookie of the Year. Additionally, men's track and field celebrated Benjamin Bulger earning Track Athlete of the Year, Calder El Bachir Diakite Rookie of the Year, and head coach Ethan Senecal and staff Coaching Staff of the Year.
Each team at Susquehanna contributed to their eventual fourth place finish in the Presidents Cup Trophy Standings, that saw four Conference championships spanning across the entire 2024-25 athletic campaign. Football shocked the Division III world advancing all the way to the final four in the Division III National Playoffs, with field hockey capturing their second straight Landmark title and going to overtime in their first-round NCAA Tournament game against Lynchburg. Volleyball advanced to the Landmark Conference Tournament and hosted a first-round conference game after finishing with 19 wins.
Heading into the winter sports, Susquehanna saw one conference championship and a slew of playoff matchups, including a doubleheader at home for men's and women's basketball. Men's indoor track and field claimed their fifth straight indoor championship, with their female counterparts finishing in fourth place. Men's and women's swimming and diving finished their seasons with the men taking fifth place in the conference, followed by the women taking fourth place. Men's and women's basketball each earned the right to host Landmark first-round games, with the men winning an overtime thriller against Moravian University in the first round to advance to take on eventual-champion Drew University.
About the Learfield Directors' Cup
The Directors' Cup is presented annually by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics to the most successful U.S. collegiate athletic programs.
Established in 1993–94 for NCAA Division I in partnership with USA Today, the award expanded in 1995–96 to include Divisions II and III as well as the NAIA. In 2011–12, it broadened further to recognize junior and community colleges, with updated scoring introduced in the 2017–18 academic year.
Standings are available on the NACDA website. Points are awarded to schools that advance to NCAA, NAIA, or two-year college/university championships. Points for Division III programs are calculated from an institution's top 18 sports, four of which must include:
- Men's basketball
- Women's basketball
- Men's soccer
- Women's soccer
- The next 14 highest-scoring sports, from any gender, are included.
