Softball Led the Way in Spring Toward Top 25 Finish in Learfield Cup, 3rd Year in a Row

STILLWATER – Oklahoma State placed 25th nationally in the final 2022-23 Learfield Directors' Cup standings.

It marks the first time since the standings were created in 1992-93 that the Pokes finished in the top 25 nationally in three consecutive years, as OSU was 18th in 2020-21 and 23rd in 2021-22.

The Learfield Directors' Cup honors institutions having success in all sports in which the NCAA offers a championship, along with FBS football. All sports are weighted equally.

Using the Learfield Directors' Cup scoring system, 11 of OSU's 18 sports had top-25 national finishes, with men's cross country (second), women's cross country (fourth), softball (fifth) and men's indoor track and field (sixth) all finishing in the top 10 nationally. Equestrian would have placed third but is not eligible since the NCAA does not offer a championship.

Of the top 30 public schools in this year's Learfield Directors' Cup standings, all but one spent more on athletics expenses than Oklahoma State and 26 spent at least $20 million more than OSU, according to the most recent data provided by USA Today.

Because Oklahoma State does not sponsor women's volleyball and does not get credit for its performance in equestrian, it has only 17 sports eligible for Learfield Directors' Cup scoring, while most others count points from 19 sports. Operating with a two-sport handicap, Oklahoma State has still finished in the top 25 nationally in each of the last three years and has finished in the top three of the Big 12 in each of the last five years.

OSU won 2022-23 Big 12 team championships in men's and women's cross country, women's indoor track and field, equestrian, women's golf and baseball and made a fourth consecutive Women's College World Series appearance in softball. OSU trailed only Texas (second) and Oklahoma (23rd) among Big 12 schools in this year's Learfield Directors' Cup standings.

Across all sports in 2022-23, OSU produced 46 All-Americans, 23 Big 12 individual champions and set a school record with 10 College Sports Communicators (formerly CoSIDA) Academic All-Americans.

Big 12 in the 2022-23 Learfield Directors' Cup Standings

Rank        School                            Points

2              Texas                              1370.50

23            Oklahoma                      813.75

25            Oklahoma State         800.00

34            TCU                                 669.00

46            Baylor                             543.00

47            Texas Tech                     501.00

59            West Virginia                  411.00

62             Iowa State                      375.50

65             Kansas                            353.00

92             Kansas State                  202.50