DULUTH, Minn. – The University of Minnesota Duluth placed 31st (434.5 points) in the final 2022-23 LEARFIELD Directors' Cup standings, which were released on Tuesday.
 
That ranking is the third-best finish in department history and in the top 10 percent of the 311 NCAA Division II schools. It is the highest finish since the department placed 27th in 2009-10. The department's highest ranking came in 2008-09 when UMD placed 18th overall. In total, UMD teams competed in eight NCAA postseason championships this year.  
 
The Bulldogs were 45th (104 points) following the fall season as the volleyball team advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament and the women's cross country team placed 20^th at the NCAA Cross Country Championships.
 
A strong winter season saw UMD climb to as high as ninth overall (375 points), bolstered by the women's basketball team's NCAA runner-up finish, the men's basketball team's NCAA elite eight run, the women's hockey team's national quarterfinal finish and women's track & field placing 25th at the NCAA Indoor Championships led by Cailee Peterson's national runner-up finish in the mile run.
 
The Bulldogs were led during the spring season by the softball team's NCAA Tournament appearance and the women's track & field team finishing 36th at the NCAA Outdoor Championships.
 
The Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC), where UMD's Division II programs compete in, ranked fifth among the 23 Division II leagues in total points with 14 institutions garnering Director's Cup points.
 
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.

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