UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State Intercollegiate Athletics ranks seventh, with 624.5 points, in the LEARFIELD Directors' Cup Division I standings following the first Winter standings update.
Penn State has posted 315.5 points during the Winter championship season, led by wrestling's 100 points after claiming its 10th national title in the last 12 years. The point total does not include men's or women's gymnastics. Penn State's 315.5 points in the Winter championship season rank 13th in the country.
Penn State's 315.5 points are its most in a Winter season since 2019 (493.5). Penn State has ranked among the Top 10 following the Winter championship season in 16 of the last 18 years the standings have been published (not published in Winter 2020 due to COVID-19).
In the Fall, Penn State tallied 309 points and held sixth in the standings after the Fall championship season.
Led by head coach Cael Sanderson, the wrestling squad won the team national title with 137.5 points, a full 55.0 points ahead of second place. Aaron Brooks and Carter Starocci brought home individual titles, while Levi Haines, Greg Kervliet and Roman Bravo-Young all reached the finals in their weight class. Penn State captured its 11th overall national title and 10th under Sanderson.
The Penn State men's basketball team reached the Round of 32 in the NCAA Tournament. The Nittany Lions were selected as the No. 10 seed in the Midwest Regional. Penn State earned a 76-59 win over No. 7 seed Texas A&M thanks to a 27-point effort by senior Andrew Funk and 19 points from consensus All-American Jalen Pickett.
Penn State fencing tallied 66 points in the director's cup after finishing eighth at the NCAA Championships. Arwen Borowiak earned All-America status for the third-straight season in foil after placing eighth. On the women's side, Samantha Catantan finished 11th in foil.
The Penn State women's hockey team, led by head coach Jeff Kampersal, reached the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history after winning CHA regular season and tournament titles. Kampersal was named CHA Coach of the Year. Kiara Zanon was the CHA Player of the Year.
The Nittany Lion men's swimming and diving team, led by head coach Tim Murphy, posted 39 points in the standings. Victor Baganha competed in three events at the NCAA Championships, recording lifetime bests in the 100 Fly, 50 Free and 100 Free. He finished 13th overall in the 100 Fly to earn All-American honors.
Penn State Men's Indoor Track & Field, lead by head coach John Gondak, earned 35.5 director's cup points. Handal Roban claimed bronze in the 800m finals at the NCAA Championships. Roban was named Mid-Atlantic Region Track Athlete of the Year.
Ohio State leads the overall standing with 858 points, followed by Texas (758.75), Stanford (754.5), North Carolina (686.5), Alabama (634.25) and Wisconsin (624.75).
Penn State is one of three Big Ten schools among the Top 10 and one of five Big Ten schools represented in the Top 25.
The next update to the standings will come on April 20 to conclude winter sport championships. The rankings will also be updated on June 15 and the final standings will be announced in early July following the College World Series.
Under the leadership of Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics Dr. Patrick Kraft, Penn State has one of the nation's most comprehensive and successful athletic programs, featuring 800 student-athletes across 31 varsity programs (16 men's, 15 women's). The Nittany Lions' 31 programs are tied for the fourth-highest number of sports sponsored by a Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) institution.
Penn State student-athletes have led the athletic department to 40 Big Ten championships and 11 NCAA National Championships since 2012. The Nittany Lions have finished in the top 15 of the LEARFIELD Directors' Cup 19 times in the last 28 years (the Directors' Cup was not awarded in 2019-20).
Complete standings and the scoring structure of the LEARFIELD Directors' Cup can be found on NACDA's website at www.directorscup.org.
