Iowa State University Athletics
Iowa State Finishes 35th in 2023-24 Learfield Directors' Cup Standings
06.26.2024 | Athletics
AMES, Iowa – It was a banner year for Iowa State Athletics with the department setting a school record for points accumulated (649.50) and matching the record for programs scoring points (13) as it finished 35th in the 2023-24 Learfield Directors' Cup standings.
The 35th-place finish is the second-best placement in school history, trailing only the 34th-place finish in 2010. The Cyclones finished fourth among Big 12 schools, behind only Texas (1st), Oklahoma State (19th) and Oklahoma (24) in the all-sports sweepstakes.
It also marked Iowa State's third Top-50 finish in the last four seasons.
Iowa State added points in the spring in outdoor track and field for both the men's and women's programs, as well as the women's golf team. The men's team tacked on 56 points with a Top-20 finish, while the women added 37 points for their performance. Women's golf advanced to its 14th-straight NCAA Regional.
In the fall and winter, 10 programs contributed to the Cyclone tally: men's and women's basketball, men's and women's cross country, football, gymnastics, men's and women's indoor track and field, volleyball and wrestling.
Iowa State had an outstanding winter season led by wrestling scoring 80 points behind a fourth-place finish at the NCAA Championships, its best finish since 2010. David Carr won his second national title, rolling to wins over the No. 1, 2 and 5 seeds to earn the 165-pound crown. Gymnastics, in its first season under head coach Ashley Miles Greig, returned to the NCAA Championships and added 25 points for the Cyclones.
On the hardwood, the men's basketball team reached the Sweet 16 for the second time in the last three years and earned ISU 64 points. In women's hoops, ISU advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament and tallied 50 points toward the cause.
The men's basketball and wrestling teams won their respective Big 12 Championships, while the women's basketball program also advanced to the championship game.
The Cyclone men's and women's indoor track and field provided a boost with a pair of Top-25 finishes. It was the first time both had finished inside the Top 25 since 1992.
The women's team finished 20th in the team standings, adding 53 points to ISU's total. The finish was aided by Sydney Willits becoming Iowa State's first national champion in the long jump.
On the men's side, ISU finished 23rd and tacked on 51 points for the Cyclones. The Cyclones were led by individual First-Team All-Americans Finley Mclear (800m) and Darius Kipyego (800m). The distance medley relay team of Ezekiel Rop, Gus Langford, Jason Gomez and Silas Winders also earned First-Team All-America accolades.
The fall was highlighted by a Top-Five finish for the men's cross country team and football's fifth bowl appearance in the last six years. The programs scored 75 and 25 points in the Learfield Directors' Cup Standings, respectively.
Women's cross country also notched a Top-20 finish at the NCAA Championships, scoring 54 points for the Cyclones in the standings. Volleyball, which made the NCAA Tournament for the 16th time under head coach Christy Johnson-Lynch, added 25 points to Iowa State's point total.
