Hobart and William Smith Athletics finished 48th among more than 400 NCAA Division III athletic departments in the final 2025-26 Learfield Directors’ Cup standings, leading all Liberty League institutions.
The Learfield Directors’ Cup, created through a partnership between the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics and USA Today, measures overall athletic success based on performance in NCAA Championships. A school’s score is determined by results in up to 18 sports, including men’s and women’s soccer and basketball, along with the next highest-scoring programs regardless of gender.
HWS moved into the top 50 thanks in large part to strong postseason performances by several spring sports programs.
William Smith rowing led the way with a third-place finish at the NCAA Division III Rowing Championship on Lake Lanier in Gainesville, Georgia. The Herons, who captured the Liberty League title, matched the best national finish in program history, first achieved in 2002.
Hobart baseball earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament in just its fourth season since returning to varsity status. The Statesmen set a program record with 32 wins, finished 2-2 in the Salisbury Regional, and were credited with a 17th-place national finish.
William Smith lacrosse also won a Liberty League championship and advanced to the NCAA Tournament, finishing the season with a 17-3 record. The Herons reached the second round and were also credited with a 17th-place finish nationally.
Additional Directors’ Cup points came from NCAA Tournament appearances by Hobart soccer and William Smith volleyball in the fall, as well as Hobart hockey and Hobart swimming and diving during the winter season.
The Statesmen hockey team posted the best national finish among HWS programs, going 30-1 and reaching the NCAA Division III national championship game, where its only loss of the season came in overtime.
Hobart and William Smith has now finished among the top 100 Division III athletic departments in each of the last six Learfield Directors’ Cup standings. The 48th-place finish marks the third time since the award’s inception in 1995-96 that HWS has placed in the top 50, joining a 43rd-place finish in 2023-24 and a 50th-place finish in 2015-16.
