General | 4/2/2026 10:00:00 AM

CLEVELAND, Ohio – Gannon University continued its rise among the nation's top Division II athletic programs, placing 10th overall in the final winter standings of the Learfield Directors' Cup. The Learfield Cup standings were released by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) today.

Though Gannon is currently 10th, the Golden Knights will move up to sixth in the standings following the conclusion of the NCAA DII Men's Basketball National Championship game, regardless of the result. 

The Golden Knights currently have totaled 170.00 Directors' Cup points during the winter season, which includes several standout performances from mutliple successful winter programs. Gannon will end the winter standings with either 270.00 winter points (with MBB win) or 260.00 winter points (with MBB loss).

The Learfield Directors' Cup evaluates institutional success by awarding points based on finishes in NCAA Championships. Standings are released following the fall, winter, and spring seasons, with the overall champion crowned at the conclusion of the academic year.

Grand Valley State leads the Division II standings with 790.50 points, followed by Colorado School of Mines (550.00) and Wingate (538.50). Colorado Mesa and Indianapolis round out the top five.

Gannon also leads all PSAC schools in the Learfield standings, with East Stroudsburg (25th) being the next highest institution. 

Gannon's winter total was highligted by men's basketball's run to the national championship game, their first since 1987. The Golden Knights are playing at their best heading into the championship game. The defense showed its elite skill in wins over Michigan Tech and Oklahoma Baptist to advance to the championship in the Elite Eight in Pittsburgh, PA. Gannon won their games by scores of 75-49 and 98-80 to advance to the title game. They'll now face Lander for the title. 

A win would mean the first NCAA national title in program and Gannon Athletics history. The Golden Knights last made the national final in 1987, where they finished as the NCAA runner-up. Gannon already surpassed a program record for wins in a season with the victory over the Bison on Friday. 

Men's wrestling earned a top ten finish at NCAA Championships, placing ninth as a team. Heavyweight Dorian Crosby battled through a challenging heavyweight bracket before capturing the 285-pound national title with a dramatic sudden-victory win over Crew Howard of University of Nebraska at Kearney. The championship marks Gannon's first individual national title in wrestling in 25 years and caps off one of the most memorable performances in program history. 

Women's basketball had another successful season, advancing to the second round of the Atlantic Regional. The Golden Knights ended the year 29-5 and an 18-2 mark in conference play. 

In their first season as an NCAA championship sport, women's wrestling earned points thanks to Bella Phillips' all-American performance in Coralville, IA. She placed fifth in the 180 pound bracket. 

In her first year as Director of Athletics, Meghan Morphy has guided Gannon Athletics to a top ten national finish following the winter season. The Golden Knights were also crowned Dixon Trophy champions for the 2024–25 season, claiming the PSAC's all-sports title for the third time in the last four years.

The Learfield Directors' Cup was developed as a joint effort between NACDA and USA Today, with points awarded based on each institution's finish in NCAA Championships across the academic year.