Georgia Tech has highest Director’s Cup finish since 2005

Georgia Tech fell to Minnesota in the second round of the NCAA Tournament April 15, 2021 in Omaha, Neb. (Mark Kuhlmann/NCAA Photos)

Credit: Mark Kuhlmann/NCAA Photos

Credit: Mark Kuhlmann/NCAA Photos

Georgia Tech fell to Minnesota in the second round of the NCAA Tournament April 15, 2021 in Omaha, Neb. (Mark Kuhlmann/NCAA Photos)

With strong postseason performances across the department, Georgia Tech earned its highest finish in the Director’s Cup standings in more than 15 years.

Tech finished 44th among Division I schools in the competition that measures performance across all sports as tabulated by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics. It’s Tech’s highest finish since placing 31st in 2004-05 and its third highest finish overall since the inception of the Director’s Cup in 1993-94. Tech was 10th among ACC schools.

Only three years ago (2017-18), Yellow Jackets teams combined to finish 121st and last among power-conference schools. Only three Tech teams contributed points that year.

In this school year, 11 of the team’s 17 varsity teams scored points for the cup standings by competing in an NCAA championship.

Also of note is that Tech was one of only two teams to finish in the top 50 with 17 or fewer teams in its department. Tech has 17 (the Division I minimum is 16), as does Texas Tech, which finished 43rd.

“This is the best year that I can ever remember,” Tech golf coach Bruce Heppler told the AJC in May. “You wouldn’t have figured that, right, with all that’s going on, but it’s terrific. I think it inspires everybody else that you can do this here. And then other teams have success, and they start pulling for each other. It’s been awesome.”

Leading scorers for Tech included Heppler’s golf team (15th at its NCAA championship), the women’s basketball team, which reached the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament for the second time in school history, and the women’s tennis team, which also made the Sweet 16. The men’s basketball team won the ACC championship for the first time since 1993.

The women’s cross country team (20th) and the women’s swimming and diving team (28th) also earnest their highest-ever national finishes.

“I’m so proud of our student-athletes and coaches for their remarkable showing in this year’s Directors’ Cup standings,” athletic director Todd Stansbury said in a statement. “Not only have they taken our across-the-board athletic success to a level not achieved on The Flats in 15 years, but they did so despite the unprecedented challenges that they faced over the past year. I think I speak for all Georgia Tech fans when I say congratulations and thank you to our student-athletes and coaches for an incredible year.”