Tennessee’s success was widespread across the athletics department during the 2023-2024 sports year.
Capped off by the program’s first national championship in baseball, Tennessee saw 11 teams finish in the Top 10 of their respective sports and was one of just two Power Five programs to have every sport reach the postseason in 2023-2024.
All of that success earned Tennessee an all-time high in the LEARFIELD Directors’ Cup with a third-place finish. Tennessee earned 1,217.00 points in the Directors’ Cup standings and only trailed Texas (1,377.00 points) and Stanford (1,312.75 points). The Longhorns tallied two national championships in women’s volleyball and women’s rowing while Stanford claimed national titles in men’s gymnastics and women’s golf.
Tennessee led all seven SEC teams in the standings, followed by No. 4 Florida, No. 6 Texas A&M, No. 8 Alabama, No. 13 LSU, No. 16 Georgia, and No. 18 Arkansas.
“We take great pride in being the ‘Everything School’,” Tennessee Director of Athletics/Vice Chancellor Danny White said in a statement on Wednesday.
In addition to Tennessee’s 11 Top 10 finishes this season, six of those finished in the Top 5 of their respective sports standings.
Tennessee also accomplished another program-first during the 2023-2024 year as “all 20 sports at Tennessee reached the postseason (NCAAs and a bowl game) for the first time in school history en route to UT’s record third-place finish” according to UT Athletics.
“In Rise Glorious, our five-year strategic plan, competitive excellence has been one of the primary pillars of importance for our athletics department,” White said in the statement. “Achieving a third-place national finish and leading the way in the SEC in the Learfield Directors’ Cup is a remarkable accomplishment, setting a new benchmark for our department.”
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Tennessee’s athletic success across the nation was recognized on Wednesday, but their success within the SEC has been known by the conference for some time now. In late May Tennessee captured their third straight SEC All-Sports title with success across the board.
According to UT Sports, Tennessee has won 12 SEC titles since the spring of 2021 after winning just two SEC Championships in the four years before White’s arrival. Tennessee claimed two SEC championships in baseball, one in softball, and one in men’s basketball this year.
It’s fitting that Tennessee’s highest-ever LEARFIELD Directors’ Cup standings finish comes a day after the Vols’ first championship parade in quite some time.
