CLEVELAND, Oh. – The Lewis University Athletic Department finished in 11th place for the 2024-25 Learfield Directors' Cup, The National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) announced Tuesday (June 10).

Points for the Learfield Directors' Cup are awarded based on each institution's finish in NCAA Championships. The Cup was developed as a joint effort between the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) and USA Today. The Flyers finished with 650 points throughout the three sports seasons.

"As an athletic department, we set our standard on achieving broad-based success at the national level," Assistant Vice President for Athletics John Ashaolu said. "Finishing 11th in the Learfield Directors' Cup final standings is both a remarkable accomplishment for Lewis University Athletics and a strong reflection of that commitment. This achievement is a testament to the dedication of our student-athletes, the leadership of our coaches and the unwavering support of our campus community. It's a proud moment for the entire Flyers family and a true representation of the championship culture we strive to uphold; both in competition and in the classroom."

Here is a look back at the moments which helped the Flyers claim their spot.  

FALL SPORTS

The men's soccer team contributed 50 Points this year after winning both the GLVC Regular Season and Tournament Championships. Makonnen Stampley and his game-winning shootout goal gave the Flyers their victory against Maryville in the championship game to secure their spot in the NCAA tournament, where they fell to Tiffin in the second round. 

It was a historic season for Lewis women's volleyball after they won their fourth straight GLVC Tournament Championship. They defeated GLVC rival Rockhurst in both the championship match and the first round of the NCAA Tournament, later dropping their match against No. 1 seed Ferris State. Ally Hickey (Granger, Ind./Penn) and Bella Ray (Plainfield, Ill./Joliet Catholic) were given All-American honors, as volleyball contributed 50 points to Lewis' Learfield total as well. 

It was an exciting season for both women's and men's cross country this year, hosting the largest NCAA Division II cross country meet in the Nation in the Lewis Invitational as well as the NCAA DII Midwest Regional. Both teams both finished in second place at the regional with Evan Horgan (Loves Park, Ill./Belvidere North) coming in first overall and being named 2024 USTFCCCA NCAA DII Midwest Region Athlete of the Year. The men's team would move on and finish twelfth at Nationals with their performance contributing 64.5 points. The women's team finished sixth at Nationals, having only 22 seconds in between their first and fifth runners as their stellar performance added 73.5 points to the total.

WINTER SPORTS

It was an electric season for Lewis women's basketball, finishing with a record of 26-4 and a conference record of 19-1. Taylor Gugliuzza (New Lenox, Ill./Lincoln-Way West) was named GLVC Player of the year and received All-American Honors as she led her team to their second straight GLVC Regular Season Championship. They would fall to Wayne State in the first round of the NCAA DII Tournament but would still earn Lewis 25 points. 

Big performances came from both men's and women's indoor track and field this winter as the women's team won their sixth straight GLVC Indoor Championship with the men finishing as runner up. Both teams sent three athletes to the NCAA DII Indoor Track & Field Champinships. Enoch Antwi (Romeoville, Ill.), Levi Graham (Plainfield, Ill./Minooka), Denise Hernandez (Naperville, Ill./Naperville North HS), Evan Horgan (Loves Park, Ill./Belvidere North), Brynlee Keeran (Catlin, Ill./Catlin HS) and Hannah Smrcka (Cory, PA/Cory) represented the Flyers. Graham and Hernandez would both finish in second place for their events, weight throw and long jump respectfully, Earning Lewis 53 Points from the men and 57 points from the women. 

Men's swimming brought in 72 points after eight of their swimmers qualified for Nationals this year. Mahmoud Abdelkarim (Cairo, Egypt/Modern English School Cairo), Juan Jose Castro (Cali, Colombia/Corporacion Cultural Colegio Aleman), Valentin De Frutos (Santafe, Argentina/Colegio de Traductores de la Provincia de Santa Fe), Matt Howard (Tamarin, Mauritius/Westcoast International), Nico Jacinto (Caloocan, Philippines/Texas A&M University), Tom Thalau (Stuttgart, Germany/Wirtemberg-Gymnasium), River Streefland (Nootdorp, Netherlands/Lycecum Ypenburg) and Davidson Vincent (Thomonde, Haiti/Westlake Preparatory School) represented Lewis at Indianapolis. Several swimmers broke school records during Nationals and were also named All-Americans for their hard work this season. 

SPRING SPORTS

Lewis softball walked away as Co-Champions of the GLVC Regular Season after finishing 22-6 in the conference. They were led by Delaney Garden (Carpentersville, IL/Harry D. Jacobs High School), who was named GLVC Player and Pitcher of the Year, D2CCA Midwest Region Player of the Year and was named an All-American, recorded a batting average of .466 and had 237 strikeouts in the circle. The Flyers punched their ticket to the NCAA DII National Softball Tournament where they beat Hillsdale in a grueling 13-inning contest, but would drop the next two games. Lewis Softball would contribute 37.5 points to the Learfield total.

Lewis baseball showed similar success to their softball counterparts, finishing with a 24-8 conference record and winning their sixth ever GLVC Regular Season Championship. Mikey Kocen (Beach Park, Ill./UNC-Pembroke) was named GLVC Player of the Year and Brendan Lawry (Bolingbrook, Ill./Eckerd College) was Pitcher of the Year. Kocen registered a .427 batting average with 19 home runs while Lawry had a 3.45 ERA with a 10-0 record. The Flyers traveled to Allendale for the National Tournament where they beat GLVC opponent Missouri S&T but lost two games to conclude their season, adding 38 points to the list. 

Outdoor track and field finished with equal success to that of indoor with the men's team capturing their fifth GLVC Outdoor Championship, while the women won their ninth consecutive. The two squads sent a combined 11 athletes to Nationals. Graham, Hernandez, Horgan, Keeran and Smrcka returned to Nationals after their performances at Indoor and were joined by Naylah Allen (Oswego, IL/Oswego East HS), Mary Edwards (Indianapolis, Ind./North Central), Gavin Jenkins (Flint Hill, Va.), Katarina Kakavelaki, Karmen Kurowicka (Itasca, Ill./Lake Park HS) and Faith Wyman (Trenton, Ill./Trenton (Wesclin)). Graham captured second place but the standout performance was by Hernandez, who finished in first and was named the DII Women's Long Jump National Champion. For their efforts the men captured 44.5 points with the women pulling in 50.5.

BY THE NUMBERS

Since 2014, of all four year colleges in the state of Illinois, Lewis is one of seventeen schools who has made the Learfield Directors' Cup standings every year. Of the thirteen Division I schools and five Division II schools in Illinois, Lewis has the Best Average finish since 2014, with an average of 37. 

YEAR - FINISH
2024-25 - 11th
2023-24 - 20th
2022-23 - 68th
2021-22 - 63rd
Covid
Covid
2018-19 - 31st
2017-18 - 41st
2016-17 - 56th
2015-16 - 6th
2014-15 - 4th
2013-14 - 28th