MIDDLETOWN, Conn. – The Wesleyan University Department of Athletics enjoyed its best fall season in school history, earning 291 total points to sit in eighth place out of 429 NCAA Division III institutions in the Learfield Directors' Cup standings. The 2025 fall season marked the first time in school history that every fall varsity fall sport either won the NESCAC Championship and/or competed in the NCAA Tournament or Championship in the same season.
The Learfield Directors' Cup was developed as a joint effort between the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) and USA Today. Points are awarded based on each institution's NCAA Tournament finishes in up to 18 sports – nine women's and nine men's.
Announced in late December, the fall standings include results for men's and women's cross country, field hockey, men's and women's soccer, women's volleyball and men's water polo. NESCAC schools are not eligible for NCAA play in football and Wesleyan does not have a varsity men's water polo team.
Wesleyan saw big success for every fall sport, with men's cross country, field hockey, men's soccer, women's soccer, and volleyball all competing in the NCAA Tournament. Women's cross country sent two individuals to compete at the NCAA Championships while football won the NESCAC Championship for the second straight year and would have competed in the NCAA Tournament if not for NESCAC schools not being eligible for postseason play in football.
The Cardinals finished with 291 points in the fall, which is easily the most in a fall season in school history. The previous all-time high for a fall season was last season wherein Wesleyan collected 254 points. The third-highest fall total came in 2021 when the Cardinals amassed 147 points.
Wesleyan field hockey, led by head coach
Christine Kemp, made history yet again as her squad registered a single-season wins record, Little Three Championship, NESCAC runner-up finish, and NCAA Quarterfinal round appearance in 2025. The Cardinals went 16-5, good enough for the most wins in team history, while also setting single-season team records in shutouts (10), longest win streak (10), and NESCAC regular season wins (seven). Wesleyan's Little Three title marked the first Championship for the Cardinals since 2003 and just the fourth Little Three crown in team history. The Cardinals also defeated perennial national power Middlebury, in a 2-1 double overtime triumph, for the team's first-ever road win over the Panthers.
Volleyball bounced back in a big way, earning a bid into the NCAA Tournament for the eighth time in school history and seventh time since 2017. The Cardinals opened the year going 18-1 while the team went on to finish with a 22-4 record. Wesleyan went 9-1 in NESCAC regular season play, earning the #1 seed for the NESCAC Tournament for the third time in the past four seasons. Competing at home in the NCAA Tournament for just the second time in team history, Wesleyan defeated NYU and Ithaca to advance to the Regional Final (Sweet 16) of the NCAA Tournament for the fourth time in team history.
Men's cross country placed fourth at the NESCAC Championships, representing the highest team finish in the event in 15 years. Wesleyan went on to place fourth at the NCAA Mideast Regional, qualifying for the NCAA Championship for the second straight year, marking just the second time in team history that Wesleyan is competing as a team in the NCAA Championship in consecutive seasons.
Men's soccer impressed throughout the 2025 campaign, recording 10 wins and going 5-1-4 in NESCAC play to earn the #2 seed in the NESCAC Tournament. Wesleyan defeated Amherst and then-No. 1 ranked Williams in the regular season to capture an outright Little Three Championship for the first time since 2011. Wesleyan then went on to qualify for the NCAA Tournament for the second straight year, earning hosting rights in the opening weekend for just the second time in team history and first since 2009.
Women's soccer qualified for the NCAA Tournament for the fifth straight season, advancing past NYU in a penalty shootout to advance to the Second Round for the fourth time in the past five seasons. Wesleyan saw five players earn All-NESCAC honors while
Molly Brumbach '26 was named a First Team All-American, becoming the program's first-ever two-time All-American.
Women's cross country saw both
Stephanie Ager '26 and
Chase Cerrell '28 qualify as individuals for the NCAA Championships. Ager became just the second Cardinal in team history to compete in the NCAA Championships four times throughout her career while Cerrell placed 116
th in the 2025 NCAA Championship, moving up 32 spots in the leaderboard from the 2024 Championship event.
Even though football doesn't qualify for the NCAA Tournament, Wesleyan's 2025 squad made history, repeating as NESCAC Champions to give the team back-to-back conference titles for the first time in program history. Wesleyan went 7-2 overall, winning three straight games to end the year, including a 31-28 victory at home over Trinity in a game that decided the NESCAC Champion in the season finale. The Cardinals also defeated Amherst and Williams, earning a fourth straight Little Three Championship, a feat that had never happened in the team's 140+ year history. Wesleyan swept the major NESCAC individual awards, marking just the second time in NESCAC history that one team had taken home Offensive Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, and Rookie of the Year honors.
The Director's Cup standings features several NESCAC schools high on the list including Tufts at No. 1, Williams at No. 4, and Middlebury at No. 7 while Wesleyan is the fourth NESCAC institution ranked inside the Top 8 in the standings.
