Florida finished sixth in the 2025-26 LEARFIELD Directors’ Cup, extending its nation-leading streak to 42 consecutive top-10 all-sports finishes.
Gator Athletics Program Sixth in the Nation
Thursday, June 25, 2026 | General
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – National runner-up finishes by men's swimming & diving and women's outdoor track & field highlighted a season that saw Florida produce nine top-10 NCAA team finishes to secure sixth in the 2025-26 LEARFIELD Directors' Cup standings.
With the finish, Florida extended its streak of top-10 national all-sports finishes to 42 consecutive years, remaining the only program in the country to achieve that distinction.
Florida's Top-10 Finishes:
In 2025-26, nine Gators teams placed among the nation's final top
Those accomplishments helped Florida claim the 2025-26 USA Today Network SEC Overall All-Sports Trophy, marking the Gators' 29th SEC Overall All-Sports title and first since the 2017-18 season.
Florida also extended its streak of winning at least one SEC championship to 48 consecutive seasons, the longest active streak in the conference.
In addition, Florida lacrosse captured its second Big 12 championship in 2026. Since its inaugural season in 2010, the program has won 14 conference titles across four different leagues.
National recognition was earned by a pair of Gators:
Eight Gators earned conference individual honors:
With the finish, Florida extended its streak of top-10 national all-sports finishes to 42 consecutive years, remaining the only program in the country to achieve that distinction.
Florida's Top-10 Finishes:
In 2025-26, nine Gators teams placed among the nation's final top
- No. 2 Men's Swimming & Diving
- No. 2 Women's Outdoor Track & Field
- No. 3 Gymnastics
- No. 3 Men's Indoor Track & Field
- No. 5 Women's Cross Country
- No. T5 Men's Golf
- No. T5 Women's Indoor Track & Field
- No. T9 Softball
- No. 10 Women's Swimming & Diving
| 2025-26 LEARFIELD Directors' Cup Standings | ||
|---|---|---|
| Rank | School | Points |
| 1. | Texas | 1322.00 |
| 2. | Stanford | 1263.50 |
| 3. | UCLA | 1199.25 |
| 4. | North Carolina | 1166.75 |
| 5. | Virginia | 1148.75 |
| 6. | FLORIDA | 1104.50 |
| 7. | Southern California | 1095.50 |
| 8. | Georgia | 1081.25 |
| 9. | Michigan | 1076.75 |
| 10. | Ohio State | 1071.25 |
It was another impressive year for the Gators. With nine top-10 team finishes, including seven among the nation's top five, our student-athletes, coaches and staff demonstrated the commitment, resilience and pursuit of excellence that define Florida Athletics. We're grateful for their dedication and proud of the way they represented the Gator standard on the national stage throughout the year.
— Scott Stricklin
University of Florida Athletics Director
LEARFIELD Directors' Cup
The LEARFIELD Directors' Cup, presented annually by the nation's athletics directors, recognizes the schools with the best overall sports performances in an academic year. The scoring system uses finishes in NCAA Division I men's and women's basketball, baseball, women's soccer and women's volleyball championship action. Additionally, a program can receive points in up to 14 other sports toward its final score. Texas claimed its fourth Directors' Cup this season.2025-26 Individual NCAA Champions for the Gators
With six Gators accounting for eight NCAA individual championships in 2025-26, Florida extended its streak of producing at least five NCAA individual title winners to 18 consecutive completed seasons (since 2007-08). It is the 45th consecutive complete season with a Gator winning at least one individual national title.| Florida's 2025-26 NCAA Individual National Champions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Sport | Name | Event |
| Gymnastics | Riley McCusker | Uneven Bars |
| Men's Swimming | Ahmed Hafnaoui | 500 Freestyle |
| Ahmed Jaouadi | 1,650 Freestyle | |
| Josh Liendo | 50 Freestyle | |
| 100 Freestyle | ||
| 100 Butterfly | ||
| Men's Track & Field | Vance Nilsson | 400 Hurdles |
| Women's Track & Field | Alida van Daalen | Discus |
Other Gators successes:
Florida led the Southeastern Conference with four team championships in 2025-26, highlighted by men's basketball and a historic season from the women's track and field program. The Gators captured SEC titles in cross country, indoor track and field and outdoor track and field to complete the program's first SEC Triple Crown since 1996-97.Those accomplishments helped Florida claim the 2025-26 USA Today Network SEC Overall All-Sports Trophy, marking the Gators' 29th SEC Overall All-Sports title and first since the 2017-18 season.
Florida also extended its streak of winning at least one SEC championship to 48 consecutive seasons, the longest active streak in the conference.
Did You Know?
- Florida's 270 all-time conference team championships are the most in SEC history. The Gators have captured 46 league titles over the last 10 seasons.
- Florida's 29 SEC Overall All-Sports championships lead the conference by 19 titles. The Gators earned their first overall SEC All-Sports crown in 1987-88.
In addition, Florida lacrosse captured its second Big 12 championship in 2026. Since its inaugural season in 2010, the program has won 14 conference titles across four different leagues.
National recognition was earned by a pair of Gators:
- Rueben Chinyelu NABC National Defensive Player of the Year
- Josh Liendo CSCAA Co-Men's Swimmer of the Year
Eight Gators earned conference individual honors:
- Skye Blakely SEC Specialist Gymnast of the Year
- Kelvin Cheruiyot SEC Men's Cross Country Runner of the Year
- Rueben Chinyelu SEC Men's Basketball Defensive Player of the Year
- Kaitlyn Davies Big 12 Lacrosse Midfielder of the Year
- Clark Hamilton Big 12 Lacrosse Attacker of the Year
- Aidan King SEC Baseball Pitcher of the Year
- Josh Liendo SEC Men's Swimmer of the Year
- Alida van Daalen SEC Women's Outdoor Field Athlete of the Year
Gators by the Numbers
- 9 top-10 national team finishes, including seven in the top five.
- 5 conference titles in 2025-26 for the Gators – men's basketball, women's cross country, women's indoor and outdoor track & field and lacrosse.
- 93% Graduation Success Rate, as reported last fall in the 2025 NCAA Federal Graduation Rate data - above the national average of 90 percent.
- 3.43 grade point average by Gator student-athletes in the 2025-26 academic year, an all-time high. A total of 390 Gators earned 2025-26 SEC Academic Honor Roll recognition.
- 8 conference athlete of the year honors, marking the 49th consecutive season in which at least one Gator earned league athlete-of-the-year recognition..
- 83 Gators earned 197 All-America honors across 19 sports in 2025-26.
- 7 named to CSC Academic All-America teams, including Josh Liendo claiming men's swimming & diving CSC Academic All-American of the Year award
- 6 coaches earned a combined 7 conference coach-of-the-year honors, marking the 31st consecutive season in which at least one Florida coach received league coach-of-the-year recognition.
- 1.1 million fans attended Gator home events in 2025–26, with four teams ranking among the nation's top 10 in total or average attendance.
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