ASHLAND – A memorable 2024-25 for Southern Oregon University athletics ended with the department's first top-10 finish in the Learfield NAIA Directors' Cup in nine years.

The Raiders were No. 9 out of the NAIA's 237 member schools in the standings that were released Tuesday by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics. SOU was the highest-performing public school and Cascade Conference school on the list.

Directors' Cup points are awarded based on an institution's finishes at NAIA Championship events. The Raiders scored in 11 of them throughout the year – jumping from 28th place in the fall to 12th in the winter before landing in ninth.

SOU recorded top-10 finishes in six different sports, the last of those a softball national championship. The volleyball team placed third, the men's and women's basketball teams both placed fifth, the women's wrestling team was seventh, and the men's wrestling team was ninth.

The Raiders earned additional points in women's outdoor track and field (11th place), men's outdoor track and field (15th), women's cross country (16th), women's indoor track and field (20th), and men's indoor track and field (48th).

SOU also placed third in beach volleyball, which is designated as an NAIA "Invitational" sport and ineligible for scoring.

The Cup debuted at the NAIA level in 1995-96. Until 2012-13, the Raiders had never placed higher than 22nd. Since then, under Director of Athletics Matt Sayre, SOU has been among the top-18 nine times and made three appearances in the top-10.

SOU's sixth-place showing in 2014-15 still stands as the best ever for a CCC school. This year, the conference's other Top 25 placers were College of Idaho in 12th and Eastern Oregon in 14th.

Cumberlands (Ky.) was the Cup champion for the second year in a row. The Patriots were the top seed at the NAIA Softball World Series, where they were eliminated by SOU.

 

YEAR	FINISH
1995-96	150th
1996-97	71st
1997-98	75th
1998-99	41st
1999-00	59th
2000-01	47th
2001-02	22nd
2002-03	33rd
2003-04	88th
2004-05	47th
2005-06	57th
2006-07	100th
2007-08	92nd
2008-09	50th
2009-10	50th
2010-11	29th
2011-12	27th
2012-13	18th
2013-14	32nd
2014-15	6th
2015-16	8th
2016-17	13th
2017-18	13th
2018-19	13th
2019-20	COVID
2020-21	COVID
2021-22	35th
2022-23	13th
2023-24	16th
2024-25	9th