ASHLAND – The 2025-26 year in Southern Oregon University athletics ended with the Raiders at 21st place in the NAIA Learfield Directors' Cup Standings, the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics announced.

Directors' Cup points are awarded based on an institution's finishes at NAIA Championship events, designed to measure an athletic department's all-around performance.

SOU scored points by making national tournament appearances in 11 different sports and notched top-10 finishes in four of those – not including the Raiders' national championship in beach volleyball, which has not yet graduated from "Invitational" to "Championship" status.

SOU has placed among the Top 25 in 10 of the last 12 full years after doing so only once in the Cup's previous 27 years of existence.

The Raider softball team made SOU's top contribution by finishing fifth at the NAIA World Series. The men's cross country and women's wrestling both placed sixth in their respective sports and the men's wrestling team placed seventh.

SOU earned additional points in women's cross country in 12th place, women's soccer in 17th, women's outdoor track and field and men's indoor track and field in 21st, men's indoor track and field in 31st, women's basketball in 33rd, and women's indoor track and field in 43rd.

The Raiders totaled 582 points, registering 172 in the fall, 222 in the winter and 188 in the spring. The school was coming off a ninth-place finish in 2024-25.

Cumberlands (Ky.) finished as the Cup champion, beating out second-place Indiana Wesleyan and third-place Keiser (Fla.).

 

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
2025-26	21st