CLEVELAND – UC Irvine finished fourth among Division I-AAA schools (non-football) in the LEARFIELD Directors' Cup standings released on Wednesday.

Points are awarded based on each institution's finish in NCAA Championships, ranking the country's best all-around athletic departments.

UCI finished 83rd overall in the standings with a combined point total of 269.00, the best finish since 2014-15 when the Anteaters were 81^st overall and fourth among schools that don't sponsor football.

UC Irvine was the top Big West school and fifth in the state of California, trailing only Stanford, UCLA, USC and California.

Seven UCI teams made NCAA appearances in 2023-24, the most in department history.

Women's soccer started an exciting fall season, reaching the NCAA tournament for the third straight year and advanced to the Sweet Sixteen for a second consecutive season. The Anteaters upset No. 1 UCLA in the opening round, 1-0 then defeated Gonzaga, 2-1.

Men's soccer won its first Big West Championship under head coach Yossi Raz and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the seventh time in program history. In his second season, head coach Dan Klatt led the men's water polo team to regular season and Big West Championship titles. The Anteaters returned to the NCAAs for the first time since 1993.

The winter was highlighted by women's basketball's second trip to the NCAAs in program history. UCI won the Big West Championship 53-39 over UC Davis and earned the No. 13 seed at the NCAA Tournament. The Anteaters ended the season 23-9 overall, marking its third consecutive 20-win season.

Men's volleyball made its eighth NCAA appearance and played in a semifinal match for the seventh time. The Anteaters beat Penn State, 3-0 in the opening round before falling in a thrilling five-set match in the semis.

For the second time in the last three years, the men's tennis team won the Big West Championship, upending No. 45 UC Santa Barbara, 4-1 for the title. The 'Eaters went on to make their 13th NCAA Division I Championship appearance where they fell to fourth-ranked and eventual national champion TCU.

The baseball team made its 10th Division I NCAA Regional appearance, going 2-2 in the Corvallis Regional losing in the regional final to No. 15 national seed, Oregon State.

UCI accumulated 130 points in the fall, 25 in the winter and 114 in the spring.

Denver topped the Division I-AAA list for the 11^th straight year with 527.75 points. The Pioneers had nine teams make the NCAA tournament which included the men's hockey team who won a national championship.  

2023-24 LEARFIELD Directors' Cup Division I-AAA Top 5
1. Denver                    527.75
2. Grand Canyon        309.50
3. Gonzaga                 292.0
4. UC Irvine                 269.0
5. California Baptist    249.0