MIT is currently the national leader in the Learfield Directors’ Cup standings with a total of 686.50 points, including 367 points from the winter season. The Engineers lead the Johns Hopkins Blue Jays, who were best in the nation following the fall season, by a 47-point margin. In addition, MIT's 367 winter points represent the second-highest total nationally following a fall that saw the Engineers pick up 319.50 points.
“To be ranked No. 1 in the nation in the Learfield Directors’ Cup standings after the winter season is a testament to the hard work and achievement by our fall and winter athletic programs,” said Julie Soriero, director of MIT athletics. “This has been an incredibly successful year for our student-athletes, coaches, and staff so far, and I am very proud of all that they have achieved — and I’m excited to see where the spring seasons take us. This is certainly an exciting time to be an MIT Engineer.”
The Learfield Directors’ Cup is a joint effort between the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) and USA Today. Points are awarded based on each institution's finish in NCAA Championships.
Overall, the Engineers have captured nine New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) league championships, which included winning all four league winter championships on the same day. The men’s basketball team captured the program’s second straight league crown and advanced to the program’s second Elite Eight, while the women’s basketball team won its first NEWMAC Championship and advanced to the Division III NCAA Tournament.
The men’s swimming and diving team earned the program’s 10th straight NEWMAC Championship and finished fifth at the NCAA Championship, which is the team’s ninth straight top-10 finish at nationals. For the women’s swimming and diving program, the team captured the program’s eighth straight NEWMAC Championship to go along with a sixth-place showing at the NCAA Championship. The women’s team has now placed among the top-9 at nationals in seven straight seasons.
The men’s and women’s indoor track and field teams combined for 13 All-American accolades at the NCAA Indoor Championship in Birmingham, Alabama. Led by a national runner-up showing in the triple jump, the men’s team had three All-Americans and finished 18th out of 66 teams overall. For the women, the Engineers had 10 All-Americans and as a team placed 11th out of 62 teams.
In the fall, MIT became the first institution in NEWMAC history to capture all of the league’s women’s championships as the Engineers captured NEWMAC crowns in women’s volleyball, women’s cross country, field hockey, and women’s soccer. MIT also won the NEWMAC Championship in men’s cross country, while the women’s cross country team placed fourth at the NCAA Division III National Championship.
Collectively in 2017-18, the Engineers have had 91 All-Americans, nine conference Athletes of the Year, six Rookies of the Year, three Coaches of the Year, and eight CoSIDA Academic All-America selections.
