The University of Minnesota ended the 2017-18 school year ranked 19th out of 291 schools in the final Learfield Directors' Cup standings. The Gophers were the fourth-highest ranked school in the Big Ten behind Michigan (sixth), Ohio State (seventh), and Penn State (12th).
The Learfield Directors' Cup was developed as 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.
The Gophers finished with 852 points after totaling 152.5 in the fall, 461 in the winter, and 223.5 in the spring. Stanford won the Cup with 1,442 points. Minnesota's 461 points in the winter were the third most of any school trailing only Ohio State (636.25) and Michigan (503.50).
Minnesota improved 11 spots in 2017-18 after finishing 30th in 2016-17. That represents Minnesota's largest improvement since it went from 28th in 2007-08 to 14th in 2008-09.
The 19th place ranking is Minnesota's fourth top-20 finish since the 2008-09 season, as the Gophers finished 18th in 2015-16 and 2009-10 and 14th in 2008-09.
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