MALIBU, California – Pepperdine University finished 58th overall in the 2020-21 Learfield IMG College Directors' Cup, the Waves' best finish in 15 years.
 
The Directors' Cup measures NCAA Championships postseason success for all 350+ Division I schools.
 
"The success we experienced during this most challenging year is directly attributable to our student-athletes and coaches," Director of Athletics Dr. Steve Potts said. "The ability to persevere through adversity and compete at a championship level is truly remarkable. The support and contributions from every department within Pepperdine Athletics also made this achievement possible."
 
Pepperdine earned the maximum 100 points with the men's golf team winning the NCAA championship, while the women's tennis team collected 90 points for its runner-up finish. The women's golf, men's tennis, men's volleyball and women's volleyball teams also contributed to Pepperdine's total of 374.50 points with their NCAA appearances.
 
This was Pepperdine's best finish since 2005-06, when the Waves were 36th.
 
The Waves are trending positively in the competition. They finished 89th in 2017-18 and 78th in 2018-19. The 2019-20 competition was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
 
Additionally, Pepperdine finished second overall in the Division I-AAA category (for Division I schools that do not sponsor football). Only Denver placed better than the Waves. This is the sixth time in the last 16 competitions that Pepperdine has had a top-two finish.
 
The Waves also ranked second among West Coast Conference schools, as BYU placed 17th.