Azusa Pacific finished fifth in the 2021-22 LEARFIELD Directors' Cup for NCAA Division II schools with 719 points, which is the Cougars' highest-ever finish in the NCAA era. The LEARFIELD Directors' Cup was developed as a joint effort between the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) and USA Today to annually recognize the nation's best intercollegiate athletics programs in NCAA Divisions I, II, III and NAIA. Points are awarded based on each institution's finish in NCAA Championships. 

Heading into the spring, the Cougars sat at No. 11 in the rankings, as seven different programs across the fall and winter sports scored 363.50 points. Azusa Pacific rose up six spots over the course of the spring, with six Cougar teams in the spring combining for a total of 355.50 points. Women's track & field placed sixth at Nationals to score 73.5 points, both men's and women's tennis each tallied 73 points following appearances in the quarterfinals at Nationals, baseball's runner-up finish at the Super Regional added 64 points, men's track & field contributed 47 points with a 26th place finish at Nationals, and softball collected 25 points with their Regional appearance. 

Azusa Pacific was the only West region school to finish in the Division II Top-25, and the only PacWest school ranked in the top-35. Western Washington of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference was the West region's second-best finisher at No. 27, while Academy of Art was the PacWest's second-best school at No. 40. No other PacWest school was among the top-100. 

"I could not be more thrilled with a top-5 finish in the Directors' Cup this year," said Director of Athletics Gary Pine, "Since our NAIA days, Azusa Pacific has been one of the most well-rounded and competitive athletic programs in the nation. While the jump to the NCAA significantly raised the level of competition, we have not only elevated ourselves to meet that challenge, but we have once again established ourselves on the national level as one of the elite programs in the nation across the board. Our coaches and student-athletes show a dedication and commitment to competitive excellence on a daily basis, and it is such a blessing to be able to work with them and have a front row seat to their growth and success. We are eager to celebrate this Directors' Cup finish with the entire Azusa Pacific community."

Prior to this year, Azusa Pacific's highest finish in the NCAA Division II Directors' Cup was No. 17, which was achieved in back-to-back years in 2014-15 & 2015-16. Prior to joining the NCAA, Azusa Pacific competed in the NAIA, where the Cougars won eight Director's Cups. 

The Cougars' finish in the Directors' Cup adds yet another honor for Azusa Pacific Athletics this year, as the Cougars were recently announced as the PacWest Commissioner's Cup Champions for the second-consecutive time. In addition to the athletic excellence this year, Cougar student-athletes combined for a cumulative GPA of 3.35 across all teams.