The women's track team played a big role in UK's high finish in the national Director's Cup standings. (UK Athletics Photo)
Kentucky basketball has not been a factor in the last two NCAA Tournaments.
Kentucky still does not allow the sale of alcoholic beverages to average fans at any campus sporting event.
The baseball team has been near the bottom of the Southeastern Conference for the last two years.
However, even those issues cannot diminish what athletics director Mitch Barnhart has done with the overall athletics program at the University of Kentucky.
The UK athletics program had its highest overall finish in school history – ninth place – in the final 2021-22 Learfield Director’s Cup standings after UK rifle won a national title, men’s tennis finished second and women’s indoor and outdoor track and field placed third.
Kentucky’s best previous finish was 10th in 2016-17 but this is now five straight years in the top 20 — and that’s impressive for a lot of reasons. The Directors’ Cup began in 1993-94 and the best eight finishes in school history have been under Barnhart in the last nine years.
“We’re grateful to our teams, athletes, coaches and staff for the achievements which have led to this unprecedented ranking. I also want to thank the Big Blue Nation, whose support is the foundation of our program,” Barnhart said in a UK release.
“The Directors’ Cup is a measure of success in the arenas and fields of competition. At the same time, our young people have maintained success in the classroom – school records this year for graduation rates and total number of graduates from athletics, along with extending our streak of 20 consecutive semesters with a department-wide 3.0 GPA.”
“We will celebrate those successes, yet we will never be satisfied. Undoubtedly, there remains room for growth as we continue our quest of being among the elite athletics departments in the nation.”
Barnhart has made women’s sports count at UK. The gymnastics team was ninth national, women’s swimming 12th, softball 17th and volleyball 17th one year after it won a national championship — the first in school history. The only other men’s teams in the top 20 were soccer (ninth) and football (15th).
“It is an honor to work for a Top 10 athletic department who is supported by a highly invested fan base #WeAreUk #BBN,” softball coach Rachel Lawson posted on Twitter Thursday.
Can Kentucky still get better?
The answer is yes. Basketball is not going to stay down. Women’s basketball can do more even with the loss of Rhyne Howard. Volleyball will be better I think. Same for softball.
Barnhart knows what he’s doing. He provided financial sources and most of his coaching hires have turned to gold.
So like Barnhart or not, there’s no denying his athletics program is among the best in the nation and just continues to get better and better.
