CLEVELAND, Ohio – Colorado State University Pueblo Athletics closes the winter sports season sitting in a tie for 31st with the University of Alabama-Huntsville in the final Learfield Directors' Cup Division II winter standings as announced Thursday by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA).

The ThunderWolves scored a total of 172 points in the winter sports season and have now totaled 289.50 points in the 2025-26 school year after sitting 44th with 117.50 points during the fall sports season.

"Pack Athletics has a strong tradition of success in the LEARFIELD Directors' Cup. While the fall season fell short of our standard, strong performances in winter sports—particularly track and field and wrestling—have positioned us to climb the standings," said CSU Pueblo Vice President of Athletics and Strategic Partnerships Dr. Paul Plinske. "Our programs are aligned for a high-performing spring, and we appreciate the continued support as we pursue excellence across all sports."

CSU Pueblo scored in three sports during the winter sports season as the men's wrestling team scored 32 points thanks to freshman Jacob Myers (Castle Rock, Colo./Ponderosa) winning a match at the NCAA Division II Wrestling National Championships, while the women's indoor track and field team totaled 80 points after recording a program-best fourth place finish at the 2026 NCAA Division II Indoor Track and Field Championships and tallied 60 points in men's indoor track and field following a 15th place finish at the 2026 NCAA D-II Indoor Championships.

At the 2026 Indoor Track and Field Championships, fifth-year senior Helen Braybrook (Frieston, United Kingdom/Oakham School) was the national runner-up in the women's mile and was the anchor leg on the Pack's back-to-back national championship winning Distance Medley Relay team that also included senior Jadyn Herron (Queen Creek, Ariz./Casteel), senior Gabrielle Dunich (Pueblo, Colo./Pueblo Central) and senior Charlotte Young (Kent, United Kingdom/Loughborough University). In addition to those two national titles, senior Febe Wessels (Pretoria, South Africa) won the national championship in the women's shot put, while sophomore Tim Anstett (Karlsruhe, Baden-Württemberg, Germany) finished in third place in the men's 800-meters and sophomore Caleb McLeod (Fife, Scotland/Kinross) placed fourth in the men's 800-meters.

In addition to the two national championships and one national runner-up finish, the Pack also had a total of 15 indoor All-Americans as Braybrook earned first-team honors in the DMR and mile run, while Herron, Dunich, and Young also earned first-team honors in the DMR, Wessels earned first-team honors in the shot put, and Young also earned first-team honors in the 800-meters. On the men's side, the McLeod, Anstett, senior Ryan King (Pueblo, Colo./Pueblo West) and junior Jon Sweepe (Peoria, Ariz./Liberty) earned first-team honors after finishing fifth in the men's DMR, while Anstett and McLeod earn first-team honors in the 800 meters, while senior Xavier Freeman (Pueblo, Colo./Pueblo East) earned first-team honors after a seventh place finish in the men's shot put and Swepe earned second-team honors after his 14th place finish in the men's 3,000 meters.

During the 2025 fall sports season, the Pack sat in 44th place with 117.5 points after recording a 10th-place finish in women's cross country and NCAA postseason appearances in both football and volleyball.
 
CSU Pueblo is one of six Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference schools ranked in the Top 35 of the final winter Learfield Directors' Cup standings. Colorado School of Mines sits at No. 2 in the standings as it scored 275 points in the winter to push its overall total to 550, while Colorado Mesa is fourth after scoring 425.50 in the winter to push its overall total to 529.50, and Adams State is seventh after scoring 240.50 in the winter to push its overall total to 410.50. UUCS, which was No. 1 after the fall season after scoring 289.50 points, scored just 50 points in the winter to stand 13th with 339.50, and Western Colorado is 34th after scoring 65 points in the winter to push its overall total to 268 on the season.

Grand Valley State is the top team in the Division II standings after the winter sports as the Lakers amassed 585.50 points in the winter to push their total to 790.50 points. NYU (D-III – 812.25 total points) and Cumberlands (NAIA – 990.50 total points) sit first in their respective divisions following the winter sports season. The Division I standings will be released next Thursday, April 9, following completion of the basketball championships this weekend. The final spring standings will be released on June 9.

Along with Grand Valley State, Mines, and Colorado Mesa, the other Division II schools in the Top 5 of the overall standings after the winter sports season are Wingate at No. 3 with 538.50 points, and Indianapolis is No. 5 with 488.50 points. The national champions during the winter sports season were – Grand Valley State (women's basketball), Nova Southeastern (women's swimming), Tampa (men's swimming), Pittsburg State (men's and women's indoor track and field), McKendree (women's wrestling) and Nebraska-Kearney (men's wrestling). The men's basketball national championship will be decided on Easter Sunday as Lander will face Gannon (Pa.) in Indianapolis, Ind.

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 the NCAA Championships.
Please note that standings published mid-season are unofficial. Official standings will be published upon the completion of the spring season. Complete standings and the scoring structure can be found on NACDA's website at www.directorscup.org. In addition, please visit www.thedirectorscup.com and follow us on Twitter @ldirectorscup.