MARIETTA, Ga. --- After an impressive 2024-2025 season that saw Life University claim one team national championship and over 15 individual national championships. In the final standings, Life University finished the year as the second highest ranked Southern States Athletic Conference school, earning 698.25 total points.
In the fall, the women's soccer team contributed points for Life U by receiving an at-large bid in the NAIA National Tournament and making it to the second round before falling to Marian.
In the winter, Women's wrestling brought in major points as three individual national champions (Zaynah McBryde, Latifah McBride and Savannah Isaac) stood on the top of the podium in their respective weight classes to help the team tin their first National Championship.
An NAIA best of ten individuals finished with All-American honors as Anaya Falcon, Salyna Shotwell, Jamilah McBryde all earned runner-up finishes. The men's wrestling team added another 90 points for their finish at the NAIA Championships. Thaddeus Long and Jesse Perez rose to the top of the table, earning individual champion titles for the Running Eagles. Khalil Abdushshakur finished as a runner-up with the men's program also leading the nation with 10 total All-Americans.
In the winter, other top finishes for Life U included the men's and women's indoor track and field teams, both swimming programs and the men's basketball team. Both track programs earned fourth place finishes while swim earned 25th and 11th. Men's basketball reached the final site in the NAIA tournament, bringing home an Opening Round tournament trophy and finishing 9th overall.
Individually, track saw athletes on both sides claim individual titles. Emeline Delaville took the top spot in the 800m while Briana Campbell won both 60m hurdles and the 200m run. The men's team also finished fourth with Daniel Williams rising to the top of the field with a win in the 200m. Additionally, Wiaan Martin won the men's 400m.
In the spring, women's track led the way with a second place finish at the NAIA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. The women's side brought in five individual national championships as freshman phenom Briana Campbell won three individual national titles and Printassia Johnson brought in two.
Additionally, women's lacrosse and men's track and field made national tournament appearances with men's track and field finishing tied for 13th and women's lacrosse finishing top eight.
Director of Athletics Jayme Pendergast spoke on the continued success, stating, "We have a vision of being a leading institution in performance and meaningful student-athlete experience and landing in the Learfield Directors' Cup top 10 is a strong indicator we are tracking in the right direction on the performance side of things. We also have leading rugby programs whose national runner-up finishes aren't reflected in the Learfield placement. Considering the big picture, our student-athletes, coaches, and support staff have all contributed to a phenomenal performance resume this academic year. As always, we strive for constant growth and look forward to building on this year's success."
The Learfield Directors' Cup was developed as a joint effort between NACDA and USA Today. Points are awarded based on each institution's highest finish in 13 sports during their championships. Complete standings and the scoring structure can be found on NACDA's website at www.directorscup.org.
