Finishing 81st out of 322, the Duhawks find themselves inside the top-100 for the fifth time since the 2008-09 academic year. 

Appearing in the NCAA Division III tournament for the tenth consecutive season, the Loras Men's Soccer team set the tone for a successful year in Duhawk athletics. After winning the Iowa Conference regular season title outright, the Duhawks advanced to the "Sweet 16" before falling to Trinity University (Tex.), 2-1. Senior All-American Mike Pizzello paced Loras, scoring 14 goals in his final season while earning Iowa Conference Defensive MVP honors, in addition to being named a D3Soccer.com All-American and NSCAA All-Region selection.

Joining in on a successful fall season for the Duhawks, the Loras Men's Cross Country squad won the National Catholic Championships before posting a perfect score of 15 at their home invitational on October 17. All season long, Loras was led by the senior leadership of Ty Wittman and Steve Loran, who routinely finished at the front of the pack. Building off of their win on their home course, the Duhawks knocked off sixth-ranked Central College at the Iowa Conference Championships to capture their first conference title since 2011. Following a second place finish at the NCAA Central Regional, Loras qualified as a team for nationals where they finished 25th.

Loras' success carried over into the winter season with a 15th place finish at nationals by the Loras Wrestling program. After an early season upset of Augsburg College at the UW-La Crosse Candlelight Duals, the eventual NCAA Division III Champion, the Duhawks were fueled by a dynamic duo of grapplers. Junior Nick Steger opened the season with a 23-match win streak at 141# before finishing the season 28-3 and fifth at the 2015 NCAA Division III Wrestling National Championships, earning his first All-American nod. Senior Steven DeWitt joined Steger in earning All-American honors for the Duhawks. A takedown machine, DeWitt was named NCAA Division III Central Regional Outstanding Wrestler before riding his success into Hershey, Pennsylvania for the national championships. At 34-4, DeWitt finished fourth at the national championships at 157#.

The spring season built upon the successful seasons in the fall and winter with track and field excelling on both the men's and women's sides. For the men, a third place finish at the conference championships saw 12 Duhawks take the top spot in their events, while four qualified for nationals, including senior Iowa Conference Track MVP Josh Goerdt. Running the oval for the final time in his career, Goerdt finished seventh in the 400, earning All-American status in the event for the second time in his career. A two-time individual All-American, Goerdt added his third All-American nod as the anchor on the 4x400 relay squad. Finishing sixth with a time of 3:13.55, Loras' squad was made up of sophomore Brandon Gradoville, senior Zac Gassman, and junior Zach Frey, and Goerdt.

On the women's side, senior Morgan Steere (shot put), junior Maggie Saenz Ruiz (10k), and sophomore Elizabeth Brandenburg (pole vault, 100m hurdles) were crowned Iowa Conference champions, helping the Duhawks to a fourth place finish. Brandenburg was the lone national qualifer in the outdoor season, earning her place in both the pole vault and 100m hurdles. A fourth-place finish by Brandenburg in the pole vault with her mark of 3.80m earned her All-American status for the first time. After qualifying for the finals in the 100m hurdles, Brandenburg narrowly missed out on her second All-American nod with a ninth-place finish, capping a stellar sophomore campaign for the Naperville, Illinois native.

"Our student-athletes have once again demonstrated their dedication to their sports, illustrated by our top-100 finish in the Learfield Directors' Cup," Associate Director of Athletics Dan Rothert said. "As a department, we hope to improve on our finish this year and carry Loras to the upper echelon of Division III athletics."

In total, the Duhawks finish the 2014-15 year with 10 All-Americans, 79 All-Conference selections, and four Iowa Conference MVP's. Additionally, the Iowa Conference was one of seven NCAA Division III conferences to place five schools in the top 100 while they are one of four conferences to have all eligible members to earn points towards the Directors' Cup. Loras ranked fifth among the Iowa Conference schools, finishing ahead of Buena Vista (229th), Dubuque (t-254th), and Simpson (t-254th).