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PROVO — For a while, it seemed like BYU might be the only school west of Texas to play college football — and most other sports in the fall — while the COVID-19 pandemic surged across America.
The Cougars were standing alone on an island until other conferences backtracked on their previous commitments to cancel or postpone the fall season and push it to the spring, most notably the Big Ten and the Pac-12 conferences.
The result was a historic football season, but the accolades didn't stop there. Between a national title in cross country and a top-20 finish in track and field — and everything in between — the Cougars had a historic season.
The Cougars finished the year ranked No. 17 nationally in the Learfield IMG Directors' Cup, the only non-Power Five athletic department ranked in the top 50. The eighth top-25 finish in program history represents the best since the 2000-01 season and the third-highest in school history.
"It has been a remarkable athletic season, in a truly unprecedented time," BYU athletic director Tom Holmoe in a statement. "A huge congratulations to our resilient, tough, committed, passionate, fun-loving student-athletes and coaches for all that they were able to accomplish. To be 17th in the nation, among the athletic programs we are among, is something for all of Cougar Nation to be proud of."
Texas broke a 25-year gridlock in edging out Stanford in the top spot, just the second time in the Directors' Cup's 28-year history that the Cardinal has not finished at No. 1. The Longhorns were propelled by national titles in men's swimming and diving, women's rowing and women's tennis as well as a runner-up finish in women's volleyball en route to 1,252 points.
Fourteen BYU teams bolstered the Cougars to a top-20 finish with 871.25 points, better than 48 universities in Power Five conferences. Emboldened by a national championship and national women's coach of the year Diljeet Taylor, women's cross country led the way with 100 points, followed by national runner-up men's volleyball (90) and top-20 performances in women's indoor track and field (72), men's cross country (69), women's volleyball (69), women's track and field (67.5) football (66), women's soccer (50) and softball (50).
Other national champions include Courtney Wayment in the 3,000-meter indoor championships, the distance medley relay team in the indoor season, Conner Mantz's men's cross country individual title for just the third time in BYU history, and Anna Camp-Bennett's 1,500-meter outdoor championship.
BYU football posted an 11-1 record, the Cougars' best finish since 1996, and were led by the highest NFL draft pick in program history in quarterback Zach Wilson, who was selected No. 2 by the New York Jets on April 29.
Other postseason qualifying teams include women's soccer and its eighth NCAA Tournament appearance in the past nine seasons; a men's basketball program that record its first NCAA tournament appearance since 2015 with WCC defensive player of the year Matt Haarms and honorable mention All-American guard Alex Barcello; and a women's basketball program led by WCC co-player of the year Shaylee Gonzales that made its 14th NCAA tournament appearance all-time.
Utah was the second-highest rated team from the Beehive State with 284 points for 70th overall. Utah Valley was 99th with 153 points, Utah State 109th with 135, and Southern Utah 128th with 116.
The University of Denver was the second-highest non-Power Five athletic department at No. 51 with 408.25 points.
