The Aurora University Athletic Department finished the 2015-2016 academic year as the top Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference school in the final Learfield Sports Directors' Cup Division III standings. The Spartans finished 78th out of more than 420 Division III athletic programs around the United States. The Learfield Sports Directors' Cup is a comprehensive ranking of intercollegiate athletic departments based on their participation in NCAA Championship events.

The Spartans were represented by three individual indoor men and women's track and field competitors in the NCAA Division III Championships in the winter, which accounted for 49.00 points in the Winter Directors' Cup Standings. Through the first two standings, AU placed 193rd with the 49 points. In the spring NCAA Championship season, AU exploded to earn 201.25 points from the participation of the softball, men's lacrosse, women's golf, and men and women's track and field at Division III Championship events.  
 
"Another finish in the top 20% of Division III institutions is a testament to the hard work and effort put forth by our student-athletes, coaches and staff on a daily basis," said AU Director of Athletics Jim Hamad. "We had a solid year and continue with our aggressive plan to succeed in post-season competitions. The future is bright for AU athletics as we strive to offer an exemplary experience for our student-athletes."

AU placed the highest among Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC) programs with 250.25 points. Benedictine University finished second with 154.00 points in 127th place, Concordia University Wisconsin  finished in 151st place (125.50 points), Wisconsin Lutheran College finished with 68 points in 219th place, Milwaukee School of Engineering was 229th with 60 points,Concordia University Chicago had 50 points in 241st place, Lakeland College had 43.5 points for 268th place, and Dominican University and Edgewood College finished with 25 points in 279th place.
 
The previous best finishes for the AU sport programs came in 2014-2015 (50th with 329.10 points), 1997-1998 (94th with 70 points), 2004-2005 (96th with 164 points) and 2009-2010 (102nd with 185.5 points). AU finished the 2013-2014 season in 163rd place with 115 points.