{"id":55319,"date":"2026-06-15T13:09:16","date_gmt":"2026-06-15T18:09:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/?p=55319"},"modified":"2026-06-15T13:12:30","modified_gmt":"2026-06-15T18:12:30","slug":"wac-commissioners-cup","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wac-commissioners-cup\/","title":{"rendered":"Tarleton State Named 2025-26 WAC Commissioner\u2019s Cup Champions, Conference Award for Overall Performance Across All Sports"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Republished from Tarleton State Athletics<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

STEPHENVILLE, Texas \u2013 After eight conference championships in 2025-26, Tarleton State Athletics claimed the ultimate prize for overall performance across all sports \u2013 the Western Athletic Conference Commissioner\u2019s Cup.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The WAC announced on Monday that Tarleton State is the 2025-26 WAC Commissioner\u2019s Cup champion, the Texans\u2019 first time winning it all in their sixth year in the conference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis has been a strategic goal of ours since entering the conference and transitioning to NCAA Division I status not long ago,\u201d Tarleton State President Dr. James Hurley said. \u201cIt\u2019s a great metric to crown who had the best athletic program across all sports in the conference. With eight conference championships, elite seasons from nearly each of our programs, and a great amount of individual championships and awards, we shined throughout the 2025-2026 year. Texan Nation, make no mistake, this was the year for Texan Athletics.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The WAC Commissioner\u2019s Cup is awarded to the institution with the most points at the end of the academic year. Schools count their top-14 finishes out of a possible 17 WAC-sponsored sports. Points are awarded in order of finish in each sport. An institution that does not sponsor a specific sport does not receive any points. Only the regular season is counted for the sports of soccer, volleyball, football, basketball, softball and baseball. For the sports of cross country, indoor track and field, golf, women’s tennis and outdoor track and field, points are determined using the WAC\u2019s championship results. Affiliates will be used as a placeholder in the standings or championship results but are not scored in the overall Commissioner\u2019s Cup standings. Any team that earns an NCAA AQ from a WAC Championship is also awarded two points. Teams advancing in the NCAA tournament receive an additional two points per round advanced. An individual national champion will earn their program two additional points, while an individual runner-up or third-place finisher will earn their program one additional point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tarleton State becomes the first different WAC Commissioner\u2019s Cup champion in the past five years and is the 11th different institution to win the WAC Commissioner\u2019s Cup since the conference began the award in 2002, joining Grand Canyon, Utah Valley, New Mexico State, Idaho, UTSA, Fresno State, Boise State, Nevada, Rice and SMU.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor those of us who have been part of this journey from the very beginning, who believed in what Tarleton State could become and stood behind this university through every step of reclassification \u2014 this moment is deeply special,\u201d said Dr. Hurley. \u201cIt is more than a milestone. It is proof that vision and hard work matters. I could not be prouder of our student-athletes and coaches. They have competed with heart, toughness and class, and they have shown the country what Tarleton State is all about.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI see it every time our stadiums and arenas come alive. I see it every Purple Thursday, when this campus wears its pride for all to see. I see it in the fans who travel, cheer, support and believe in our Texans no matter where they compete,\u201d he said. \u201cOur athletics programs are carrying the Tarleton State name onto some of the biggest stages in the nation. And every time they do, they introduce more people to the strength, character and spirit of Texan Nation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tarleton State\u2019s first place finish in 2025-26 completes a steep climb from just three years ago, when the Texans finished dead-last in the standings. In its WAC history, Tarleton State finished tied-seventh in its inaugural year in 2020-21, 11th in 2021-22, 13th in 2022-23, fifth in 2023-24, third in 2024-25, and now first in 2025-26.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe WAC Commissioner\u2019s Cup belongs to all of us here at Tarleton State \u2013 our student-athletes, our coaches, our staff, our student-body, and all of our fans and supporters,\u201d Tarleton State Vice President and Director of Athletics Steve Uryasz said. \u201cWithout your presence at our games and support throughout the year, none of this would have been possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNow, we must not let this be a \u2018job well done,\u2019 but rather an important milestone in our persistent pursuit of bigger and better things,\u201d Uryasz continued. \u201cLet\u2019s keep Tarleton State at the forefront of excellence \u2013 give to the Texan Club, our Light the Stack Fund and the AD Excellence Fund to keep helping us with the means to making Tarleton State champions in everything we do.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fans can continue supporting Tarleton State Athletics in any or all of those three areas through Tarleton State\u2019s Commissioner\u2019s Cup celebration webpage<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Texans finished with 95.2 points in the 2025-26 WAC Commissioner\u2019s Cup standings, followed by No. 2 Utah Valley at 76.8 points, No. 3 California Baptist at 75.5 points, No. 4 Abilene Christian at 62.3 points, No. 5 UT Arlington at 58.6 points, No. 6 Utah Tech at 45.6 points, and No. 7 Southern Utah at 41.4 points.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tarleton State won eight conference titles this season, after entering the year with three in its NCAA Division I era. The Texans claimed a share of the football conference championship, then won the outright conference tournaments in women\u2019s indoor track and field, women\u2019s tennis, women\u2019s golf, men\u2019s golf, baseball and men\u2019s outdoor track and field, along with a baseball regular season title.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There were 294 institutions across all of NCAA Division I and all sports that conferences sponsor who won at least one conference championship, regular season and\/or tournament. Tarleton State placed in the top-20 nationwide with its eight conference titles (tied-17th).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This fall, the Texans claimed a conference championship in football and took third in volleyball. Texan Football had its tied-most wins in program history (12), going 12-2 overall and 7-1 in UAC play. The Texans advanced to the FCS Playoffs Quarterfinals in just the team’s second year of D1 postseason eligibility, becoming the first FCS team since 1993 (Troy) to make the quarterfinals in one of its first two seasons of playoff eligibility (8+ team format in FCS). The Texans are the first active FCS program to accomplish that feat since 1985 (Eastern Washington). The Texans were ranked as high as No. 2 in the national polls.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the winter, the Texans were buoyed by women\u2019s track and field winning its first conference title, men\u2019s track and field\u2019s Lokesh Sathyanathan winning an individual NCAA championship, and women\u2019s basketball making the WAC Tournament semifinals. Women’s track and field won the WAC Indoor Championship, the first conference title by the men or women in indoor or outdoor in the Texans\u2019 NCAA history. Victoria Cameron took bronze in the NCAA Indoor Championships in the 60m after winning the event in the WAC Championship, where she broke the school record, the WAC Championship meet record and the all-time WAC record at 7.08 seconds. Five Texans were named All-Americans in NCAA Indoor season; Sathyanathan, Cameron, Prestina Ochonogor, Lauren Roy and JayBrion Jones. Sathyanathan became the first national champion in Tarleton State\u2019s NCAA Division I era, winning the long jump in the NCAA Indoor Championships.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Entering the spring, Tarleton State was third in the WAC Commissioner\u2019s Cup standings, but the Texans rattled off six conference titles to take the crown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

First, women\u2019s tennis won the WAC Tournament and earned an automatic NCAA Tournament berth. This marked Tarleton State Tennis\u2019 first conference tournament title, as the top-seeded Texans did not give up an opposing point in the WAC Tournament. Then Texan Women\u2019s Golf won its second consecutive WAC Championship and earned an automatic NCAA Regionals berth. Texans won the WAC Championship by 11 strokes. And Louise Depadt earned her second straight individual WAC Championship, becoming the fifth golfer in the WAC to win back-to-back individual titles. Next, Texan Men\u2019s Golf won the WAC Championship by a stroke and earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Regionals. Texan Men\u2019s Outdoor Track and Field earned its first conference team championship, winning the WAC Outdoor Track and Field Championships. The men clinched the 2026 WAC title scoring 200 points, and the women took second. Texan Softball also had a strong season, taking second in the regular season and advancing to a winner-take-all WAC Tournament championship game. Texan Baseball won the outright WAC regular season championship and the WAC Tournament, the first time the Texans have won both titles in the same season. The Texans’ regular season title is their first regular-season championship in their D1 era and their second conference regular season title in their NCAA era (2013, Lone Star Conference). The Texans finished with their third most wins in a single-season in their modern era, and their most wins since 1992, finishing 38-21. Tarleton State won its third ever NCAA Regional game in its fifth appearance, its first in the D1 era (also 2014 and 1998).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Texans didn\u2019t just excel on their playing surfaces, but shined in the classroom, as well. This past spring, Tarleton State Athletics set a new term GPA record at 3.32, with six teams posting their highest GPA ever at the time (Texan Tennis at 3.88, Texan Beach Volleyball at 3.82, Texan Men\u2019s Golf at 3.75, Texan Volleyball at 3.75, Texan Baseball at 3.62 and Texan Men\u2019s Basketball at 3.13). Over 25 percent of Tarleton State\u2019s student-athletes posted a perfect 4.0 GPA, over 55 percent posted a 3.5-plus GPA, and 80 percent earned a 3.0-plus GPA.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2025-26 WAC Commissioner\u2019s Cup Final Standings (Adjusted to top 14 countable sports)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Tarleton State \u2013 95.2 points<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Utah Valley \u2013 76.8 points<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. California Baptist \u2013 75.5 points<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Abilene Christian \u2013 62.3 points<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. UT Arlington \u2013 58.6 points<\/p>\n\n\n\n

6. Utah Tech \u2013 45.6 points<\/p>\n\n\n\n

7. Southern Utah \u2013 41.4 points<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Learn more about the WAC Commissioner’s Cup<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Republished from Tarleton State Athletics. STEPHENVILLE, Texas \u2013 After eight conference championships in 2025-26, Tarleton State Athletics claimed the ultimate prize for overall performance across all sports \u2013 the Western …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":595,"featured_media":55324,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"advgb_blocks_editor_width":"","advgb_blocks_columns_visual_guide":"","_wds_title":"","_wds_metadesc":"","_wds_focus-keywords":"","_wds_meta-robots-adv":"","_wds_meta-robots-noindex":false,"_wds_meta-robots-nofollow":false,"_wds_meta-robots-index":false,"_wds_meta-robots-follow":false,"_wds_autolinks-exclude":false,"_wds_canonical":"","_wds_redirect":"","_wds_opengraph":[],"_wds_twitter":[],"wds_primary_category":421,"footnotes":""},"categories":[421,426],"tags":[433,456],"class_list":["post-55319","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featuredstories","category-honors-achievements","tag-athletics","tag-stephenville"],"acf":{"image":false},"author_meta":{"display_name":"jpartin","author_link":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/author\/jpartin\/"},"featured_img":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/65\/2026\/06\/WAC-Commissioners-Cup-900x600-1-300x200.jpg","coauthors":[],"tax_additional":{"categories":{"linked":["Featured Stories<\/a>","Honors & Achievements<\/a>"],"unlinked":["Featured Stories<\/span>","Honors & Achievements<\/span>"]},"tags":{"linked":["Athletics<\/a>","Stephenville<\/a>"],"unlinked":["Athletics<\/span>","Stephenville<\/span>"]}},"comment_count":0,"relative_dates":{"created":"Posted 6 hours ago","modified":"Updated 6 hours ago"},"absolute_dates":{"created":"Posted on June 15, 2026","modified":"Updated on June 15, 2026"},"absolute_dates_time":{"created":"Posted on June 15, 2026 1:09 pm","modified":"Updated on June 15, 2026 1:12 pm"},"featured_img_caption":"","series_order":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55319","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/595"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=55319"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55319\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":55329,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55319\/revisions\/55329"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/55324"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=55319"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=55319"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=55319"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}