Blab Sports
Tarleton State Clinches First WAC Commissioner's Cup After Eight Conference Titles
In a season that will be remembered as a watershed moment for Texan athletics, Tarleton State University seized the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) Commissioner's Cup for 2025‑26. The Texans earned 95.2 points, comfortably outpacing Utah Valley’s 76.8 and California Baptist’s 75.5 in the final standings.
The Commissioner's Cup rewards the institution that amasses the most points across a conference’s 17 sponsored sports. Points are awarded for top‑14 finishes, with bonuses for NCAA automatic qualifiers, tournament advancement, and national champions. Tarleton’s haul of eight conference championships—spanning football, baseball, men’s and women’s golf, women’s tennis, women’s indoor track and field, men’s outdoor track and field, and a baseball regular‑season title—was the cornerstone of the team’s total.
"This has been a strategic goal of ours since entering the conference and transitioning to NCAA Division I status not long ago," President Dr. James Hurley told reporters. "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 2025‑26 year. Texan Nation, make no mistake, this was the year for Texan Athletics."
Vice‑President and Director of Athletics Steve Uryasz echoed the sentiment, emphasizing the collective effort behind the success. "It reflects the dedication of our student‑athletes, coaches, staff, students, and supporters," he said. Uryasz urged continued backing through club and fundraising initiatives that sustain the program.
The Texans’ ascent has been steady. In the first WAC season after joining—2020‑21—the team finished tied‑seventh. Subsequent years saw 11th (2021‑22), 13th (2022‑23), fifth (2023‑24), third (2024‑25), and finally first (2025‑26). That season also delivered a shared football conference championship, a 12‑2 overall record, and a berth in the FCS playoffs quarterfinals, just two years after gaining Division I postseason eligibility.
Winter sports added to the narrative. Women’s track and field captured its first conference title, while men’s long jumper Lokesh Sathyanathan became Tarleton’s inaugural NCAA Division I national champion by winning the long jump at the NCAA Indoor Championships. Women’s tennis secured its first conference tournament title, earning an automatic NCAA berth.
Baseball finished 38‑21, claiming both the regular‑season and tournament titles for the first time in the program’s Division I era. The team’s third NCAA Regional victory came in its fifth appearance.
Academically, the university set a new term GPA record of 3.32, with six teams posting record GPAs. More than 25 % of student‑athletes earned a 4.0 GPA, over 55 % achieved 3.5 or higher, and 80 % were at 3.0 or above.
Nationwide, 294 Division I institutions captured at least one conference championship during the season. Tarleton’s eight titles tied the program for 17th place in the country.
The WAC will rebrand as the United Athletic Conference (UAC) on July 1, 2026, merging its remaining members with football‑playing ASUN schools. Tarleton’s Commissioner's Cup triumph comes in the final WAC season under the current name.
Looking ahead, the Texans will continue to compete in the 2026 UAC season, with games scheduled across all sports. The success of 2025‑26 sets a high bar for the next chapter in the conference transition.
The Commissioner's Cup rewards the institution that amasses the most points across a conference’s 17 sponsored sports. Points are awarded for top‑14 finishes, with bonuses for NCAA automatic qualifiers, tournament advancement, and national champions. Tarleton’s haul of eight conference championships—spanning football, baseball, men’s and women’s golf, women’s tennis, women’s indoor track and field, men’s outdoor track and field, and a baseball regular‑season title—was the cornerstone of the team’s total.
"This has been a strategic goal of ours since entering the conference and transitioning to NCAA Division I status not long ago," President Dr. James Hurley told reporters. "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 2025‑26 year. Texan Nation, make no mistake, this was the year for Texan Athletics."
Vice‑President and Director of Athletics Steve Uryasz echoed the sentiment, emphasizing the collective effort behind the success. "It reflects the dedication of our student‑athletes, coaches, staff, students, and supporters," he said. Uryasz urged continued backing through club and fundraising initiatives that sustain the program.
The Texans’ ascent has been steady. In the first WAC season after joining—2020‑21—the team finished tied‑seventh. Subsequent years saw 11th (2021‑22), 13th (2022‑23), fifth (2023‑24), third (2024‑25), and finally first (2025‑26). That season also delivered a shared football conference championship, a 12‑2 overall record, and a berth in the FCS playoffs quarterfinals, just two years after gaining Division I postseason eligibility.
Winter sports added to the narrative. Women’s track and field captured its first conference title, while men’s long jumper Lokesh Sathyanathan became Tarleton’s inaugural NCAA Division I national champion by winning the long jump at the NCAA Indoor Championships. Women’s tennis secured its first conference tournament title, earning an automatic NCAA berth.
Baseball finished 38‑21, claiming both the regular‑season and tournament titles for the first time in the program’s Division I era. The team’s third NCAA Regional victory came in its fifth appearance.
Academically, the university set a new term GPA record of 3.32, with six teams posting record GPAs. More than 25 % of student‑athletes earned a 4.0 GPA, over 55 % achieved 3.5 or higher, and 80 % were at 3.0 or above.
Nationwide, 294 Division I institutions captured at least one conference championship during the season. Tarleton’s eight titles tied the program for 17th place in the country.
The WAC will rebrand as the United Athletic Conference (UAC) on July 1, 2026, merging its remaining members with football‑playing ASUN schools. Tarleton’s Commissioner's Cup triumph comes in the final WAC season under the current name.
Looking ahead, the Texans will continue to compete in the 2026 UAC season, with games scheduled across all sports. The success of 2025‑26 sets a high bar for the next chapter in the conference transition.
