STEPHENVILLE, Texas – On July 1, 2026, Tarleton State University will begin a new age in its NCAA Division I era, as the Texans will be one of eight institutions in the new version of the United Athletic Conference.
 
Tarleton State Football has been in the UAC for the past two years, a football-only conference that has included members of the Western Athletic Conference and Atlantic Sun Conference. Announced on Thursday, the WAC will rebrand into an all-sports version of the UAC that will include three WAC members (Tarleton State, Abilene Christian, UT Arlington) and the five football-playing institutions from the ASUN (Austin Peay, Central Arkansas, Eastern Kentucky, North Alabama and West Georgia).
 
“We stand at a pivotal moment in collegiate athletics that demands vision, collaboration, and bold leadership,” Chairman of the WAC Board of Directors Dr. James Hurley said. “The evolving landscape of collegiate athletics presents both challenges and opportunities and our alliance with the ASUN represents a strategic step forward for our institution and peers.
 
“We honor the proud past of the Western Athletic Conference and carry that legacy with us as we move confidently into the future as the United Athletic Conference, in partnership with the Consortium,” Hurley continued. “Together, we are building something that reflects the values, ambition, and resilience of our universities and student-athletes.”
 
This is a groundbreaking alliance, creating a consortium of two conferences to innovate and improve operational efficiency. The alliance will strengthen both conferences, create new growth opportunities, and position both conferences for continued success in the future.
 
The Consortium will be led by current ASUN Commissioner Jeff Bacon, who will serve as its Executive Director. Current WAC Commissioner, Rebekah Ray, will assume a leadership role within the Consortium.
 
“Conferences are unrecognizable today from just a few years ago, and as we have navigated conference realignment, we are excited that the WAC has furthered its alliance with the ASUN to reinstate stability, a forsaken aspect in today’s climate,” Tarleton State Vice President and Director of Athletics Steve Uryasz said. “A new approach is needed in this landscape to keep enhancing the student-athlete experience. Without change, we will continue down a problematic and unsustainable path. The future is bright for the UAC.”
 
Starting July 1, 2026, the Western Athletic Conference will officially rebrand to the United Athletic Conference, which is the brand currently used to recognize the ASUN-WAC Football Alliance. This rebrand will better recognize the new membership composition of the conference with all seven football members housed within one conference, and the shift in geographic footprint.
 
The Consortium, with participation by multiple conferences, will allow for the consolidation and reduction of expenses, enhanced collective external revenue generation and bargaining opportunities, increased in-season scheduling opportunities, enhanced geographic alignment, governance support in anticipation of a deregulated NCAA Division I governance structure, and elevated student-athlete experiences with less missed class time and opportunities for rivalry development.
 
Sport sponsorship in the UAC will include baseball, men’s basketball, men’s cross country, men’s golf, football, men’s tennis, men’s indoor track and field, men’s outdoor track and field, women’s basketball, women’s cross country, women’s golf, women’s soccer, softball, women’s tennis, women’s indoor track and field, women’s outdoor track and field, and volleyball.
 
Of Tarleton State’s 17 NCAA Division I programs, 16 will be full-fledged members of the United Athletic Conference. Texan Beach Volleyball will remain a Conference USA affiliated program.
 
The ASUN will consist of Bellarmine, Florida Gulf Coast, Jacksonville, Lipscomb, North Florida, Queens University of Charlotte, and Stetson.
 
Tarleton State has been a member of the Western Athletic Conference throughout its NCAA Division I era, which began in 2020. The Texans officially joined the WAC on July 1, 2020, after accepting its invitation in November 2019. Tarleton State Football was an independent program in 2020, part of the WAC in 2021-22 and members of the UAC starting in 2023. Tarleton State Beach Volleyball has been a Conference USA affiliate since the program began in 2024.
 
Since joining the WAC, the Texans have one of the premier institutions. Despite not being eligible for the conference tournament the first two years or NCAA Division I postseason eligible the first four years, Tarleton State has finished in the top-two of the conference standings nine times across five sports, top-two in the conference tournament five times across four sports, with two conference tournament titles over the past two seasons (baseball in 2024 and women’s golf in 2025). 
 

GLASSBORO, NJ — Matthew Conway, Nick Garman, Cole Mylan, Colin Patterson, Ryan Wells all were honored by the College Sports Communicators (CSC) on its Men’s Track & Field Academic All-District Teams.

Eligible nominees are be based off of TFRRS performance list rankings at the time of nomination. Nominees must have a top 50 regional time/result in a single event (indoor or outdoor) that originates from an individual performance, not a relay. Academically, undergraduate student-athletes must have at least a 3.50 cumulative grade point average (on a 4.0 scale) and graduate student-athletes must have at least a 3.50 cumulative grade point average (on a 4.0 scale) as both an undergraduate and a grad student unless they are in their first semester as a graduate student and don’t have an established graduate GPA to be eligible in the nomination process.

Conway, a Chemical Engineering major, earned All-NJAC Second Team Cross Country honors as well as winning the 5000 meters at the NJAC Indoor and Outdoor Championships. The recent graduate is a member of the NJAC All-Academic First Team and was named United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) All-Academic. He also a recipient of the Goldwater Scholarship as well.

Garman, a Mechanical Engineering major, set personal bests during the outdoor season in both the 200 and 400 meters.

Mylan, who majors in Radio, Television & Film, had a breakout cross country season, where he was 16th overall at the NJAC Championships.

Patterson, a Finance major, earned a spot on the All-NJAC Cross Country First Team while being named USTFCCCA All-Academic.

Wells is a Law & Justice Studies major, who turned in a personal best time in the 1500 meters this spring.

AUSTIN, Texas — On the strength of two National Championships and seven NCAA top-three finishes, The University of Texas has won the LEARFIELD Directors’ Cup for the second-straight year and the fourth time in the last five years, the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) announced Thursday morning. During the current 2024-25 season, the Longhorns amassed 1,255.25 points, while USC placed second with 1,253.75 points and Stanford took third with 1,251.0 points.

UT snapped Stanford’s 25-year stronghold on the Directors’ Cup during the 2020-21 season by scoring 1,252 points, while the Cardinal posted 1,195.75 points. That victory ended an impressive run by Stanford that began in 1994-95 and went through 2018-19 (no Cup was awarded in 2019-20 due to COVID-19). North Carolina won the first Cup in 1993-94. The Longhorns finished second in the standings three times during the Cardinal’s 25-year run, earning runner-up honors in 2001-02, 2002-03 and 2004-05.

During the 2021-22 season, the Longhorns amassed 1,449.50 points to claim the Cup again, while Stanford placed second with 1,352.25 points. UT joined the Cardinal as the nation’s only programs to win it in back-to-back years. The Longhorn have won consecutive Cups twice now and only a runner-up finish in 2022-23 separated Texas from a run of five-straight titles.

Texas finished runner-up in the Cup standings to Stanford during the 2022-23 season. The Cardinal won the Cup with 1,412.00 points, while the Longhorns posted 1,370.50 points. The Longhorns reclaimed the Cup during the 2023-24 season, as UT amassed 1,377.00 points while Stanford placed second with 1,312.75 points.

During the 2024-25 season, Texas registered NCAA team titles in Men’s Swimming Diving and its first-ever national championship in Softball, which marks the fifth-straight year the Longhorns have won multiple national titles in the same academic season. Excluding the COVID-shortened year of 2019-20, Texas has won at least one NCAA team title in 10-straight seasons.

Over the last five years, the Longhorns have won 13 NCAA team championships by eight different programs, while seven additional programs have either made the Final Four or finished in the top three at the NCAA Championships. Texas sponsors 21 intercollegiate sport programs, and with Softball earning its first NCAA title, 15 of those 21 programs have now claimed a National Championship. The Longhorns have captured 68 all-time National Championships (64 NCAA titles).

Texas produced 10 top-five and 13 top-10 team finishes at the NCAA Championships during the recent academic year. The 10 top-five performances marked a tie for the second-most in school history, trailing only the 12 recorded in 2021-22. The 13 top-10 efforts also tied for the second-most in school history, just one shy of the record 14 in 2021-22. The Longhorns have registered a total of 49 top-five NCAA team finishes and 65 top-10 NCAA team finishes during the last five years.

In addition to the pair of National Championship performances, the Longhorns recorded NCAA top-five team showings in Women’s Swimming and Diving (third), Rowing (third), Football (tied for third in the College Football Playoff, advancing to semifinals), Women’s Basketball (tied for third/NCAA Final Four), Men’s Tennis (tied for third/NCAA Semifinals), Beach Volleyball (tied for fifth/NCAA Quarterfinals), Women’s Golf (tied for fifth/NCAA Quarterfinals) and Men’s Golf (tied for fifth/NCAA Quarterfinals). Texas added NCAA top-10 finishes in Volleyball (tied for ninth/NCAA Round of 16), Women’s Tennis (tied for ninth/NCAA Round of 16) and Women’s Outdoor Track and Field (tied for 10th).

The Longhorns qualified 20 of their 21 NCAA eligible sports for their respective NCAA Championship events. Texas was the ONLY school in NCAA Division I to have its Football, either Men’s or Women’s Basketball, and either Baseball or Softball programs reach the Final Four of their NCAA Tournaments this season. Additionally, Texas Men’s and Women’s Golf were one of only two schools that saw both of its programs advance to the match play round of the NCAA Championships.

In addition to its success on the national level, UT earned a league-best eight Southeastern Conference titles during the 2024-25 season: Soccer (tournament), Men’s Swimming and Diving, Women’s Swimming and Diving, Women’s Basketball (regular season), Men’s Tennis (regular season and tournament), Rowing and Baseball (regular season). Of note, the eight championships doubled the next closest member institution, as South Carolina had four. With Beach Volleyball also winning the Coastal Collegiate Sports Association (CCSA) tournament title, the Longhorns won a total of nine conference championships in 2024-25 and have now claimed 663 all-time league titles in school history.

Since UT Vice President and Lois and Richard Folger Athletics Director Chris Del Conte arrived on the Forty Acres in December 2017, the Longhorns have claimed a total of 15 National Championships, 30 NCAA top-two finishes, 59 NCAA top-five finishes, 85 NCAA top-10 finishes and 82 total conference championships. Texas also has reached two CFP Semifinals, claimed four LEARFIELD Directors’ Cup crowns and posted six top-five Directors’ Cup finishes.

The LEARFIELD Directors’ Cup was developed as a joint effort between NACDA and USA Today. A revised scoring system was implemented for the 2024-25 season. Points are awarded based on each institution’s finish in NCAA Championships. Division I schools can score points in a maximum of 19 sports, five of which must be baseball, men’s basketball, women’s basketball, women’s soccer and women’s volleyball.

Texas recorded its seventh-straight top-five Director’s Cup finish after a fifth-place showing in 2017-18 and a fourth-place effort in 2018-19. There was no award in 2019-20 due to COVID-19. UT also was the top-ranked institution in the Southeastern Conference in the Directors’ Cup standings and has been the top-ranked school in its respective league (SEC, Big 12 or Southwest Conference) for 11 consecutive years and 24 times in the 32-year history of the Directors’ Cup.

Texas has now recorded a top-10 finish a total of 25 times in the 32-year history of the Directors’ Cup: 1st (2020-21, 2021-22, 2023-24 and 2024-25), 2nd (2001-02, 2002-03, 2004-05 and 2022-23), 3rd (2005-06), 4th (1995-96 and 2018-19), 5th (2007-08 and 2017-18), 6th (2008-09, 2011-12 and 2013-14), 7th (1993-94, 1996-97 and 2016-17), 8th (2006-07), 9th (1999-2000, 2014-15 and 2015-16) and 10th (1994-95 and 2003-04).

2024-25 Division I LEARFIELD Directors’ Cup Final Standings (Top 3 schools)

Texas in the Division I LEARFIELD Directors’ Cup Final Standings

College Bests:

Pole Vault: 4.50m

2024-2025: Opened indoors at Yale Season Opener, placing third with height of 4.20 meters in pole vault… Followed up with third-place finish at Y-D-C, jumping 4.25 meters in pole vault… Improved to 4.35 meters at Coach Greg Roy-al Rumble, where he placed seventh… At Giegengack Invitational, placed eighth overall, jumping 4.40 meters in pole vault. 

2023-2024: Opened up outdoors at the UConn Dog Fight in pole vault, placing seventh… At Yale vs. Harvard Dual, placed first with collegiate PR of 4.50m… Placed first in pole vault at Mark Young Invitational… Closed out his year with a first place in pole vault at Yale Springtime meet.

2022-23: Competed at Yale Season Opener in pole vault, placing eighth overall. 

High School: Two-time coach’s award recipient in track and field… Captain of track and field team junior and senior year… School record holder.

Personal: Brother (Addison Wessel) is a Dartmouth ‘22, captain of fencing team, won men’s épée national club title 2022… Played varsity basketball… Avid insect collector, as well as a musician… Plays drums, bass, and guitar, and has even played at Lollapalooza in Chicago.

Why Yale: “When I visited Yale, above all else I noticed how it felt like a home. It goes without saying that the academic environment, competitive athletics, and culture of this school are incredible, but the feeling of warmth that I got walking around campus stood out over all else.”

Corvallis High’s Hunter Loesch made history on Wednesday as the first Blue Devil ever to be named the Gatorade player of the year for boys track and field.

Loesch is coming off a terrific javelin season in which he was not only the class A state champion and owned the best mark in the state, but was also one of the top throwers in the country.

The 6-foot-4 senior won the state meet in Kalispell with a toss of 209 feet and 4 inches. His top throw of the season came at the Western A divisional meet, where he aired one out 219-11 for a new personal record and the fourth best toss by any high school athlete this season. That mark also ranks as the top throw in the history of Montana javelin under the current format, which was altered back in 2002.

Loesch recently earned All-American recognition by placing third with a throw of 217 feet, 4 inches at Nike Outdoor Nationals and USATF U20 Championships at Hayward Field at the University of Oregon.

“Hunter has matured immensely as an athlete, person and student over the past four years,” Corvallis coach Spencer Huls said in a Gatorade news release on Wednesday. “His dedication to his craft has been second to none. He is a role model for all student-athletes.”

Outside of athletics, according to the release, Loesch maintained a B average in the classroom while also volunteering to help the elderly in his community and serving as a youth T-Ball coach and football camp instructor.

Loesch will continue his athletics career with the Montana Grizzlies track and field program starting in the fall.

Pictured from left: Ellyse Wolfrath, Beverly Harper, Gianna Hoving, Lamar Gordon and Ahna Larson. They have been named to the College Sports Communicators Academic All-District Team for their success in the classroom and on the track. (Photo courtesy of Northern Michigan University)

MARQUETTE — Lamar Gordon, Beverly Harper, Gianna Hoving, Ahna Larson and Ellyse Wolfrath of the Northern Michigan cross country and track and field teams have been named to the College Sports Communicators Academic All-District Team for their success in the classroom and on the track.

Lamar Gordon holds a 4.0 GPA as a Biology major. From Two Harbors, Minnesota, Gordon competed in six cross country races and nine track meets throughout the season. In cross country, she finished 38th at the GLIAC Championships and 7th in the region. At the track & field GLIAC Championships, she placed 8th in the indoor mile and 6th in the outdoor 1500m.

Holding a 3.99 GPA, Beverly Harper is majoring in Health and Physical Education. In cross country, she set a PR at regionals to place 80th. On the track, Harper had multiple victories in the Distance Medley Relay and the 800m.

With a 3.91 GPA, Gianna Hoving is a Spanish major. She excelled in cross country this past season, earning All-Region accolades after an 18th place finish at the Midwest Regional Championship. She was also named to the All-GLIAC First Team after placing 10th at the GLIAC Championships. Hoving added three wins in the mile during the indoor track season.

Ahna Larson graduated with a 3.84 GPA in Biology. She participated in 16 meets throughout the track season. Larson hit an NCAA provisional mark and set a school record of 1:01.04 in the 400m hurdles at the GLIAC Championships to take 4th. She also claimed victories in seven events and was named the 2024-25 Wildcat Awards Humanitarian of the Year.

A Nursing major with a 3.65 GPA, Ellyse Wolfrath dominated the track for NMU this past season. During the indoor season, she advanced to the NCAA Championships in the 60m hurdles, placing 13th in the nation. She was named All-Region by the USTFCCCA in the 60m hurdles and set a school record at the GLIAC Championships, finishing at 8.46 to be crowned GLIAC Champion. She’d run it back during the outdoor season, winning the GLIAC title in the 100m hurdles. She was named NMU’s Female MVP of the Year.