STEPHENVILLE, Texas – Tarleton State Athletics posted a historic season with eight conference championships and WAC Commissioner's Cup honors. To further solidify the Texans' rank among the nation's best, Tarleton State was slotted No. 86 overall in the final 2025-26 Learfield Directors' Cup Standings, the highest in university history.
 
The Learfield Directors' Cup ranks the top NCAA Division I programs nationwide in terms of athletic achievements across all sports. Tarleton State ranked No. 5 among FCS programs not in the Ivy League, No. 8 among non-FBS and non-Ivy League programs, No. 11 among all FCS programs, and No. 14 across all non-FBS programs.
 
"I am so proud of our student-athletes, coaches, staff and the athletic administration for their incredible work in a record-setting year for Tarleton State Athletics," said Tarleton State President Dr. James Hurley. "These accomplishments reflect far more than victories in competition. They demonstrate the character, resilience, and purpose that define our university. As we continue building a championship culture, we want to inspire future generations of Texans to dream bigger, lead boldly and pursue excellence in everything they do."
 
This was the highest ranking Tarleton State has placed in its second year eligible (second full-fledged NCAA Division I season). The Texans improved their ranking by 50 spots year-over-year after finishing No. 136 last season.
 
"The Learfield Directors' Cup is yet another metric that shows how special Tarleton State's athletics season was this past year," Vice President and Director of Athletics Steve Uryasz said. "At Tarleton State, we continue to prove we are among the nation's elite in everything we do. I want to thank Tarleton State President Dr. James Hurley and our full administration for all of the support they provide to make this the best place to be in collegiate athletics. I am so proud of our student-athletes, coaches, staff, student body, alumni and fan base for making this an unforgettable season for all of Texan Nation. I can truly say this was one of the most unforgettable seasons in my career."
 
The Texans scored 257.50 points in the 2025-26 Learfield Directors' Cup standings to finish in the nation's top-100. Nineteen total sports are counted in the final standings including five mandatory countable sports (men's and women's basketball, baseball, women's soccer and women's volleyball), and the next highest 14 sports scored for each institution, regardless of gender. Complete standings and the scoring structure can be found on NACDA's website at www.directorscup.org.
 
Tarleton State placed the highest in the WAC, with the next closest program, California Baptist, at No. 114. The Texans placed higher than 61 FBS programs that were ranked in the standings' top-300.
 
Tarleton State won eight conference titles this season, claiming a share of the football conference championship, then winning the outright conference tournaments in women's indoor track and field, women's tennis, women's golf, men's golf, baseball and men's outdoor track and field, along with a baseball regular season title. 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).
 
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.
 
In the winter, the Texans were buoyed by women's track and field winning its first conference title, men's track and field's Lokesh Sathyanathan winning an individual NCAA championship, and women's 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' NCAA history.
 
In the spring, women's tennis won the WAC Tournament and earned an automatic NCAA Tournament berth. This marked Tarleton State Tennis' first conference tournament title, as the top-seeded Texans did not give up an opposing point in the WAC Tournament. Then Texan Women's Golf won its second consecutive WAC Championship and earned an automatic NCAA Regionals berth. Next, Texan Men's Golf won the WAC Championship and earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Regionals. Texan Men's 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).
 
The Texans didn't 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's Golf at 3.75, Texan Volleyball at 3.75, Texan Baseball at 3.62 and Texan Men's Basketball at 3.13). Over 25 percent of Tarleton State's 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.