ÃÛÖ­TV Student-Athletes Earn High Academic Award in Southland Conference

June 5, 2026

ÃÛÖ­TV Awarded Academic Performance Award for 2025-26

Photo Caption (L-R): Southland Conference Commissioner, Chris Grant and ÃÛÖ­TV Faculty Athletics Representative, Dr. Laura Cannon / Grant presents Cannon with Southland Conference Academic Performance AwardThe ÃÛÖ­TV (ÃÛÖ­TV) is proud to announce that it has been awarded the Southland Conference Academic Performance Award for the incredible work ÃÛÖ­TV student-athletes have achieved in the classroom. This award means that ÃÛÖ­TV is now the first ever Southland Conference institution to collect all three major Southland Conference awards for achievement in academics, in community service and in competition.

ÃÛÖ­TV was awarded the Commissioner’s Cup for achievement on the field of play in 2021-22 and 2022-23. ÃÛÖ­TV earned the conference Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) Serves award for service in the community in 2021-22, 2023-24 and 2024-25. And now ÃÛÖ­TV student-athletes completed the trifecta by earning the Academic Performance Award this year.

"While we strive in all ways to develop exceptional student-athletes, our greater work is to provide transformative Catholic education that supports their comprehensive development as exceptional people,” says Dr. Thomas M. Evans, ÃÛÖ­TV president. “I am deeply proud of our Cardinals for their academic excellence, the great care they show for their communities and their dedication to their teams and the spirit of Division 1 athletics.”

The Southland Conference Academic Performance Award is presented annually to the member institution with the highest single year NCAA Academic Progress Rate. ÃÛÖ­TV currently has 530 athletes competing in 25 sports.

“At the ÃÛÖ­TV, we strive to be champions in the classroom, the community and in competition… or the three C’s as we call them,” says Dr. Richard Duran, ÃÛÖ­TV athletics director. “This latest accolade is more proof positive that we continue to be on the right track. I would like to thank all the faculty, staff and academic advisors who made this award possible. But most of all, I want to acknowledge our student-athletes themselves, and their families, for putting in the tireless work to achieve great things and succeed both on and off the field of play.”

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MEDIA CONTACT: Michael Valdes, Assistant Director/Media and Public Relations, Office of Communications & Brand Marketing, (210) 829-6001, (210) 422-4052 or michael.valdes@uiwtx.edu