By Regan Hunsaker, Southern Utah University
Southern Utah University student-athletes continued to excel in the classroom during the 2025-26 academic year, earning a combined 108 selections on the Western Athletic Conference’s Spring Academic All-WAC teams, including Freshmen/Transfer Academic All-WAC honorees.
The WAC recognized student-athletes for their academic achievements in spring championship sports and honored outstanding freshmen and first-year transfer student-athletes from fall and winter sports. More than 750 student-athletes across the conference received academic recognition.
Interim Director of Athletics Tom Higbee said, “This recognition speaks to the culture we’ve built at Southern Utah. Our student-athletes continue to prove that success isn’t limited to the field, court or track; they’re equally committed to their academic pursuits. Congratulations to each of these honorees, as well as our coaches and academic support staff, for making excellence in the classroom a priority.”
Southern Utah recorded 64 Academic All-WAC selections in spring sports, led by the women’s outdoor track & field team with 26 honorees. The men’s outdoor track & field program followed with 18 selections, while softball placed 10 student-athletes on the Academic All-WAC team. The Thunderbird men’s and women’s golf programs each added five honorees.
The Thunderbirds also had 44 freshmen and first-year transfers recognized for their academic success across fall and winter sports. Women’s soccer, men’s indoor track & field and women’s indoor track & field each led Southern Utah with 10 honorees. Men’s basketball added four selections, while women’s basketball, football and volleyball each had three. Men’s cross country rounded out the list with two honorees.
To be named Academic All-WAC, student-athletes must have completed at least one academic year, maintained a cumulative grade-point average of 3.20 or higher and participated in at least 50 percent of their team’s contests. In softball, pitchers must have appeared in at least 20 percent of their team’s games to qualify.
The 2025-26 academic year marked Southern Utah’s final year as a member of the Western Athletic Conference before the Thunderbirds begin competition in the Big Sky Conference in 2026-27.
The entire 2026 spring sports Academic All-WAC list and 2025-26 freshman and first-year transfers are available HERE.