RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. – On Tuesday, the Great American Conference announced Harding University as the winner of the 2025-26 Commissioner’s Cup and the President’s Trophy. The Bisons and Lady Bisons captured both All-Sports championships for the fifth-straight season.
The GAC determines the winner of the Commissioner’s Cup to the GAC school that totals the most cumulative points in the 14 countable sports of men’s and women’s cross country, football, volleyball, women’s soccer, men’s and women’s basketball, women’s tennis, men’s women’s track & field, men’s and women’s golf, softball and baseball while the President’s Trophy goes to the program that earns the highest percentage of points based on the sports they sponsor.
Harding won the Commissioner’s Cup for the seventh time and garnered its fifth President’s Trophy. For the second-straight year the Bisons broke conference records for total points, 121 and percentage of points won, 84.6. The program secured titles in football, women’s soccer, women’s basketball, women’s track & field and men’s track & field. The soccer championship represented their first since 2016; the basketball title accounted for their first since 2020 and the victory in women’s track & field ended Oklahoma Baptist’s four-year reign as champions. The Bisons’ football team carried their third undefeated regular season all the way to an appearance in the national championship game. The title in men’s track & field gave them five in a row and seven in 10 years.
Arkansas Tech posted its best showing since 2021 by taking second in both all-sports standings. The Golden Suns won titles in women’s cross country, women’s golf and softball. The Wonder Boys took home the GAC men’s golf title as Tech swept the two golf events for the second time in school history. The cross country victory represented a program breakthrough as they had finished second four times in the prior five years. Softball’s regular-season title represented their third overall, first since 2022 and first outright title since 2016.
Ouachita Baptist claimed third, followed by Oklahoma Baptist. The Tigers’ third-place result in the Commissioner’s Cup accounts for the best showing in school history. The volleyball team secured their first outright regular-season title. The women’s cross country and men’s basketball teams both placed second.
The Bison won their first full-season GAC men’s basketball regular-season title - they won a division title in the shortened 2021 season. They parlayed that title to a central region title, the first 30-win season in GAC history and a spot in the Division II national semifinals.
Southern Arkansas placed fifth in the Commissioner’s Cup standings while Henderson State took fifth in the President's Trophy race. The Muleriders and Reddies tied for second in football. SAU added a second-place result in softball. The Reddies took second in women’s golf and women’s tennis.
East Central edged out Northwestern Oklahoma State for sixth place in the Commissioner’s Cup. The Tigers won their 11th men’s cross country title. The Rangers tied Arkansas Tech for second in women’s basketball. Southeastern Oklahoma State claimed seventh in the President’s Trophy standings. The Savage Storm collected their fourth women’s tennis title.
Southwestern Oklahoma State finished in 10th, followed by Southern Nazarene and Arkansas-Monticello. For the fourth time in program history Weevils won the GAC baseball title.