History of ACU Athletics

8/31/2016 12:01 AM

The remarkable success of ACU Wildcat student-athletes over the years is a tribute to the athletes, the coaches and the tradition of winning that permeates the program. ACU recruits its student-athletes for their academic and spiritual qualities, as well as their athletic abilities.

In addition to 64 national team championships, many individual student-athletes have been recognized as academic all-Americans and with many other individual honors. The Wildcats have won 57 NCAA national team championships, which is fifth in NCAA history behind only UCLA, Stanford, USC and Kenyon College.

ACU's internationally recognized track and field program has produced world-record holders, more than 20 Olympians, several hundred all-America performers and two Olympic gold medalists. In addition, the program was named the "Texas Sports Dynasty of the Century" by Texas Monthly magazine in November 1999.

In August 2012, ACU announced it would move to the Southland Conference beginning with the 2013-14 athletics year, and begin a four-year transition from NCAA Division II affiliation to NCAA Division I status and full eligibility for post-season competition at the NCAA Division I level. The 2016-17 athletics season marks ACU's final year of that four-year transition.

However, the Wildcats have already proven they belong among the best in the nation as they captured two Southland Conference championships in 2015-16 (women's cross country and women's basketball) and finished third among 13 progams in the Southland Conference Commissioner's Cup race. Ten of ACU's 16 program finished in the top four in the conference in their respective sports in 2015-16.

ACU student-athletes strive for excellence in everything they do, both in compeition and in the classroom. It's our duty to honor Christ through excellence in Academics and Athletics and to win at the highest level by providing the most Christ-centered student-athlete experience in collegiate athletics

And that's why we strive each day to show our "Excellence For Christ."

ABILENE CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY'S ATHLETICS HISTORY

Team National Championships (64)
Women's Track and Field (22)
2008 - NCAA Division II outdoor
2000 - NCAA Division II indoor
1999 - NCAA Division II outdoor
1999 - NCAA Division II indoor
1998 - NCAA Division II outdoor
1998 - NCAA Division II indoor
1997 - NCAA Division II indoor
1996 - NCAA Division II outdoor
1996 - NCAA Division II indoor
1995 - NCAA Division II outdoor
1995 - NCAA Division II indoor
1994 - NCAA Division II outdoor
1994 - NCAA Division II indoor
1993 - NCAA Division II indoor
1991 - NCAA Division II indoor
1990 - NCAA Division II indoor
1989 - NCAA Division II indoor
1988 - NCAA Division II outdoor
1988 - NCAA Division II indoor
1987 - NCAA Division II outdoor
1986 - NCAA Division II outdoor
1985 - NCAA Division II outdoor

Men's Track and Field (37)
2011 - NCAA Division II outdoor
2011 - NCAA Division II indoor
2008 - NCAA Division II outdoor
2007 - NCAA Division II outdoor
2006 - NCAA Division II outdoor
2005 - NCAA Division II outdoor
2005 - NCAA Division II indoor
2004 - NCAA Division II outdoor
2004 - NCAA Division II indoor
2003 - NCAA Division II outdoor
2003 - NCAA Division II indoor
2002 - NCAA Division II outdoor
2002 - NCAA Division II indoor
2000 - NCAA Division II outdoor
2000 - NCAA Division II indoor
1999 - NCAA Division II outdoor
1999 - NCAA Division II indoor
1998 - NCAA Division II indoor
1997 - NCAA Division II outdoor
1997 - NCAA Division II indoor
1996 - NCAA Division II outdoor
1996 - NCAA Division II indoor
1994 - NCAA Division II indoor
1993 - NCAA Division II indoor
1988 - NCAA Division II outdoor
1988 - NCAA Division II indoor (co-champion)
1987 - NCAA Division II outdoor
1986 - NCAA Division II outdoor
1985 - NCAA Division II outdoor
1984 - NCAA Division II outdoor
1983 - NCAA Division II outdoor
1982 - NCAA Division II outdoor
1982 - NAIA outdoor
1978 - NAIA indoor (co-champion)
1955 - NAIA outdoor
1954 - NAIA outdoor
1952 - NAIA outdoor

Football (2)
1977 - NAIA Division I
1973 - NAIA Division I

Golf (1)
1993 - NCAA Division II

Men's Cross Country (2)
2007 - NCAA Division II
2006 - NCAA Division II

NCAA DIVISION II REGIONAL TITLES (57)
Women's Tennis (26) - 1985, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013

Men's Tennis (14) - 1990, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012

Men's Cross Country (11) - 1987, 1988, 1989, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008

Men's Golf (2) - 1994, 2011

Women's Cross Country (2) - 1982, 2006

Women's Basketball (1) - 1995-96

Baseball (1) - 2003

SOUTHLAND CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS (19)

Men's Cross Country (7) - 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970

Men's Track and Field (7) - 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970

Men's Basketball (3) - 1964-65, 1965-66, 1967-68

Women's Cross Country (1) - 2015

Women's Basketball (1) - 2015-16

OTHER CONFERENCE TITLES (198)
LONE STAR CONFERENCE (167)
Men's Track and Field (28) - 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012
Men's Cross Country (26) - 1980, 1982, 1983, 1985, 1987, 1988, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010
Women's Track and Field (23) - 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2008
Women's Tennis (25) - 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013
Women's Cross Country (15) - 1983, 1984, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007
Men's Tennis (13) - 1988, 1990, 1995, 1998, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012
Golf (9) - 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1991, 1993, 1995, 2010
Women's Basketball (9) - 1982-83, 1983-84, 1984-85, 1985-86, 1991-92, 1995-96, 1997-98, 1998-99, 2012-13
Baseball (7) - 1993, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2009, 2010
Football (4) - 1973, 1977, 2008, 2010
Men's Basketball (3) -1984-85, 1985-86, 1986-87
Volleyball (2) - 2004, 2005
Women's Soccer (1) - 2010
Men's Indoor Track and Field (1) - 2013
Women's Indoor Track and Field (1) - 2013

TEXAS CONFERENCE (23)

Football (7) - 1939, 1940, 1948, 1950, 1951, 1952, 1953
Men's Basketball (6) - 1937-38, 1947-48, 1948-49, 1949-50, 1950-51, 1952-53
Track and Field (10) - 1933, 1934, 1935, 1946, 1947, 1950, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1954

TIAA (5)

Track and Field (5) - 1928, 1929, 1930, 1931, 1932

GULF COAST CONFERENCE (3)

Football (1) - 1955
Men's Basketball (1) - 1956-57
Track and Field (1) - 1956

LEARFIELD DIRECTOR'S CUP STANDINGS
From 1995-2013 ACU was NCAA Division II
ACU was not ranked from 2013-17 because of NCAA transition
1995-96 - 1. Cal-Davis; 2. ACU
1996-97 - 1. Cal-Davis; 2. ACU
1997-98 - 1. CSU-Bakersfield; 3. ACU
1998-99 - 1. Adams State; 2. ACU
1999-00 - 1. Cal-Davis; 2. N.D. State; 12. ACU
2000-01 - 1. Cal-Davis; 2. N.D. State; 6. ACU
2001-02 - 1. Cal-Davis; 2. GVSU.; 14. ACU
2002-03 - 1. Cal-Davis; 2. GVSU; 7. ACU
2003-04 - 1. GVSU.; 2. Cal-San Diego; 15. ACU
2004-05 - 1. GVSU 2. Neb.-Omaha; 9. ACU
2005-06 - 1. Grand Valley St.; 2. ACU
2006-07 - 1. GVSU; 2. UC-San Diego; 3. ACU
2007-08 - 1. GVSU; 2. ACU; 3. Minn. St.-Mankato
2008-09 - 1. GVSU; 2. Minn. St.-Mankato; 3. Central Mo.; 4. ACU
2009-10 - 1. GVSU; 2. California (Pa.); 3. Central Missouri; 9. ACU
2010-11 - 1. GVSU; 2. Central Missouri; 3. Augustana (S.D.); 4. ACU
2011-12 - 1. Grand Canyon; 2. Grand Valley St.; 3. Ashland (Ohio); 9. ACU
2012-13 - 1. Grand Canyon; 2. Grand Valley St.; 3. Ashland (Ohio); 47. ACU

ACU ATHLETES IN HALLS OF FAME
College Football - Wilbert Montgomery (1996)
Drake Relays - Bobby Morrow, (1959), Oliver Jackson (1978), Bill Woodhouse (1980), George Adrian (1982).
LSC - Wilbert Montgomery, football (1996); Billy Olson, men's track and field (1997); Claudia Schleyer, women's basketball (1998); Wally Bullington, football (1999); Jennifer Clarkson-Frazier, women's basketball (2001); Wes Kittley, track and field (2006); Delloreen Ennis-London (2012).
NACDA - A.B. Morris (1985)
NCAA Division II Track and Field - Cliff Felkins (1998); Marlene Lewis (1998); Sylvia Dyer-Barnier (2002); Yolanda Henry (2003); Mark Witherspoon (2004); James Browne (2005); Brian Amos (2005); Dale Jenkins (2005); Yolande Straughn (2005); Nicodemus Naimadu (2015)
U.S. Olympic - Bobby Morrow, men's track and field (1989)
Texas Sports - Bobby Morrow (1960), Oliver Jackson (1978), A.M. (Tonto) Coleman (1983), Eck Curtis (1985); James Segrest (2006)
U.S. Track Coaches - James Segrest (1996); Oliver Jackson (1998); Bill McClure (2002); Don Hood (2006).
U.S. Track and Field - Bobby Morrow (1975).
Penn Relays - Bill Woodhouse (2004); 1995 Sprint Medley Relay Team (2006)
National Hispanic Heritage Hall of Honor - Pete Ragus (2009)
Texas High School Coaches - Eck Curtis (1964); Pete Ragus (1974); L.G. Wilson (1979); Shorty Lawson (1981); Tugboat Jones (1992); Bill Bryant (2008)
Corpus Christi Miller - Pete Ragus
Coastal Bend Coaches - Pete Ragus
Rio Grande Valley - Billy Pemelton (1998)
Iowa High School Track and Field Coaches - Bill Woodhouse (1979); Roger Colglazier (1980)
Corpus Christi Ray High School - Jerry Dyes (2004)
Northwestern (La.) State Graduate N Club - Jerry Dyes (2006)
Weatherford High School - Russell Coffee (2008)
Austin LBJ High School - Steve Ates; Joey Nanus
El Paso Coaches - Dalton Hill
Texas Tennis Coaches - Dalton Hill (1981)
Belton High School Wall of Honor - Billy Wilbanks
Philadelphia Sports - Wilbert Montgomey (2011)
Texas Track Coaches' Association - James Segrest (2010), Billy Olson (2011), Don W. Hood (2012); Earl Young (2015); Bobby Morrow (2016); Oliver Jackson (2016)
Golf Coaches' Association - Vince Jarrett (2011)
Big Country Hall of Fame - Billy Olson; Brad Pursley (2014); James Segrest; Bob McLeod; Kelly Kent (2012); Bill Gilbreth; John Ray Godfrey; James Blackwood; Art Briles; Wally Bullington; Tonto Coleman; Wes Kittley; Bill McClure; Ted Sitton; Bill Hart; Bill Anderson (2014); Eck Curtis (2014); Kim Bartee-Neece (2016); Bonnie Buchanan Gray (2016)

ACU ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENTS

ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICA
Football (13 athletes / 22 awards)
1963 - Jack Griggs (1^st)
1970 - Jim Lindsey (1^st)
1973 - Don Harrison (2^nd)
Greg Stirman (2^nd)
1974 - Don Harrison (2^nd)
Greg Stirman (1^st)
1975 - Don Harrison (2^nd)
Greg Stirman (2^nd)
1976 - Billy Curbo (1^st)
1977 - Billy Curbo (1^st)
1978 - Kelly Kent (2^nd)
1982 - Grant Feasel (2^nd)
1984 - Dan Remsberg (2^nd)
1984 - Paul Wells (2^nd)
1985 - Paul Wells (2^nd)
1987 - Bill Clayton (1^st)
1988 - Bill Clayton (1^st)
1989 - Bill Clayton (1^st)
Sean Grady (2^nd)
1990 - Sean Grady (1^st)
2007 - Nathan Young (1^st)
2008 - Matt Adams (2^nd)

Women's Track and Field (9 / 15)
1986 - Camille Coates (HM)
1991 - Candi Evans (3^rd)
1992 - Candi Evans (1^st)
1994 - Kim Bartee (1^st)
1995 - Kim Bartee-Neece (1^st)
1997 - Jennifer Lyons (3^rd)
1998 - Ranessa Crawford (1^st)
2002 - Meredith Garner (2^nd)
2003 - Katie Eckley (3^rd)
2004 - Katie Eckley (2^nd)
2004 - Val Gorter (3^rd)
2005 - Katie Eckley (2^nd)
2005 - Val Gorter (3^rd)
2006 - Angie Aguilar (2^nd)
2007 - Angie Aguilar (2^nd)

Women's Tennis (6 / 9)
1989 - Donna Sykes (3^rd)
1994 - Keri Whitehead (3^rd)
1997 - Julie Mavity (3^rd)
1998 - Julie Mavity (1^st)
1999 - Julie Mavity (1^st)
2000 - Jenny Wallace (2^nd)
2003 - Lacy Johnson (2^nd)
2012 - Micah Hermsdorf
2013 - Micah Hermsdorf

Baseball (6 / 6)
1975 - Bill Whitaker
1993 - Bryan Frazier (3^rd)
1997 - Casey Cross (3^rd)
2006 - Joel Wells (3^rd)
2009 - Thomas Bumpass (3^rd)
2010 - Brad Rutherford (2^nd)

Men's Tennis (2 / 5)
1993 - Robby Scott (2^nd)
1994 - Robby Scott (1^st)
1995 - John Cole (1^st)
1995 - Robby Scott (1^st)
1997 - John Cole (1^st)
2013 - Hans Hach (3rd)

Women's Basketball (4 / 4)
1986 - Claudia Schleyer (1^st)
1989 - Sheryl Johnson (1^st)
1996 - Jennifer Clarkson (1^st)
2000 - Jackie Bucher

Men's Track and Field (3 / 4)
1990 - Wendell Edwards (2^nd)
1991 - Wendell Edwards (1^st)
1993 - Brian Amos (2^nd)
1997 - Glenn Griffin (3^rd)

Men's Golf (3 / 3)
1989 - Grady Bruce (3^rd)
1991 - Larry Bryan (1^st)
1995 - Darin Newhouse (3^rd)

Volleyball (4 / 4)
1992 - Cathe Crow (2^nd)
2005 - Michelle Bernhardt (3^rd)
2005 - Lindsey Martin (2^nd)
2011 - Jennie Hutt (1^st)

Men's Basketball (3 / 3)
1975 - Paul Palmer
1975 - Greg McElvy
1999 - Jared Mosley (1^st)

Softball (1 / 1)
2007 - Samantha Borgeson (1^st)

Women's Soccer (2 / 2)
2011 - Brie Buschman (3^rd)
2012 -- Julie Coppedge (3rd)

NCAA POST-GRADUATE SCHOLARS

Football (7)

1970 - Jim Lindsey
1982 - Grant Feasel
1984 - Dan Remsberg
1985 - Craig Huff
1985 - Jason Embry
1989 - Bill Clayton
2007 - Nathan Young

Women's Basketball (6)

1986 - Claudia Schleyer
1990 - Suzanne Johnson
1992 - Cathe Crow
1996 - Jennifer Clarkson
1998 - Caroline Omamo
2000 - Jackie Bucher

Women's Track and Field (3)

1995 - Kim Bartee-Neece
1998 - Ranessa Crawford
2005 - Katie Eckley

Men's Tennis (4)

1995 - Robby Scott
1996 - Wes Sheffy
1998 - Lee Griffith
2011 - Bryan Joiner

Men's Track and Field (5)

1966 - Charles Christmas
1992 - Wendell Edwards
2000 - Oscar Meneses
2002 - Alfred Rugema
2004 - Manuel Brandeborn

Men's Basketball (1)

1999 - Jared Mosley

Volleyball (2)

2006 - Lindsey Martin
2010 - Shawna Hines

Baseball (1)

2006 - Joel Wells

Softball (1)
2007 - Samantha Borgeson

Women's Soccer (1)
2012 -- Julie Coppedge