An Elite Year Remembered in LCU Athletics

The 2024–25 athletic season was filled with standout moments, from dominant runs on the courts and fields to broken records and All-American honors. The Chaps and Lady Chaps once again showed the strength and spirit that define LCU Athletics.

As the 2025–26 season gets underway, we celebrate the accomplishments of the past year while looking ahead with anticipation. With new opportunities on the horizon and the same pursuit of excellence, we invite alumni and friends to follow, support, and cheer on the next chapter of LCU Athletics.

LCU’s Men’s Tennis team made its deepest postseason run in program history, advancing all the way to the national semifinal contest at Salando Park in Orlando, FL, where the team fell to the defending and eventual repeat National Champions Valdosta State. In only the program’s third year of existence, the historic season saw LCU claim not only the Lone Star Conference Title, but also the conference’s deepest run ever. The team finished the year with an incredible 25-3 overall record, 19-match win streak, and a 12-2 record against nationally ranked foes.

The Lady Chaps basketball team made the trip to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to play in the 2024 NCAA Division II Elite Eight Tournament—their fifth appearance in just nine years of being eligible to compete. In fact, since joining DII, LCU has finished among the top eight programs in the nation more often than not, and that streak has included three national titles and two undefeated seasons.

On the dominant season, the Lady Chaps racked up 32 wins and only five losses, including a takedown of the top team in the country enroute to the national tournament. They claimed a share of the Lone Star Conference Crown, the regional title, and were one of the eight top teams in the country.

Foster also cemented her name in the LCU books as the program’s all-time scoring leader—her 23 points in the national quarterfinal brought her career total to 2,056, and the only player in program history to eclipse 2,000 points. Her 896 rebounds are third best in program history, and she also set the program record for most points in a postseason game with 32.

Audrey Robertson ended her career with 1,407 points, and Maxi Maddox also finished with a total of 1,304—the first time the program has ever had a trio of players with over 1,000 points each since the 2016 national championship team.

Nine LCU athletic squads made appearances in the national postseason tournaments, including several deep playoff runs. Men’s and women’s basketball were selected for the national tournaments after winning at least a share of the Lone Star Conference titles, and the Lady Chaps advanced all the way to the Elite Eight. Lady Chap softball made its fifth appearance in the national postseason as a seven seed, and Chaparral baseball entered the NCAA tournament as a five-seed. Women’s tennis claimed a 4-seed in the regional tournament, and the men’s Tennis squad stormed into the postseason, clinching the Regional Title and the four seed among the final 16 teams in the nation, advancing all the way to the Final Four. Men’s golfer Hayden Bowman was selected to the South Central/West Regional Championships, where he scored the best regional scorecard in the LCU history. The women’s golf team also reached the regional championship for the first time in program history after a historic season. The Chaparral track and field team also placed several times at the NCAA Outdoor Championships, including senior Anna Salisbury claiming silver in the 400-meter dash and the men’s 4x400 relay claiming 6th place in the nation. Kevin Washington also placed 14th in the long jump, and Daniel Sianez finished 19th in the 400-meter dash. LCU Cheer also finished as the third best in the nation, the highest place in program history.

LCU student athletes received standout marks across the board, including eight All American selections, numerous academic awards, dozens of program records, and dozens of all-conference honors.

Men’s Tennis sophomore standouts Kelly Giese and Pablo Segura were both selected as Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) All-Americans, the first in program history. Men’s and Women’s basketball also each featured All-Americans, with Ethan Duncan representing the Chaparrals and Grace Foster and Maci Maddox representing the Lady Chaps. Chaparral baseball standouts third baseman Brevin McCool and pitcher Ryan Markwardt were also named All-Americans, and softball star Kendra Levesque earned LCU’s final All-American honor.

Several LCU student athletes also earned national player of the year awards. Breven McCool was named Ron Lenz National Player of the Year for NCAA DII Baseball, and for women’s basketball, Audrey Robertson was named the top academic player in the country, earning the prestigious Elite 90 award while also holding the NCAA Division II’s record for active games played. Grace Foster was also named the NCAA Division II Academic All-America Team Member of the Year by College Sports Coaches. Men’s Tennis Senior Matthijs Mallee earned the NCAA Elite 90 Award for academic excellence, the first in program history to receive the award.

LCU Athletics’ emphasis on academic excellence once again made national marks in the 2024-25 season. In addition to the individual awards, 115 student athletes—35% of the entire program—earned a 4.0 GPA for the year, the highest mark in the Lone Star Conference. The department as a whole held a GPA of 3.46, the highest in program history.