University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Athletics: 2025-26 Year-in-Review
7/31/2026 10:00:00 AM | General
HATTIESBURG, Miss. – As practices begin for several sports next week on the Southern Miss, it is a good time to take a quick look back at last season.
The 2025-26 academic year proved to be a banner one for the Southern Miss Athletics Department as they saw their best showing in the Sun Belt Conference's Bubas Cup Trophy standings in three years. Those achievements were not limited to just the playing fields as the department continued the outstanding work in the classroom by its almost 400 student-athletes, while continuing to make huge strides in both its fundraising and facility improvement efforts.
The Golden Eagles finished fourth for the Bubas Cup, enjoying their highest finish since the school's first year in the league during the 2022-23 year. The award is given annually to the top athletics department in the Sun Belt Conference based on a points system for each sport that the league sponsors.
The school's baseball team led the way with a Sun Belt regular season and tournament championship, on its way to playing host to its second regional in a row and fifth overall. A strong showing during the football campaign which led to the school's first bowl game – a trip to the New Orleans Bowl – in three seasons.
The softball program enjoyed its most wins since 2010 (33) and earned a spot in its fourth consecutive postseason league tournament. The men's golf program, which finished tied for third in the Sun Belt Championship, earned its first-ever NCAA berth for its program.
For men's basketball, a late season surge saw them capture 19 victories, while first-year women's basketball coach Missy Bilderback collected 15 wins in her first campaign.
The Golden Eagle volleyball program enjoyed a 17-win season, while women's soccer announced the hiring of coach Danny Owens to take over the program for the fall of 2026.
In track and field, De'Aundre Ward finished as runner-up during the NCAA Indoor National Championship earning first team Indoor All-America honors. The track and field program also saw five Sun Belt champions during the indoor season and two more during the outdoor campaign. In cross country, the women's program finished second in the league's championship event while Emme Bates finished first-team All-Sun Belt.
The beach volleyball program enjoyed its most wins in four seasons (16), while the women's golf program collected a pair of tournament crowns during the year. Both tennis programs reached their respective conference tournaments.
As for academics, the spring 2026 semester all-sports grade point average reached an impressive 3.329 GPA, surpassing the previous record from Fall 2025, which was 3.297. The spring semester marked the 10th consecutive semester that the overall sports GPA exceeded 3.000. Of the 15 sports programs, 12 teams earned a semester GPA of 3.000 or higher. Sixty student athletes registered a perfect 4.00 GPA, up 10 from the fall semester.
The women's teams collectively earned an outstanding 3.492 GPA, tying the fourth-highest women's GPA in school history. Every women's team posted a GPA of 3.000 or higher, with beach volleyball leading the way with a 3.753 GPA. The men's teams also achieved remarkable success, earning a collective 3.212 GPA and setting a new program record. This marks the third consecutive semester the men's programs have posted a GPA above 3.000, with three of six men's sports finishing above that mark. Baseball led the men's programs with a 3.393 GPA, while Football followed closely behind with a 3.364 GPA, the highest football GPA on record.
In the fund-raising realm, the athletic foundation raised $9.8 million this past fiscal year, which ranks as the most ever raised in one year by the department. The Athletics Department also transitioned to Affinity Licensing for the 2025-26 year and saw an immediate increase in royalty revenue. This past year, Southern Miss experienced a record-breaking year in the licensing realm with a 43.3 percent increase in royalties and represents the highest reported royalties since 2023.
Over the last year, the department has begun renovations as well as construction on a new basketball practice facility on the south side of Reed Green Coliseum. In addition, a new softball LED board was installed following the conclusion of the season and should be operational next spring.
Southern Miss Athletics looks forward to building on this past season's success in reaching new heights as they open a new sporting year later this month.
The 2025-26 academic year proved to be a banner one for the Southern Miss Athletics Department as they saw their best showing in the Sun Belt Conference's Bubas Cup Trophy standings in three years. Those achievements were not limited to just the playing fields as the department continued the outstanding work in the classroom by its almost 400 student-athletes, while continuing to make huge strides in both its fundraising and facility improvement efforts.
The Golden Eagles finished fourth for the Bubas Cup, enjoying their highest finish since the school's first year in the league during the 2022-23 year. The award is given annually to the top athletics department in the Sun Belt Conference based on a points system for each sport that the league sponsors.
The school's baseball team led the way with a Sun Belt regular season and tournament championship, on its way to playing host to its second regional in a row and fifth overall. A strong showing during the football campaign which led to the school's first bowl game – a trip to the New Orleans Bowl – in three seasons.
The softball program enjoyed its most wins since 2010 (33) and earned a spot in its fourth consecutive postseason league tournament. The men's golf program, which finished tied for third in the Sun Belt Championship, earned its first-ever NCAA berth for its program.
For men's basketball, a late season surge saw them capture 19 victories, while first-year women's basketball coach Missy Bilderback collected 15 wins in her first campaign.
The Golden Eagle volleyball program enjoyed a 17-win season, while women's soccer announced the hiring of coach Danny Owens to take over the program for the fall of 2026.
In track and field, De'Aundre Ward finished as runner-up during the NCAA Indoor National Championship earning first team Indoor All-America honors. The track and field program also saw five Sun Belt champions during the indoor season and two more during the outdoor campaign. In cross country, the women's program finished second in the league's championship event while Emme Bates finished first-team All-Sun Belt.
The beach volleyball program enjoyed its most wins in four seasons (16), while the women's golf program collected a pair of tournament crowns during the year. Both tennis programs reached their respective conference tournaments.
As for academics, the spring 2026 semester all-sports grade point average reached an impressive 3.329 GPA, surpassing the previous record from Fall 2025, which was 3.297. The spring semester marked the 10th consecutive semester that the overall sports GPA exceeded 3.000. Of the 15 sports programs, 12 teams earned a semester GPA of 3.000 or higher. Sixty student athletes registered a perfect 4.00 GPA, up 10 from the fall semester.
The women's teams collectively earned an outstanding 3.492 GPA, tying the fourth-highest women's GPA in school history. Every women's team posted a GPA of 3.000 or higher, with beach volleyball leading the way with a 3.753 GPA. The men's teams also achieved remarkable success, earning a collective 3.212 GPA and setting a new program record. This marks the third consecutive semester the men's programs have posted a GPA above 3.000, with three of six men's sports finishing above that mark. Baseball led the men's programs with a 3.393 GPA, while Football followed closely behind with a 3.364 GPA, the highest football GPA on record.
In the fund-raising realm, the athletic foundation raised $9.8 million this past fiscal year, which ranks as the most ever raised in one year by the department. The Athletics Department also transitioned to Affinity Licensing for the 2025-26 year and saw an immediate increase in royalty revenue. This past year, Southern Miss experienced a record-breaking year in the licensing realm with a 43.3 percent increase in royalties and represents the highest reported royalties since 2023.
Over the last year, the department has begun renovations as well as construction on a new basketball practice facility on the south side of Reed Green Coliseum. In addition, a new softball LED board was installed following the conclusion of the season and should be operational next spring.
Southern Miss Athletics looks forward to building on this past season's success in reaching new heights as they open a new sporting year later this month.
Monday, June 01
Monday, June 01
Monday, June 01
Monday, June 01