The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Forty Acres Insider: June 2
06.02.2026 | Forty Acres Insider
Important news happening in and around Texas Athletics compiled by Vice President and Athletics Director Chris Del Conte
Longhorn Nation,
You can LIGHT THE TOWER ORANGE! Rowing is National Champions, giving Coach O'Neill and our Longhorns FOUR NCAA Titles in the last SIX years and lifting us to 70 all-time National Championships. How about that for The Pride and Winning Tradition of The University of Texas?! And what a weekend it was across the Forty Acres. Softball advanced to the WCWS Championship Series for a third-straight year (and fourth time in five years). Men's Golf finished second in NCAA Championship stroke play and moved on to Match Play. Track and Field advanced 13 student-athletes and all four relays to the NCAA Championships. And Baseball brought the heat at UFCU Disch-Falk Field — alongside you, the greatest fans in the land — winning the Austin Regional and charging down the Road to Omaha with a Super Regional against Oregon on deck right back here at The Disch starting Saturday. Softball is up first, playing for a National Championship starting on Wednesday against Texas Tech (7 p.m. CT on ESPN) in Oklahoma City — in the first-ever WCWS Championship Series back-to-back rematch. The stakes keep getting higher — let's do this! Hook 'Em!!
Light The Tower! 2026 National Champions! #HookEm | #HereComesTexas pic.twitter.com/wnClwK0y4S
— Texas Rowing (@TexasRowing) May 31, 2026
June is here, summer has arrived, and Texas Fight is on full display, y'all. Rowing's title gives us 70 ALL-TIME NATIONAL TITLES, including 66 NCAA Championships. Combined with Men's Swimming and Diving's crown, that makes six-straight years with multiple National Championships for us — how about that?! In that stretch, we've captured 15 NCAA Crowns by eight different programs, and excluding the COVID-shortened 2019-20 season, we've now won at least one NCAA Championship in 11-straight seasons (the longest streak in UT history!). Add in our first-ever ITA National Men's Indoor Team Tennis Championship — which isn't an official NCAA Championship but a part of the hardware haul — and it's another massive year across the board. Overall, we've already had 10 teams finish among the top-five at their NCAA Championships and 13 in the top-10. It's full speed ahead with our eyes on the prize — a third-straight LEARFIELD Directors' Cup and fifth in the last six years. We're so incredibly proud of our student-athletes, coaches and teams, and so darn lucky to have you cheering us on every step of the way. There's no doubt about it — it's a phenomenal time to be a Longhorn!
The @TexasRowing NCAA Championship joins @TexasMSD to make it TWO National Championships this year and 7️⃣0️⃣ all-time for Texas🤘🏻
— John Bianco (@UT_Bianco) May 31, 2026
1️⃣5️⃣ of those NCAA Team Titles have come over the last 6️⃣ years‼️#HookEm pic.twitter.com/y8iITRD0bv
Talk about Texas Fight! Coach O'Neill — who I affectionately call Captain Dave! — and our Rowing squad put that on full display, overwhelming the field in record-setting fashion in two of three races to STAMPEDE TO THE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP on Sunday at Lake Lanier Olympic Park in Gainesville, Ga. Our Horns opened the day with a six-second victory over Tennessee in the I Four to claim the national title in that race. A runner-up finish to Stanford in the II Eight then set the stage for the Grand Finale, and our Horns left absolutely no doubt, storming to a nearly five-second victory over Stanford in the I Eight to secure the National Championship. That crew posted an NCAA Record time over 2,000 meters of 5:47.706 and the fastest women's eight time at that distance in world history, shattering the previous mark of 5:52.99 set by Romania at the Tokyo Olympic Games. In the end, we totaled 130 points with Stanford a distant second with 125. That makes it FOUR National Championships in the last SIX years for our Horns — twice as many as any rowing program during that stretch. The wins in the I Eight and I Four also gave us seven all-time individual boat national titles, with the I Eight securing its fourth crown (2021, 2022, 2024, 2026) and the I Four it's third (2023, 2024, 2026). Hardware secured, Horns Up, and what a Sunday it was for Texas Rowing!
trophy time for all 3 of our boats 🤘#HookEm | #HereComesTexas pic.twitter.com/LzWGO7Rvzo
— Texas Rowing (@TexasRowing) May 31, 2026
Coach White and our Defending National Champion SOFTBALL SQUAD IS ON A STRAIGHT-UP HEATER, advancing to the WCWS Championship Series for the third-straight year and fourth time in the last five years. And there were heroes abound as they did it in dramatic and emphatic fashion, winning four-straight elimination games — including taking down Tennessee not once, but twice, on Monday — to punch their ticket back to the Championship Series. As they say, folks … TWICE WAS NICE! During that four-game winning streak with victories over Mississippi State (4-0), Nebraska (3-1) and Tennessee (5-2 & 4-0), our Horns outscored opponents 16-3. It took a ton of Texas Fight throughout, but how about that Katie Stewart three-run bomb in the bottom of the sixth inning against the Big Ten Champion Huskers that propelled us into the semifinals? And let's talk about that magnificent Monday that put us over the top. Reese Atwood got things rolling at the plate in game one with a homer, while Citlaly Gutierrez was fearless in the circle, tossing a gem and keeping the hot-hitting Vols on their heels all afternoon. Then in game two, our All-American ace Teagan Kavan was downright dominant, striking out a WCWS career-high 10 batters in the shutout victory. Stewie launched homers in both games Monday — and has now gone yard in three-straight games while blasting a school-record 30 round-trippers this season. And how about that electrifying steal of home from Kayden Henry for a critical run in the finale against Tennessee?! Huge plays at every turn, and along the way our guy Coach White notched his 800th career victory, too. Now it's title defense time and a rematch with Texas Tech, folks. It's showtime, the lights keep getting brighter, and our Longhorns are firing on all cylinders — all gas no brakes. Let's get after the Red Raiders!
for the fourth time in the last five years, TEXAS IS HEADED BACK TO THE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES 🤘🏆#HookEm pic.twitter.com/uOlHMXVpE3
— Texas Softball (@TexasSoftball) June 1, 2026
Men's Golf KEPT THE STAMPEDE GOING at the NCAA Championship at Omni La Costa Resort & Spa in Carlsbad, Calif. Our Horns surged through the stroke-play rounds — finishing second at 23-under-par, just three strokes back of the leader Auburn — in advancing to Match Play as the No. 2 seed and taking dead aim on a National Championship. It marks the NINTH time in the last 14 NCAA Championships that Coach Fields and our Horns have advanced to the Match Play quarterfinals —the only school to advance to Match Play at least nine times in the last 14 opportunities. And we're one of only three programs to have both our men's AND women's programs advance to this year's Match Play portion of the NCAA Championship, along with Oklahoma State and Stanford. Tommy Morrison led the way in stroke play, firing 7-under-par to finish tied for 10th, with Matt Comegys and Christiaan Maas close behind at 4-under-par and tied for 19th. And I've got to give a shoutout to the senior trio of Tommy, Christiaan and Luke Potter who all earned Korn Ferry Tour membership for the remainder of the 2026 season by virtue of their top-10 status in the final PGA TOUR University ranking. Match Play began this morning with a quarterfinal matchup against UCLA (tune into Golf Channel) as our Horns look to survive and advance.
for a nation's BEST 9️⃣th time in the last 14 NCAA Championships, our guys are moving on to Match Play 🤘#TakeDeadAim | #NCAAGolf pic.twitter.com/AuZfIpLDqE
— Texas Men's Golf (@TexasMGolf) June 2, 2026
What a sensational weekend it was at UFCU Disch-Falk Field as Coach Schloss and our Horns went three up and three down to win the AUSTIN REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP and advance to this weekend's Super Regional — one step closer on the Road to Omaha. We charged out of the gates in the first two wins, tallying a combined 35 runs on 33 hits with 11 homers while holding our challengers to just three runs, with 19 strikeouts and only three walks in a 19-1 victory over Holy Cross and a 16-2 win against Tarleton State. The opener was historic as the 19-1 win over Holy Cross matched the largest NCAA Tournament victory in program history, while Anthony Pack Jr.'s three homers were the most ever by a Longhorn in an NCAA Tournament game. Saturday brought more fireworks, but Sunday required grit, toughness and plenty of Texas Fight in a hard-fought 6-4 win over a feisty bunch from UC Santa Barbara. Y'all delivered again in the stands and our team matched that energy on the field. In a back-and-forth pitching duel that had our Horns trailing through six innings, Aiden Robbins came through in the clutch again, crushing a two-run seventh-inning 406-foot blast over the right-center field fence — his fourth home run of the regional — to give us a 4-3 lead. We added two key insurance runs before Luke Harrison shut down UCSB's final rally to secure the victory and punch our ticket to the Super Regionals. Robbins was named the Regional's Most Outstanding Player, while Pack Jr., Carson Tinney, Adrian Rodriguez, Saturday night ace Dylan Volantis earned Austin Regional All-Tournament team honors. Now it's on to Oregon at The Disch starting on Saturday with a trip to Omaha on the line. We need y'all bringing that same energy and atmosphere once again, so get rested up, ready to be rowdy and we'll see you back at UFCU Disch-Falk Field!
AUSTIN REGIONAL CHAMPS 🏆#HookEm pic.twitter.com/aqwCEVNA7o
— Texas Baseball (@TexasBaseball) June 1, 2026
Coach Flo and Track and Field had a strong showing at the NCAA West Preliminaries in Fayetteville last week. All totaled, 13 INDIVIDUAL LONGHORNS AND ALL FOUR RELAYS HAVE PUNCHED THEIR TICKETS to the NCAA Championships in Eugene next week (June 10-13). Kendrick Smallwood led the way, shattering his own school record and posting the fastest time in the world this year in the 110-meter hurdles (13.04). He's now the fifth-fastest collegiate 110m hurdler in history to boot. Amelliah Birdow also shined by posting the top qualifying time in the 400m hurdles (54.95) to advance to Eugene. Along with qualifying all four relays, our Horns secured seven women's individual bids at the NCAA Championships: Carleta Bernard (100m), Birdow (400m hurdles), Anouk Krause-Jentsch (400m hurdles), Jeanne Le Goff (triple jump), Giavonna Meeks (hammer throw), Bayleigh Minor (400m) and Tabea Eitel, who had already qualified in the heptathlon prior to the prelims. On the men's side, we produced six qualifiers: Osawese Agbonkonkon (high jump), Kody Blackwood (400m hurdles), Chris Brinkley Jr. (400m hurdles), Kelsey Daniel (triple jump), Shaiquan Dunn (shot put) and Smallwood (110m hurdles). Now we turn our focus to the national stage in Eugene.
TO THE VICTOR GO THE SPOILS, Y'ALL. The honors came rolling in fast and furious for our NCAA Individual Champion Farah O'Keefe last week. It started with Farah becoming our first-ever winner of the ANNIKA Award, presented annually since 2014 to the top female Division I golfer in the nation. She then added another historic achievement by becoming just the second Longhorn ever to earn WGCA Player of the Year honors — an award that dates back nearly 40 years to 1987 — joining Longhorn Legend Michiko Hattori (1989). The accolades just keep coming for the SEC Player of the Year, the No. 1-ranked women's collegiate golfer and the No. 4-ranked player in the World Amateur Golf Ranking. And the scary part for the rest of the golf world (and really exciting for us) is she's just getting started. The future is incredibly bright, and The Eyes of Texas will continue to be on Farah for a long, long time!
While June signifies the start of summer, our LONGHORNS CONTINUE TO STAMPEDE through the final stretch of the NCAA spring seasons. Rowing won the National Championship, Softball advanced to the WCWS Championship Series, and Baseball claimed the Austin Regional Championship. Men's Golf delivered another big-time performance in stroke play and advanced to Match Play once again, while Baseball now gets set to host Oregon in this week's Super Regional at UFCU Disch-Falk Field. The NCAA Track and Field Championships are also right around the corner in Eugene (June 10-13) with all four of our relay teams and 13 Longhorns headed to the national stage. We're entering the homestretch and sprinting to the finish, my friends. Ain't nothin' gonna break our stride — our Horns are locked in on competing at the highest level and continuing the pursuit of another LEARFIELD Directors' Cup crown. So let's keep those Horns Up and Hook 'Em!
big week for the Horns 🤘#HookEm pic.twitter.com/uiRrE5fmz9
— Texas Longhorns (@TexasLonghorns) June 2, 2026
Oh, and hey, we've got to give a shoutout to a couple of our all-time football greats who on Monday were announced as candidates for major honors as part of the ballot for potential inclusion in the 2027 National Football Foundation College Football Hall of Fame class. Colt McCoy — a two-time Walter Camp Football Foundation National Player of the Year and Heisman Trophy Finalist — and Casey Hampton — a consensus First-Team All-American and Pittsburgh Steelers Hall of Famer — are both incredibly deserving of the recognition. We're fired up to see those Longhorn Legends on the ballot!
Longhorn Legends Colt McCoy and Casey Hampton are on the ballot for the 2027 NFF College Football Hall of Fame 🤘@cfbhall x @NFFNetwork pic.twitter.com/YwvE0UmTSS
— Texas Football (@TexasFootball) June 1, 2026
Hook 'Em Horns,
P.S. — Make it TWO NCAA Titles this season!
With @TexasRowing joining @TexasMSD in winning NCAA Championships this year, that makes it SIX-STRAIGHT years our Longhorns have claimed multiple National Team Titles in the same season 🏆🏆🤘🏻🤘🏻 pic.twitter.com/z9EI4I08FZ
— John Bianco (@UT_Bianco) May 31, 2026
P.S. — Thank You Longhorn Nation, see you The Disch!
y'all are the best 🤘#HookEm pic.twitter.com/sTeLvUgFu2
— Texas Baseball (@TexasBaseball) June 1, 2026
P.S. — Fastest EVER!
Texas just does it best 🤘
— Texas Rowing (@TexasRowing) May 31, 2026
world-best time at 5:47.06 from our I Varsity Eight to secure another Natty‼️#HookEm | #HereComesTexas pic.twitter.com/YqrWc9pBvc
P.S. — It was a SENSTIONAL SUNDAY on the Forty Acres INDEED!
Sensational Sunday for our Longhorns🤘🏻
— John Bianco (@UT_Bianco) June 1, 2026
🏆 @TexasRowing — National Champions
🥎 @TexasSoftball — advance to WCWS Semis for 3rd-straight year
⚾️ @TexasBaseball — Austin Regional Champs & on to Supers
⛳️ @TexasMGolf — 2nd place entering final round of NCAA Championship stroke play pic.twitter.com/ZzVy3TAWpu
P.S. — Our fellas are hard at work getting ready for the season!
Back to work 🤘 pic.twitter.com/tRJgb472VD
— Texas Football (@TexasFootball) June 1, 2026
P.S. — One for the record books!
keep the record book open for @teenyman2 🤘👑#FloKnows x #HookEm pic.twitter.com/olYfm99mub
— Texas T&F/XC (@TexasTFXC) May 30, 2026
P.S. — All Eyes on Texas
The Eyes of Texas are EVERYWHERE🤘🏻🤘🏻🤘🏻🤘🏻
— John Bianco (@UT_Bianco) May 28, 2026
FOUR Longhorn programs drew over ONE MILLION viewers for a game this year:@TexasFootball, @TexasMBB, @TexasWBB and @TexasSoftball#HookEm https://t.co/PFw2KMaVBr
P.S. — What Starts Here!
week 1 with @usavolleyball features plenty of Horns 🤘🇺🇸#HookEm pic.twitter.com/WGkH2dmfc5
— Texas Volleyball (@TexasVolleyball) May 28, 2026
