In WKU’s inaugural year in the Conference USA, the program tallied eight C-USA championships, which tied the league record for most in year.

Though the mark ties a record previously set by Tulsa in the 2011-2012 season, WKU is the first program to win eight conference championships and win a bowl game in the same year.

WKU collected volleyball, women’s basketball and softball regular season and tournament titles. The Hilltopper indoor and Lady Topper outdoor track and field programs also won C-USA titles. 

The Hilltopper football program pulled in its first ever FBS Bowl win with a tense 49-48 win over Central Michigan. 

The student-athlete’s strides in competition were matched in the classroom, with 56 student-athletes getting commissioner’s academic medals for having a GPA of at least 3.75. This was the most of any school in the conference.

In addition to holding the most commissioners medals, the most recent Academic Progress Rate scores show that all 18 of WKU’s athletic programs have surpassed the NCAA-required score of 930 by a minimum of 17 points. The scores reflect a program’s academic progress by taking the current school year’s results and comparing them to the previous three years. The volleyball and tennis programs scored perfect scores of 1,000.

“It was our goal to make an impact in our initial year in Conference USA, and we certainly did on the field of play and in the classroom,” Todd Stewart said via press release. “It is great to see their sacrifices and commitment rewarded with significant accomplishments.”