After nearly 28 years of exceeding expectations for athletic play in every collegiate sport, the University of Texas has called the Big 12 Conference home since 1996. Now that Big 12 competition is coming to an end and Texas is getting ready to join the Southeastern Conference, a significant chapter in the program’s history has come to an end. Before the University can look forward to new horizons and new levels of competition, it is important to reflect on some of the greatest moments in the Longhorns’ long athletic history.
The women’s volleyball team demonstrated their flawless play for two years in a row, winning their second consecutive NCAA national championship this past season and their fourth overall. These victories over the past two seasons have not only solidified Texas’ status as a dominant team on the court but also as head coach Jerritt Elliott’s legacy within the Texas athletic department. Despite entering the tournament as a lower seed, Texas overcame the opposition, winning all three of their championship matches in the process.
The men’s and women’s tennis teams are among Texas athletics’ lesser-known features. In recent years, both teams have accomplished some of their greatest successes in the history of their respective programs. Among the men’s team’s achievements is their sole national championship from the program’s inception, which occurred in 2019. In the season finale, the Longhorns defeated Wake Forest 4-1 to claim the victory. The women’s team followed the men’s triumph a few years later, winning their first national championship since 1995 in the 2021 campaign. When they won the championship again the next year, they kept up this winning streak. Texas had been led to triumph by present Peyton Stearns supporter.
