It was another outstanding season for University of Central Missouri Athletics in 2025-26, highlighted by UCM's 14th-place finish in the Learfield Directors' Cup Standings, marking the 20th straight year UCM has placed in the top-30 of the standings.

UCM Athletics achieved numerous accomplishments on and off the field, including milestones in academics, community service, revenue generation, and facility enhancements in 2025-26.

Athletic Excellence

• Team Successes:
  • The Mules and Jennies combined to have 11 teams advance to NCAA postseason competition, highlighted by:
    • Jennies Soccer secured a regional berth for the 15th straight season.
    • Mules Basketball advanced to NCAA regionals for the first time in 10 years.
    • Jennies Basketball secured the program's 13th MIAA Regular Season Championship in 2025-26 and secured a berth in the NCAA Tournament.
    • Mules Wrestling sent the most athletes to NCAA Nationals in 16 years.
    • Mules Baseball captured its third straight and 22nd overall NCAA Division II Regional Championship in 2026. The regional crown secured UCM's 22nd berth in the NCAA Division II World Series.
    • Mules Golf qualified for NCAA regionals for the 32nd straight season and advanced to nationals, where they finished 12th.
    • Jennies Track & Field posted a top-10 finish at the NCAA-II Outdoor Championships, placing 10th with 24 points. It's the highest finish for the Jennies during the outdoor season since 2021.
  • Individual Accolades:
    • Grizell Scarlett of Jennies Track & Field was the national runner-up in the women's 60m and 200m dashes at the NCAA-II Indoor Championships and the women's 100m and 200m dashes at the NCAA-II Outdoor Championships. Jennies Track & Field's Grizell Scarlett was tabbed the 2025-26 USTFCCCA Central Region Indoor Track Athlete of the Year.
    • Mules Basketball's Lazerek Houston was named both the MIAA Player and Freshman of the Year, becoming the first player in MIAA history to earn both honors in the same season.
    • Damon Ashworth of Mules Wrestling was the 2025-26 National Runner-Up at 184 Pounds at the NCAA-II Wrestling Championships.
    • Jennies Golf's Mia Rallo captured MIAA Women's Golfer of the Year accolades for a third consecutive season, becoming the only MIAA Women's Golfer to achieve that milestone.
    • Mules Golf's CJ Phillips captured the NCAA-II Midwest/Central Regional Individual Championship on May 9 in Big Rapids, Mich. 
    • Mules Wrestling's Torin Forsyth (285 pounds) and James Wright (141 pounds) both captured NCAA-II Super Region IV Championships March 1 in Edmond, Okla.
    • The Mules and Jennies combined for 19 All-American honors, 35 All-Region selections, and 80 All-MIAA accolades during the season.
    • Mules Baseball's Chase Wilcox (first base) and Cole Kreisel (shortstop) earned ABCA/Rawlings Central Region All-Defensive Team honors in 2026.
  • Coach of the Year
    • Jennies Basketball's Dave Slifer was voted the 2025-26 MIAA Women's Basketball Coach of the Year.
    • Mules Baseball head coach Kyle Crookes was voted the ABCA/ATEC Division II Central Region Coach of the Year for a third straight season and seventh time overall in 2026.

Another Banner Year in the Classroom

• The Mules and Jennies not only excelled in competition, but they were stellar in the classroom in 2025-26, posting a department-wide GPA of 3.29.
• Mules Football's Michael Harris, Jennies Softball's Taylor Thompson, and Jennies Bowling's Camryn Cramer were all voted College Sports Communicators Academic All-Americans in 2025-26.
• 384 UCM Student-Athletes earned 2025-26 MIAA Academic Honor Roll honors.
• 83 student-athletes graduated in 2025-26.
• Jennies Track & Field swept the prestigious MIAA "A-Game" Scholar-Athlete Award in 2025-26, as Emily Meeks earned the Indoor Track & Field Championships "A-Game" Award and Myah Morris earned the Outdoor Track & Field Championships "A-Game" Award. The award honors the student-athlete with the highest GPA at a MIAA Championship event.

Supporting the Community

• UCM student-athletes posted over 5,000 hours of community service in and around the Warrensburg community.
• The UCM Athletics Literacy Team continued its over three-decade tradition of reading and donating books to local schools. This season, for the first time, UCM Athletics expanded the program from four schools to seven, including Warrensburg Christian School, Knob Noster Elementary, and Whiteman Air Force Base Elementary, in addition to the four Warrensburg Elementary Schools (Ridgeview, Maple Grove, Martin Warren, and Sterling).

Major Facility Enhancements

• UCM Athletics completed over $2.5 million worth of facility enhancements, including: Jerry M. Hughes Athletics Center Audio Visual Upgrades, Jennies Softball infield turf, Walton Stadium/Kennedy Field LED lighting, Walton Stadium/Kennedy Field suite renovations, Traditions Restaurant renovations.
• Over the last three years, UCM Athletics has completed more than $6.9 million in facility projects.
• During 2025-26, UCM Athletics initiated $13.8 Million worth of capital projects including but not limited to: Diamond Sports Indoor Development Facility for Mules Baseball and Jennies Softball, New Mules Wrestling & Jennies Volleyball locker room, lounges, and Volleyball offices in the Hughes Center, Jennies Soccer & Softball outfield turf installation with AstroTurf and Mid-America Sports Construction, Walton Stadium Videoboard replacement and enlargement with Impact Signs, and Hughes Center Court replacement with Robbins Flooring and Missouri Floor Company.

Taking Fan Experience to the Next Level

• Mules Football, Mules Basketball, and Jennies Basketball each ranked in the top 10 in the nation in attendance, finishing as one of the only institutions in the country to finish in the top 10 in each of the three sports.
  • For Mules Football's home opener vs. CSU Pueblo on September 11, UCM Athletics had its highest student attendance at an event since before the COVID-19 pandemic, with over 1,600 UCM students on-site to cheer on the Mules.
  • Over the course of the season, the Mules and Jennies combined to go 24-3 inside the Hughes Athletics Center.
  • Team UCM made a massive impact: over the Mules and Jennies' final five doubleheader match-ups, the teams averaged just shy of 1,700 fans, combining to go 10-0 in those games. To kick off that five-game stretch, with the Mules taking on top-ranked Washburn, UCM basketball drew 1,784 fans, and Mule Nation cultivated an elite environment that helped the team pull off a big upset.
• Overall, Mules Baseball attendance was up 27 percent year-over-year and 66 percent from 2024.
• Jennies Soccer hosted its first-ever Soctober, setting a program attendance record
• In the 2025-26 season, UCM Digital Media Production, under the leadership of Darin Plummer, broadcast 97 events from the Warrensburg campus, totaling over 29,000 views on The MIAA Network.

Revenue Generation Continues Its Climb

• There were 15,814 total tickets sold, generating over $273,000 in revenue across all ticketed events during the 2025-2026 athletic season, a 17 percent year-over-year increase.
• Taymar Sales U helped UCM Athletics increase its sponsorship revenue by 29 percent in 2025-26, including a 24 percent increase in multi-year deals. Sponsorship revenue has grown by 74 percent over the last two fiscal years.
• Sponsorship growth was highlighted by the addition of the three largest sponsorship agreements in department history:
  • Gator Graphics grew their partnership to a multiyear deal, making them the Official Signage Partner of UCM Athletics
  • Central Bank also signed a multiyear deal, making it the Official Bank of UCM Athletics and also offering the Mules Checking Account and debit card available at any Central Bank location.
  • Pepsi signed a long-term contract as the Athletics Department's exclusive pouring rights provider, while enhancing its investment to fuel the success of UCM Student Athletes through nutritional support, Gatorade equipment and product, Pepsi equipment and product, Gatorade summer camp sponsorship, and cash sponsorship.

Cardinal & Black Fund Makes Major Gains

• Membership in UCM Athletics' Cardinal & Black Fund increased its overall membership number to 185 in 2025-26, which is an increase over the 2024-25 season and an impressive 134 percent increase over the final year of the Mule Train two years ago.
• During FY 26, annual giving to the Cardinal & Black Fund and sport-specific Excellence Funds in UCM Athletics received 1,492 gifts totaling over $605,000.
  • Cardinal & Black Fund membership is now open for the 2026-27 competition year. Support UCM student-athletes by clicking here.

 Thank you, Mule Nation!

• UCM Athletics secured over $4.7 million in cash and pledges. Thank you for your amazing support and generosity, Team UCM!
• The 2025 Celebrating Central Missouri Athletics Auction raised over $200,000 and sold over 400 items in support of the Mules and Jennies.
• Mules Baseball had another successful First Pitch Banquet, which featured Royals World Series Champion and Platinum Glove award-winning outfielder Alex Gordon as the keynote speaker. It was the largest-attended and highest-revenue-generating First Pitch Banquet to date.
• The annual Match Madness Campaign raised a record amount of $84,469 for UCM Athletics. The five-year total for Match Madness is now $311,000!

UCM Athletics: Regional Economic Value & Community Impact 

• Strategic Partnership: UCM Athletics collaborated with the Warrensburg Convention and Visitors Bureau, the UCM Harmon College of Business Economics Professor Dr. Chris Azevedo, and Mammoth Consulting to evaluate the regional economic footprint of Mules and Jennies Athletics.
• Event & Visitor Reach: UCM Athletics hosted 121 campus-based athletic events during the 2025–26 season, drawing over 107,000 total attendees.
• Total Economic Footprint: Generated an estimated $6.25 million in economic impact for the Warrensburg community, supporting nearly 69 full-time jobs.
• Direct Sector Revenue: Injected over $2.3 million in food and beverage, $1.3 million in lodging, $500,000 in transportation, and $250,000 in local tax revenue.

University of Central Missouri Athletics kicks off the 2026-27 season with the 26th-annual Celebrating Central Missouri Athletics Auction on Friday, August 7th. The first regular-season home competition of the year for UCM Athletics is the annual Get the Red Out Mules Football game on Thursday evening, Sept. 3, at 7 p.m. against Missouri Western State University at Walton Stadium/Kennedy Field. UCM Athletics looks forward to making 2026-27 even more memorable than last year!

For the most up-to-date information on the Mules and Jennies, please visit www.UCMAthletics.com.