OKLAHOMA CITY – For the second-straight year, the Sooner Athletic Commissioner's Cup will be returning to Mid-America Christian as the Evangels captured the crown in just the third year of the existence of trophy.
The SAC Commissioner's Cup is awarded to the athletic program in the conference that performs at the highest level of excellence in all of its sports across the board with the final standings determined on a point value for how a school places in the regular season of each SAC-sponsored sport.
Overall, MACU ran away with this year's SAC Commissioner's Cup, finishing with a score of 0.8673, which was more than a tenth higher than second place John Brown at 0.7670 and Oklahoma City in third at 0.7049.
"I am extremely proud of our student-athletes, coaches, and support staff for their accomplishments over the past year," stated MACU Athletic Director Marcus Moeller. "We had several 'firsts' on the field and courts that certainly made it a fun year for our MACU family. We are fortunate to have great support throughout every level of our University and I hope our entire campus community feels an immense pride in this great accomplishment!"
Overall, the Evangels saw incredible success across its 10 league sponsored sports, finishing in the top three in the conference in seven of its programs, which included capturing the SAC regular season championship in men's soccer and a share of the program's first ever SAC regular season title in women's soccer.
"Congratulations to President Phil Greenwald and the entire athletic department at MACU for another fantastic year," said SAC Commissioner John Martin. "MACU continues to lead the way in the SAC and is very deserving of all its great achievements."
The Evangels also placed second in both baseball and men's basketball to go along with third-place finishes in volleyball, women's basketball, and softball as well as a fourth-place mark in men's cross country.
Under first year head coach Aaron Hoxie, the MACU men's soccer team wrapped up its 2024 campaign by capturing the program's fourth consecutive SAC regular season championship after going 7-0-2 in league play while amassing a 14-3-4 overall record to finish No. 17 in the final NAIA Top 25 Coaches' Poll and qualified for its fifth consecutive NAIA Tournament.
The Evangels also saw unprecedented success with their women's soccer team as MACU finished in a three-way tie at the top of the SAC standings with an 8-1 conference record. Under fourth-year head coach Anthony Yousey, the Evangels also wrapped up the season with a 14-4-2 overall record and qualified for the program's first ever appearance in the NAIA Tournament.
Coming off its winningest season in program history, the MACU baseball team put together another remarkable year on the field as the Evangels wrapped up their 2025 campaign with an overall record of 41-17 and placed second in the SAC with a 20-7 record. Under fifth-year head coach Brett Stanton, The Evangels made their its second-straight trip to the NAIA tourney and completed their deepest run yet as MACU advanced all the way to the Opening Round Championship before eventually falling to undefeated No. 1 LSU Shreveport in the title tilt.
With the SAC being highly competitive in men's basketball with five teams covering within three games of the regular season championship, Mid-America Christian once again finished second in the league standings, tying for second with Langston with a conference mark of 17-7 while going 22-9 overall. Under 10th-year head coach Josh Gamblin, the Evangels received an at-large bid to the NAIA Tournament for the second-straight year and its eighth trip in the last 11 years.
The MACU women's basketball team also put together one of its best seasons in program history as the Evangels closed out the year with a 27-7 overall record and were in a three-horse race for the SAC title after finishing in third with a 19-5 conference mark. With head coach Hannah Moeller being in her ninth season at the helm, the Evangels caught fire in the postseason, posting back-to-back 30-point victories over Science & Arts in the semifinal and No. 20 Wayland Baptist in the semifinal to advance to the team's first ever SAC Tournament Championship game.
Even though MACU came up just short against top-seeded No. 17 Langston in its home venue, the Evangels followed up by making its first ever run to the NAIA Tournament Round of 16 after defeating Northwestern in the First Round and Kansas Wesleyan in their Second Round contest.
The MACU softball squad overcame some early and midseason adversity during its 2025 campaign as the Evangels at one point held a 7-9 overall record and a 3-3 mark in SAC play through Mar. 13. After getting back-to-back 7-3, 3-1 victories against a No. 5 Oklahoma City team that is currently competing for the NAIA Championship, the Evangels closed out their regular season by winning 19 of its final 26 games to finish third in the SAC with a 22-10 league record. The Evangels went on to close out the year with a 32-22 overall record after advancing all the way to the NCCAA National Championship game.
MACU volleyball posted its second-consecutive third-place finish in the SAC standings after completing its regular season with a 15-7 league mark and a 21-14 overall record. Notching its fourth-straight 20-plus win season, the Evangels once again qualified for the NCCAA National Championships, making its sixth-straight trip under fifth-year head coach Holly McKamie.
In only its second year as a program, the MACU men's cross country team under head coach Merritt Suenram put together a sensational showing at the SAC Championships after placing fourth out of 11 teams in the title run while also turning in a fourth place finish in only its second-ever appearance at the NCCAA National Championships.
On-top of its team success, Jaden Rodriguez as just a freshman became the program's first ever All-SAC honoree after placing eighth as an individual in the conference meet, becoming the program's first ever qualifier for the NAIA National Championships as well as claimed an NCCAA All-America honors after placing sixth in the national meet.
The MACU women's cross country team also put together a strong showing in the fall as the Evangels as a team placed fifth in the SAC Championships while Gracie Sanders earned All-SAC accolades after placing third in the title race and also garnered NCCAA All-America honors for the second consecutive year after placing third in the national meet as well.
The MACU men's track and field team put together its first season as a program in the spring and still managed to place 10th out of 12 teams in the SAC Championship meet despite only competing in four distance running events.
After placing third in the 800-meter event, Mohamed Zairi became the program's first ever All-SAC honoree while he joined Rodriguez on the podium in the NCCAA National Championships after claiming third in the 800-meter while Rodriguez captured third in the 5000-meter to become the program's first NCCAA All-Americans.
Mid-America Christian officially becomes the first institution in the Sooner Athletic Conference to capture the SAC Commissioner's Cup after capturing the trophy last year. The Evangels won the 2023-24 crown after edging out John Brown with a scoring average of 0.7857 to JBU's 0.7777.
