Texas sets conference record with 15 Big 12 championships (2024)

Light the tower orange.

The iconic 307-foot Main Building glows burnt orange when the Texas Longhorns win championships and during the 2023-24 sports year, Chris Del Conte’s athletic department has ensured that Austin nights celebrate those titles at an unprecedented rate — with rowing winning its ninth straight Big 12 title on Sunday, the 21 varsity sports for the Longhorns have won 15 conference championships this year, the most in conference history, 11 more than the Sooners and Cowboys tied for second place with four.

With Texas officially joining the SEC on July 1, the Longhorns are surging across sports in coming close to Del Conte’s objective of winning every possible Big 12 title before leaving the conference.

“In our last year in the Big 12 our goal was to win every conference championship we participated in and then win as many national championships as we can,” Del Conte said at his annual Town Hall in February. “That’s always the goal and the standard in our athletic program is we want each and every one of our programs to be a top-five program in the country and if you finish top five here, that means you’re competing for a national championship.”

The consistent finishes have Texas poised to win its third Directors’ Cup in the last four years after geese crashing into a boat cost rowing a national championship and helped Stanford regain the cup.

Here’s a look at each sport as Longhorns baseball prepares for the upcoming Big 12 Tournament in Arlington:

Rowing

In Florida, Texas rowing won its ninth straight Big 12 championship and 13th overall by sweeping all six races on Sunday to earn an automatic berth in the NCAA Championships. All five of the scored races set big 12 Championship records.

“We knew we’d be challenged today, so I’m really impressed with the way the entire team responded,” said Texas head coach Dave O’Neill. “All six crews did exactly they have trained so hard for, and everyone is really proud of each other.

“I give a lot of credit to all six of our strokes. Each of them set a long, powerful rhythm that truly made the difference throughout.”

The Longhorns will compete for their third national championship in the last four years from May 31 to June 2 in Bethel, Ohio — No. 1-ranked Texas is the favorite.

Golf

The Big 12 title for men’s golf was its first since 2017 and ninth overall as the Longhorns finished with an 18-stroke lead over the Sooners by shooting 25-under par at Whispering Pines Golf Club in Trinity.

Ranked No. 15, Texas is now preparing for the NCAA Championship on May 24-29 at Omni La Costa in Carlsbad, Calif. after winning the Austin Regional by 16 strokes at the University of Texas Golf Club. Sophom*ore Christian Maas won his first collegiate career individual victory at five-under par, winning by one stroke over teammate Nathan Petronzio, a senior. Four Longhorns finished in the top seven.

With a 12-stroke victory at the Clubs at Houston Oaks, Texas women’s golf won its fifth Big 12 Championship in the last seven years and eighth overall. After moving up eight spots on day two of the NCAA Championships, the Longhorns are in 13th place entering Sunday with the top 15 teams advancing after the third round.

Softball

Long blocked from Big 12 titles by the dominance of Oklahoma, Texas won its first regular-season Big 12 title since 2010 to earn the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament before falling to the Sooners in the championship game.

Despite that loss, the Longhorns earned the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history, stampeding through the Austin Regional this weekend with three straight wins by a combined score of 26-2. Texas A&M advanced past Texas State on Sunday in the College Station Regional to earn a trip to Austin next week with a berth in the Women’s College World Series on the line.

Track and field

The men’s and women’s track and field programs won the Big 12 Outdoor Championships, the fifth consecutive victory for the women with the help of winning six events and scoring in 21 of 24 events. Under head coach Edrick Floreal, it was the third outdoor title for the men in five years.

The outdoor track and field championships are from June 5-8 at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon.

In February in Lubbock, the women won the Big 12 Indoor Championships, the ninth indoor title in 10 years, as sophom*ore Dejanea Oakley was named the Big 12 Indoor High Point Performer after scoring 20 points at the meet, winning the 400-meter dash with a personal-best time and finishing second in the 200-meter dash.

Men’s tennis

By sweeping TCU 4-0 in Stillwater last month, Texas won the Big 12 Tournament and regular-season titles for the first time in the same year since 2010. It was the first Big 12 Tournament title for the Longhorns since 2018 and the sixth overall.

“That was up there with one of the best matches we’ve played this season,” head coach Bruce Berque said. “I was really proud of the way the team played, but also the way they fought and the effort they played with. There’s no doubt we’re at a high point with our confidence. You could see it, you could hear it, and you could feel it on the court today. I think their confidence is growing every day.”

The momentum has continued into the NCAA Championships as the No. 2 overall seed, reaching the Sweet 16 for the 10th-straight year by sweeping Sacramento State and UCLA, then sweeping Texas A&M and beating Tennessee 4-2 to advance to the Final Four. By beating No. 6-seed Wake Forest 4-2 in Stillwater on Saturday to advance to the NCAA Championship Final against No. 4-seed TCU on Sunday at 4 p.m. Central on ESPN+. The Longhorns previously won the national title in men’s tennis in 2019 and advanced to the finals in 2008.

Swimming and driving

By winning 21 of the 22 events at the Big 12 Championships in Morgantown, W.V. in early March, the Longhorns won their 12th consecutive title in women’s swimming and driving and 22nd overall. Texas went on to finish as the national runners up at the NCAA Championships in Athens, Ga. later that month.

The men’s swimming and diving program took 19 of 22 events to win its 28th consecutive Big 12 title and 45th overall. In the final meet under legendary head coach Eddie Reese, the men placed seventh in the 2024 NCAA Championships.

Women’s basketball

Head coach Vic Schaefer’s program won its second Big 12 Tournament championship in the last three years with a 70-53 win over Iowa State in Kansas City, It was the 12th conference tournament title in program history.

After earning a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, Texas advanced to the Elite Eight before falling to North Carolina State, 76-66.

Football

Head coach Steve Sarkisian’s program is back in the national spotlight after convincingly winning in the Big 12 Championship game for the first time since 2009 and earning its first-ever berth in the College Football Playoffs.

Volleyball

Before winning back-to-back national championships in December, Texas and head coach Jerritt Elliott won the program’s seventh consecutive Big 12 title with a four-set win over Iowa State at Gregory Gym in November.

Soccer

An historic season for the Texas soccer program included its first Big 12 Tournament championship since 2007 with a 3-1 win over No. 6 BYU. After earning the No. 5 seed in the Tallahassee Regional quadrant, the Longhorns fell 5-0 to the No. 1 Seminoles in the Sweet 16, finishing the season one win short of the program win record.