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You are here: Home / Hayden DeLand

Softball loses eighth straight, moves on to must-win series vs Utah Tech

May 1, 2026 by Hayden DeLand Leave a Comment

Softball lost its eighth consecutive game after being swept in a conference series for the second time this season against the California Baptist Lancers on Friday and Saturday. With the series loss, ACU now sits at 6-39 on the season and 3-12 in conference play, putting them last in the Western Athletic Conference. In a doubleheader on ... [Read More…]

Filed Under: Showcase, Sports

Softball gets swept on road, prepares for series vs CBU

April 23, 2026 by Hayden DeLand Leave a Comment

The Wildcats lost their fifth game in a row to fall to 6-36 on the season and 3-9 in conference play after getting swept in their weekend series against the Southern Utah Thunderbirds, marking the first time ACU has been swept in a conference series this season. In the first matchup of the series in a doubleheader on Friday, the Wildcats lost ... [Read More…]

Filed Under: Showcase, Sports

Turning setbacks into slam dunks: Cameron Hazzard’s story of perseverance

April 15, 2026 by Hayden DeLand Leave a Comment

The lights were set. A crowd surrounded the court with their phones out, filming, ready to see something crazy. It was a Jordan Brand dunk contest as Cameron Hazzard jumped in the air and threw down a monster dunk. The crowd went crazy, jumping around and swarming him after the dunk; a moment young kids everywhere dream of having. It wasn’t always ... [Read More…]

Filed Under: Features, Showcase, Sports

Softball loses to Texas Tech, looks toward conference series

April 2, 2026 by Hayden DeLand Leave a Comment

The Wildcats lost their second matchup of the season on Thursday to No. 2 Texas Tech 9-1 in five innings to fall to 4-28 for the season and remain 1-2 in conference play. In the first matchup, the Red Raiders held the Wildcats scoreless while scoring 24 runs and ending the game early in the fifth inning by run rule. In Thursday’s game, ACU ... [Read More…]

Filed Under: Showcase, Sports

Softball loses opening conference series vs. UTA

March 25, 2026 by Hayden DeLand Leave a Comment

The softball team finished its first conference series of the season with a win on Saturday against the University of Texas-Arlington Mavericks, 7-2, after losing the first two games of the series on Friday. On Friday, the Wildcats played a doubleheader, losing the first game 12-8 in 10 innings and the second game 11-6. After the series, the ... [Read More…]

Filed Under: Sports

Softball secures Power Four victory, looks forward to UTA

March 17, 2026 by Hayden DeLand Leave a Comment

After securing its first Power Four victory since April 20, 2022, with a win over the University of Utah, 9-4, on Thursday, the softball team will play in a weekend series against the University of Texas-Arlington Mavericks, starting with a doubleheader on Friday at home. ACU is now 3-24 on the season with its first conference action coming in ... [Read More…]

Filed Under: Showcase, Sports

Men’s basketball ends season with loss in second round of WAC tournament

March 13, 2026 by Hayden DeLand Leave a Comment

The Wildcats ended their Western Athletic Conference tournament run Thursday with an 80-74 loss to the No. 3 seed Utah Tech Trailblazers for the fourth time this season, finishing the year with a 14-19 record. The loss marks the fourth straight season the Wildcats have not finished above .500. Head coach Brette Tanner used one word to define his ... [Read More…]

Filed Under: Showcase, Sports

ACU eliminates Tarleton, ends WAC tournament drought

March 12, 2026 by Hayden DeLand Leave a Comment

The sixth-seeded Wildcats improved to 14-18 on the season in an 84-78 victory over No. 7 seed Tarleton State Texans in the first round of the Western Athletic Conference Tournament in Las Vegas, breaking a four-game losing streak and giving ACU its first WAC tournament victory since the 2021-22 season. In that tournament, ACU started as the ... [Read More…]

Filed Under: Sports

Men’s basketball prepares for final two games of regular season

March 4, 2026 by Hayden DeLand Leave a Comment

With two games left in the regular season, the Wildcats sit at 13-16 overall and 5-11 in conference play after losing two games on their road trip to Utah against Utah Tech and Utah Valley. On Thursday, the team lost 85-81 to UTU, and on Saturday, it lost 74-67 to UVU. In Thursday’s game, the Wildcats were led by a pair of twenty-point scorers, ... [Read More…]

Filed Under: Sports

Men’s basketball heads to Utah to begin road trip

February 25, 2026 by Hayden DeLand Leave a Comment

After an 87-83 win over the Southern Utah University Thunderbirds on Saturday, the Wildcats are now 13-14 on the season and 5-9 in conference play, with four games remaining. “We want to be playing our best basketball in March, late February and March, and hopefully we’re doing that, I don’t know,” head coach Brette Tanner said. “I don’t think ... [Read More…]

Filed Under: Showcase, Sports

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acuoptimist The Optimist @acuoptimist ·
4 May

BREAKING NEWS: James Bradshaw and Maddie Grace Fridge are the 2026 Mr. ACU and Miss ACU.

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acuoptimist The Optimist @acuoptimist ·
22 Apr

NEWS: Students can now vote for the 2026 Mr. ACU and Miss ACU. The link to vote can be found through an email sent out by the Student Government Association.

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