JONESBORO, Ark. (6/2/26) – The Sun Belt Conference announced the 2025-26 Vic Bubas Cup final standings Tuesday, and Arkansas State recorded 124.5 points, the second most in school history, to finish runner-up in the league’s all-sports award for the second consecutive year.

The Red Wolves averaged a league-best 8.3 points across 15 sports counting toward the Bubas Cup standings, finishing just six points behind South Alabama’s 17-sport total of 130.5.  Southern Miss accumulated 120.5 points to place third.

A-State claimed a second place or better finish in back-to-back years for the first time since 1998-99 and 1999-2000. In the process, the Red Wolves claimed at least a second-place finish for just the fourth time since 2000.

“Finishing runner-up in the Bubas Cup for the second consecutive year is a tremendous testament to the hard work of our student-athletes and coaches,” said A-State Vice Chancellor for Intercollegiate Athletics Chris Pezman. “Earning 124.5 points, the second-highest total in our school’s history, shows the strong competitive depth across our department. I am also proud that we led the entire conference by averaging 8.3 points per sport. Securing back-to-back top-two finishes for the first time since 2000 demonstrates that we’re collectively competing at a high level. We remain dedicated to our goal of winning the Bubas Cup.”

A-State’s volleyball and men’s golf programs both won a Sun Belt Conference title and were among a school-record three teams, including women’s bowling, that participated in the NCAA Division I Championships in 2025-26.

Also competing in the postseason, the football team won the Xbox Bowl to pick up a second straight bowl victory, women’s basketball advanced to the WNIT Fab Four and women’s tennis earned the UTR Sports NIT championship.

Most recently, the men’s golf team finished 22nd at the NCAA Championships and 12 individuals from the men’s and women’s outdoor track and field teams competed in the NCAA West First Rounds. Menachem Chen and Omar Hussein advanced to the upcoming NCAA Championships in Eugene, Oregon.

The Vic Bubas Cup is named after the Sun Belt Conference’s first Commissioner. Bubas was appointed the conference’s commissioner on Oct. 6, 1976, and served for 14 years until his retirement in 1990. He led the conference during a period in which its membership increased from six to eight members and its sport sponsorship grew from four to 10 sports. Bubas was a three-time ACC Coach of the Year at Duke in the 1960s, taking his team to three Final Fours. In 2007, he was inducted into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame. Bubas passed away in April 2018 at the age of 91.

2025-26 Vic Bubas Cup Standings
1. South Alabama – 130.5
2. Arkansas State – 124.5
3. Southern Miss – 120.5
4. Coastal Carolina – 118.5
5. App State – 112.5
6. James Madison – 106.5
7. Louisiana – 105.5
8. Marshall – 101.0
9. Troy – 97.0
10. Georgia Southern – 92.0
11. Old Dominion – 85.0
12. ULM – 82.0
13. Georgia State – 73.0