There’s never been a better time to be a Texas Wesleyan Ram! Over the 2022-23 academic year, the Rams men’s and women’s teams dominated the Sooner Athletic Conference (SAC), bringing home five team titles (women’s wrestling, women’s basketball, football, baseball and men’s track and field), as well as four individual titles in women’s wrestling and men’s track and field. The five SAC titles are a school record for the most titles in a single season. Here’s how the teams did it. 

Women’s Wrestling

Women’s wrestler Lexie Basham represented the Rams both at home and abroad. After taking home both the SAC and NAIA Championships in the 130-pound class, Basham donned the red, white and blue for the U23 World Championships in Pontevedra, Spain. After a strong showing, the junior reached the semifinals before falling to the eventual champion. 

Basham's back-to-back NAIA titles are the first and second individual titles in Texas Wesleyan school history.  

“Lexie has been a fantastic representative of our university on the national stage,” said Texas Wesleyan Athletic Director Ricky Dotson. “She is the unquestioned leader of our team, and her back-to-back national championships are a source of pride for our entire campus community. We are so happy that she is part of our Ram family, and I know her best is still in front of her.” 

In addition to Basham’s SAC title, two other Lady Rams brought home the hardware in their weight classes. Jasmine Sands claimed the 109-pound championship and Mea Mohler claimed the 136-pound title. Between Basham’s, Sands’ and Mohler’s titles, and aided by Camille Fournier’s strong second-place finish in the 116-pound class, the Lady Rams, under the direction of SAC Coach of the Year Jose Lazlo, handily claimed their second-straight SAC Title. 

Women’s Basketball 

The women’s basketball team, under the leadership of head coach Brenita Jackson, rewrote the record books on their campaign, culminating in the Rams’ first SAC Women’s Basketball title since the 1989-90 season. In their season, the Lady Rams set new school records for SAC wins with 19 and set a new program record with 17 consecutive wins. At the end of the season, senior Kertisa Adams was named both SAC Player of the Year and SAC Defensive Player of the Year, and senior Makayla Coy was awarded the SAC Sportsmanship award after a season that saw her reach 1,000 career points. In addition to their individual awards, Amos, Coy and sophomore Zarria Carter all found themselves named to the All-SAC postseason teams. 

Football 

On the men’s side, the Rams football team found themselves at the top of the SAC tables in just their fifth season of play, claiming their first SAC Championship in school history and the first conference championship since 1941. Propelled by AP All-American Ernie Ceasar III and SAC Athlete of the Year Jaysen Price, coach Joe Prud’homme’s Rams set a new benchmark in wins, finishing 7-2 in conference play. Prud’homme also was named SAC Co-Coach of the Year — his first nod as the Rams coach. Finally, eight Rams saw themselves named to the All-SAC First Team, and an additional three were named to the All-SAC Second Team. 

Men’s Track and Field 

Most recently, the men’s track and field team, led by 2023 Coach SAC Coach of the Year Randy Dalzell, dominated their way to a SAC Championship, winning the 22-event team competition by over 51 points. The Rams had a strong showing at the event, with 14 athletes claiming podium positions in their events, and Jammarion Reed claiming the SAC Championship in the high jump. 

“Our men’s team put together a great overall team scoring performance to win their first SAC Championship,” said head coach Randy Dalzell. “Everyone contributed, and it was a total team effort. The spirit and heart of the team really showed throughout the two days, and this group of guys has set a high standard for future teams to follow.” 

Baseball 

Finally, the Rams baseball team, under the leadership of head coach Bobby Garza, claimed the regular-season SAC title and earned the 1 seed in the SAC Tournament. After finishing the regular season 35-12, including 15-6 in the conference, the Rams defeated Mid-America Christian University to clinch the top spot in the tournament. 

The five SAC titles are the most conference championships brought back to Fort Worth in Texas Wesleyan Athletics history.

“I am beyond proud of our student-athletes and their coaches for their accomplishments,” said Dotson. “I look forward to continuing this success well into the future.”