OLLU captures record 10th RRAC All-Sports Award as 2024-25 champs

WACO, Texas – Our Lady of the Lake reclaimed its spot as the top athletic program in the conference as the 2024-25 Red River Athletic Conference All-Sports Award champions. The Saints outperformed Xavier, which had taken the crown last year. OLLU isn't new to the award though, taking the honor for a record 10^th time in the last 12 years.

The All-Sports Award is given annually to the RRAC athletic program that performs best across the conference's sports in a given academic year. Points are awarded to the top five teams in regular season conference standings using a 10-8-6-4-2 scoring system, while results in conference tournaments and championship events merit additional points on a 5-4-3-2-1 basis. In sports such as tennis, track & field, golf and cross country, postseason team finishes are awarded regular season and postseason points. A sport must have at least four schools participating and conduct a RRAC tournament to qualify for inclusion in point calculations.

OLLU racked up points as conference champions in men's and women's cross country, men's track & field and softball, where they are the defending national champions. The Saints also surprised by winning the RRAC women's tennis title. Their women's track & field team finished as runners-up, and their volleyball team was the tournament champs while finishing second during the regular season. For good measure, the Saints' men's basketball team placed third in the regular season standings.

"We are very proud of the hard work our student-athletes and coaches have put in this year to earn the RRAC All Sports award, says OLLU Athletic Director Tom Norris, who is in his second year as head of the program. "To earn the award for the 10^th time is a testament to the culture of excellence that has been established at Our Lady of the Lake."

While placing second, Xavier had another strong showing this year, scoring points in 10 of the 12 sports they sponsored in this award. The Gold Rush/Gold Nuggets were conference champs in women's track & field and they won the RRAC women's soccer tournament. Xavier finished second in men's soccer, men's and women's basketball, and men's track & field. They finished third in four other sports. 

LSU Alexandria placed third while competing in only seven eligible sports. The Generals were the men's basketball regular season and tournament champions, while finishing as the runners-up in softball with third-place finishes in three other sports.

Texas A&M-Texarkana finished in fourth place for the second straight year. The Eagles were the regular season volleyball champions with second place finishes in men's and women's cross country. They placed third in softball and baseball.

LSU Shreveport landed in fifth place with conference titles in baseball and women's basketball. They were followed by Louisiana Christian, Southwest and Houston-Victoria in the final results.