Oregon Tech, SOU Earn Conference Academic Honor
The Owls and Raiders were both recognized with the Cascade Conference Presidents Cup for Academic Excellence after strong years in the classroom.
MEDFORD, Ore. — Oregon Tech and Southern Oregon University both earned one of the Cascade Conference’s top academic honors this week, placing two Southern Oregon athletic departments on the Presidents Cup list for Academic Excellence.
The award recognizes athletic departments whose student-athletes perform at a high level in the classroom. To qualify, a school’s Cascade Conference-sponsored teams must combine for a department grade-point average of at least 3.0. At least 60% of eligible student-athletes must also earn Academic All-CCC honors.
Oregon Tech earned the honor for the eighth consecutive year after Owl student-athletes posted a 3.48 cumulative department GPA. The school also reported that 74% of eligible student-athletes earned Academic All-CCC recognition.
For the Owls, the award continues a long academic streak across the athletic department and reinforces a standard that has become part of Oregon Tech’s program identity. OIT has remained a consistent presence among the conference’s top academic athletic departments while also continuing to compete across the CCC.
Southern Oregon also earned the Presidents Cup designation after Raider student-athletes combined for a 3.41 GPA during the 2025-26 academic year. According to SOU, that mark was the second-highest department GPA in school history.
The Raiders also produced 122 Academic All-CCC honorees, with 70% of eligible student-athletes earning the distinction. SOU’s CCC-affiliated teams include the full athletic department except football.
“Earning the Presidents’ Academic Excellence designation represents the highest academic honor our departments can earn from the Cascade Conference,” CCC Commissioner Robert Cashell said in the SOU announcement. “It is a great accomplishment and recognizes the outstanding efforts in the classroom.”
The recognition comes during another strong overall year for both programs. Oregon Tech continued its run of academic consistency, while Southern Oregon finished second in the 2025-26 CCC All-Sports Standings after winning the championship trophy in 2024-25.
This year’s Presidents Cup honorees also included Bushnell, Carroll, College of Idaho, Corban, Eastern Oregon and Lewis-Clark State.
For Oregon Tech and Southern Oregon, the award is a reminder that the work happening away from the field, court, mat, course and track remains a central part of college athletics.
The wins and standings matter. So do the study sessions, long road trips with homework packed alongside uniforms, and the student-athletes balancing practice, competition and classwork across a full academic year.
Cover image: Oregon Tech and Southern Oregon University student-athletes were both recognized by the Cascade Conference for academic excellence, with the Owls and Raiders earning Presidents Cup honors after strong classroom performances during the 2025-26 academic year. (Background image by Al Case, Flickr)
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