McNeese athletics earned Southland Conference honors across 5 different teams, including Freshman of the year and Coach of the year honors. 

Baseball senior Matt Stancliff became the first Cowboy this season to earn weekly honors when he was named the SLC Hitter of the Week Monday . 

Stancliff, from Burleson, Texas, has a .383 batting average over 13 games. So far this season, he has recorded 18 hits, hit two home runs, and crossed home plate 13 times.  

Softball redshirt junior Nyjah Fontenot was named SLC Hitter of the Week Monday for softball. Fontenot has been a dominant presence at the plate for the Cowgirls, maintaining a stellar .403 batting average through 23 games this season. She has already tallied 31 hits, hit four home runs, and scored 23 runs.  

Track and Field Cowgirl thrower Jaslyn Russell was named the 2026 SLC Women’s Field Athlete of the Year for the indoor season Wednesday. Russell scored 18 points to lead McNeese at the conference indoor championships Feb. 25-26. She made program history by becoming the first Cowgirl to win a league championship and a gold medal in the shot put, recording a throw of 49 feet, 11.75 inches. She also secured a silver medal in the weight throw with a 58-foot, 6-inch mark. 

Three Cowboys earned SLC postseason honors for basketball March 6. Freshman Guard Larry Johnson was named the 2026 SLC Freshman of the Year and earned First-Team All-SLC honors. Junior guard Tyshawn Archie, who is averaging 14.3 points and leads the team with 58 made three-pointers, joined Johnson on the All-SLC First Team. Additionally, junior guard Garwey Dual was named to the All-Defensive Team after recording 54 steals with an average of 4.1 assists per game. 

The women’s basketball team also claimed awards from the Southland Conference March 6. Head coach Ayla Guzzardo was named Coach of the Year after leading the Cowgirls to their first SLC regular season title since 2011, a school record of 27-4 and a conference record of 21-1. Senior guard Jalencia Pierre earned Defensive Player of the Year for the third consecutive season and was named Second-Team All-SLC. Freshman forward Dakota Howard was named Freshman of the Year and earned First-Team honors after leading the team in scoring, rebounding, and steals.