DALLAS — Throughout the 2025 fall semester, SMU Athletics built momentum across all fronts, highlighted by unprecedented competitive success and historic growth in attendance, revenue, and national visibility across multiple sports.
SMU teams earned widespread national recognition throughout the fall, with programs ranked or receiving votes across the country. Football reached a high of No. 21 in the College Football Playoff rankings and No. 16 in the AP Poll, while Men's Soccer reached No. 5, Volleyball No. 7, Equestrian No. 2, Men's Golf No. 15, Men's Swimming & Diving No. 20, and Women's Golf No. 27. Men's Basketball also received votes in both the AP and Coaches polls.
Football delivered a landmark season both on the field and at the gate, setting Ford Stadium records for average fan attendance (33,530) and average student attendance (4,186), while also posting the highest-grossing football game in program history for combined ticket sales and concessions when the Mustangs took down Miami on Homecoming Weekend.
The Mustangs secured four postseason bids, including Football earning a Holiday Bowl invitation. Volleyball advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16 for the first time in program history, Men's Soccer earned the No. 5 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament and reached the second round, and Cross Country placed fifth at the NCAA South Central Regional.
Men's Soccer captured SMU's first ACC Championship, defeating No. 4 Virginia in the tournament final and set multiple attendance records at Washburne Soccer Complex during both the regular season and NCAA Tournament play. Volleyball continued its ascent with a historic Sweet 16 run, the highest season-ticket sales in program history, and set records in total attendance and average attendance.
Across conference play, SMU's fall sports, Football, Volleyball, Men's Soccer, and Women's Soccer, combined to post a 28-13-5 (.663) ACC record and a 54-23-6 (.687) overall mark, reflecting immediate success in one of the nation's most competitive leagues.
Individual and coaching excellence rounded out the fall. SMU student-athletes earned 20 All-ACC honors, including 13 in football, while Volleyball's Averi Carlson was named ACC Setter of the Year, the program's first ACC Player of the Year honor. SMU also recorded 31 ACC Weekly Honors, surpassing last season's total, highlighted by Carlson's ACC-record seven Setter of the Week awards and Luke Sitz's four ACC Diver of the Week honors this fall.
At the national level, Trevor Svajda advanced to the NCAA Singles Championship match, the first Mustang to do so since 1986, while Rose Mburu became SMU's first individual NCAA cross country finalist since 2018. Across all sports, the Mustangs also produced six All-Americans, 10 All-Regions selections, and placed 15 individuals on 18 National Player of the Year watch lists. Volleyball head coach Sam Erger earned her second straight AVCA Regional Coach of the Year honor.
