Chicago, Ill. - The 2025-26 season for Illinois Tech Athletics turned out to be a banner year for NCAA qualifying, with a record five teams or individuals making national appearances this past season.

Women's soccer, men's tennis and women's tennis each won their respective Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC) titles and earned automatic berths into each of their NCAA Division III post-season tournaments. On the individual side, both Carson Owens and Olivia Jameson of track and field qualified for the national stage, with Owens qualifying for the NCAA Division III Indoor Track and Field Championships in the 400 meter dash, while Jameson qualified for NCAA Division III Outdoor Track and Field Championships in the high jump.

For Jameson, this is her fourth-consecutive NCAA Outdoor Championships appearance, qualifying each of her four years. Jameson also qualified in the high jump in the indoor championships her first three years. Her leap of 1.68 meters at the Augustana Penultimate Qualifier meet on May 9th locked Jameson's entry into this year's outdoor national championship.

For Owens, a freshman, this was his first NCAA Championships appearance, and the first men's track and field athlete to qualify in program history. Owen's time of 48.77 at the NACC Indoor Championships on February 28th earned his entry into the NCAA Indoor Championships this past March, where Owen's finished in 19th place. 

Women's soccer earned their second-consecutive NCAA tournament berth when they won the NACC Women's Soccer Championship this past fall with a 3-1 win over the Milwaukee School of Engineering. The Scarlet Hawks went on to win their opening round game against Grove City College 1-0, before falling to regional host Calvin University 2-1 in the round of 32.

Women's tennis captured their second NCAA appearance in program history, and first since the 2021-22 season, when they won the NACC Women's Tennis Championship 4-2 over Edgewood University on May 3rd. The Scarlet Hawks went a perfect 8-0 during the regular season, and swept the post-season conference tournament to punch their ticket to the NCAA Division III Women's Tennis Championships. The Scarlet Hawks fell to a tough Luther College squad 4-0 in opening-round action on May 8th.

Men's tennis continued to be a perennial NACC powerhouse, winning their sixth conference title over the past seven seasons, and in the process earning a school-record sixth NCAA tournament appearance. The men's team also went undefeated in conference play at 6-0, and swept the conference post-season tournament, culminated with a thrilling 4-3 victory over MSOE on May 3rd. The men's team earned a national ranking of 64 entering the NCAA tournament, where they were felled by 25th-ranked Carthage College 4-0 on May 8th in first-round play.

With five NCAA appearances in tow closing out the 2025-26 season, the bar definitely has been raised for Illinois Tech Athletics.