11 different programs made the postseason in 2026

The UCF athletic year officially ended last week in Oregon with UCF Track and Field’s 4×400-meter relay squad of Jazmen Newberry, Twaniese Johnson, Deja Shaw–Huckaby and Janiah Pulliam finishing 16th overall in the preliminary heat, earning Second Team All-American honors. They became just the second 4×400-meter relay team in program history to achieve All-American status, joining the Indoor 4×400-meter relay team of Newberry,  Pulliam, Johnson and Genelle Stephens. 

UCF’s Outdoor and Indoor Track teams were 2 of the 11 UCF teams to make the NCAA Tournament in the 2025-26 academic year, the most in school history. Let’s take a look back at the UCF sporting events that helped define the teams’ success, featuring top-ten games of the year. 

Honorable Mention

Women’s Golf – UCF Wins Lady Luck Invite Tournament, March 3, 2026 

The Knights hit the jackpot in Vegas, with every player placing in the top 20 of the invitationals, including three members in the top five. UCF dominated the final two rounds, finishing under par in both, the only team to record an under-par round from the entire invitational. 

UCF Women’s Golf finished ranked 20th in the country after making the NCAA Regionals for the 11th time under Head Coach Emily Marron, tied for most appearances by a UCF Head Coach all-time in any sport. 

Volleyball – UCF at #17 BYU, October 29, 2025 

UCF handed BYU only its 16th home loss in the last 11 years with a 4-set upset win, marking the first signature win under first-year Head Coach Matt Botsford. Ava Armour led the Knights with 25 kills in the program’s first win against a Top 25 ranked team since 2022. The Knights just missed making the NCAA Tournament but showed huge improvement with a 17-12 record, an 8-win improvement from the previous year. 

Men’s Basketball – UCF at Texas A&M, November 14, 2025 

A new-look UCF Basketball team found themselves down 52-38 at Texas A&M during an early-season non-conference matchup. In the second half, the Knights hit 15 of their final 18 shots, outscoring the Aggies 46-22 in the final 12 minutes of action to pick up a signature road win, showing signs of what was to come in the season. 

Top 10

10: Women’s Soccer – #10 Baylor vs UCF, October 23, 2025 

Jada Silvest found the back of the net in the first half, and senior Rajanah Reed scored in the second half to lead UCF to a 2-1 victory over No. 10 Baylor in front of a season-high 1,102 fans at the UCF Soccer Complex on Senior Night. It was the first time UCF drew over 1,000 fans since a 2017 game vs. USF. They then drew a crowd of 1,132 in a November 14th First Round NCAA Tournament win over Maine, a program record for the largest NCAA Tournament home crowd in the D1 era. 

9: Men’s Baseball – UCF vs Oklahoma State, March 15, 2026 

Walk-Off Cinema 🎥 https://t.co/GUvboUNhrz pic.twitter.com/1KdVIIsFyL

— UCF Baseball (@UCF_Baseball) March 15, 2026

James Hankerson Jr. won it for the Knights in the bottom of the 9th inning with a walk-off RBI single to propel UCF to a 6-5 triumph over Oklahoma State. The win secured a sweep in the opening Big 12 series, which marked the Knights’ first three-game Big 12 series sweep since joining the conference prior to the 2024 season. Anthony Lariz struck out back-to-back hitters to leave the bases loaded in the top of the ninth to set the stage for the Knights to walk it off. 

UCF would go on to win 19 Big 12 games, which was the most in a conference since the final season in the A-Sun in 2005. The Knights would earn a berth to the NCAA Tournament for the second time in three seasons, finishing a 32-23 record.

8: Men’s Basketball- #17 Kansas vs UCF, January 3, 2026 

JORDAN BURKS ‼️ | @Jordanburks123 pic.twitter.com/KfTZonbgj9

— UCF Men’s Hoops 🌴 (@UCF_MBB) January 3, 2026

With the game tied at 72 and under a minute remaining, Jordan Burks delivered when it mattered most, pulling up from long range in the final moments and sinking a clutch three-pointer to lift the Knights to an 81-75 upset over No. 17 Kansas. 

7: Women’s Soccer: UCF vs LSU, August 24, 2025 

The final sequence 🔥 pic.twitter.com/GmfdC1SILu

— UCF Women’s Soccer (@UCF_WSoccer) August 25, 2025

Gabi Berchon took a shot from the center of the box with 17 seconds to go, but LSU’s keeper was able to make the save. The ball then bounced to Tyra Eriksen, and she took another shot, which was saved again. The ball deflected back to Berchon right in front of the goal, and she was able to tap it home for the dramatic game winner with 11 seconds remaining for a 2-1 win. UCF would go on to make the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2022 and reached the Round of 32. 

6: Men’s Soccer- UCF at #12 Marshall 1, November 4, 2025 (Sun Belt Title Game) 

CAMPEONES! 🏆 pic.twitter.com/MSJA4IUgtw

— UCF Men’s Soccer (@UCF_MSoccer) November 16, 2025

UCF played one of its best games of the season, winning 3-1 in the Sun Belt Tournament, earning the first championship in program history and an automatic bid to the 2025 NCAA Tournament. The Knights got goals from Frederic Benedix in the 17th minute, followed by Lilian Ricol in the 51st and 65th minutes of the match to lock up the championship. 

UCF would go on to host a 1st-round NCAA Tournament game and defeat FAU. 3-2 in front of 1,358 fans, the largest home crowd in program history. The Knights’ season would end in the round of 32 at Georgetown. 

Coming later this week, Eric Lopez breaks down the top 5 games of the UCF Sports academic year.