ODESSA, Texas (June 29, 2026) – Will Tate of The University of Texas Permian Basin men's golf team and Valeria Delgado of The University of Texas Permian Basin women's soccer team were UTPB's nominees for the 2026 Lone Star Conference (LSC) Athlete of the Year honor.

The 2026 LSC Athletes of the Year were chosen from a distinguished group of 18 women and 17 men nominated by their respective institutions. The annual awards are determined by vote of the conference sports information directors and media representatives. This is the 28th year the Lone Star Conference has presented its Athletes of the Year awards.

Nominees for the 2026 LSC Athlete of the Year awards included individuals who led their teams to top national, regional and conference championship finishes; received LSC and national athletic and academic awards; and earned recognition on All-America, All-Region, All-Conference and All-Tournament lists.

Will Tate – 2026 Lone Star Conference Athlete of the Year Nominee
Tate is a senior from Reading, England, who became just the second Falcon in program history to earn All-Region and All-American (Third-Team) honors, be named First-Team All-LSC, and earn two All-LSC certificates in their career. He was also the first UTPB golfer with two top-five finishes (All-Tournament honors) in their career at the LSC Tournament. Additionally, he broke UTPB's three-round scoring record (203) and earned his second career win, ranking him second all-time at UTPB in wins.

Tate played in all 11 tournaments and 32 rounds for the second year in a row, posted a 70.7 adjusted scoring average, and finished the season with an NCAA Division II National Ranking of No. 28 and a ranking of No. 5 in the South Central Region. He won one tournament (Midwestern State Invitational), totaled nine top-10 finishes, and finished top-25 in all 11 tournaments. He also finished in the top-10 in all seven tournaments in the Spring, including the LSC Championship and the NCAA Regional Championship. In addition, he finished under-par in five tournaments this season, including a score of 10-under in each of the last two tournaments heading into the postseason.

Tate closed his career with a four-tournament stretch for the record books. The highlight of the regular season for Tate came at the Midwestern State Invitational as both UTPB and Tate (individual medalist) led wire-to-wire. UTPB finished two-under as a team (284-277-289; 850) while Tate was 10-under (67-68-68; 203) and successfully defended his Midwestern State Invitational title from 2025. With a three-round score of 203, Tate's score is a new program record by one stroke.

Tate and the Falcons then concluded the regular season at the Palm Valley Classic, where Tate (69-68-69; 206) shot under-par during all three rounds and tied for fifth place out of 108 golfers at 10-under (second tournament in a row finishing 10-under). In addition, Tate's three-round score of 206 was tied for the fourth-lowest score in program history.

Then at the LSC Championship, Tate (77-69-72; 218) finished in third place after shooting plus-two and became the first UTPB golfer with two top-five finishes (All-Tournament honors) in their career at the conference tournament.

Lastly at the Regional Championship, Tate (73-69-73; 215) led the Falcons and totaled one-under to finish in 10th place. In the end, Tate missed a spot in the NCAA Championships by two strokes. Tate's 10th-place finish was the third-best among all UTPB players at the regional championship while his one-under tied for the third-lowest par-score in program history at the championship.

In 2025-26, UTPB posted two tournament wins at The Hrnciar (Oct. 6-7, 2025) and at the Midwestern State Invitational (Mar. 23-24, 2026), and was the top NCAA Division II team (2nd overall) at the Ryan Palmer Foundation Invitational (Oct. 14-15). The 2025-26 Falcons tied for first in school history for most tournaments won in a single season. At the Ryan Palmer, UTPB tied the program single-round record (273) and broke the three-round record (835) by eight strokes. The Falcons later tied the highest national ranking in program history after ranking as high as No. 11 in the country and second in the South Central Region in the National Collegiate Golf Rankings (Clippd Scoreboard rankings) in late-October. UTPB finished the season ranked No. 30 in NCAA Division II and No. 7 in the South Central Region in the Clippd Scoreboard rankings. UTPB closed out the 2026 LSC Championship in sixth place. UTPB was then seeded No. 5 in the South Central Region and earned an at-large bid to participate in regional competition of the 2026 NCAA Division II Men's Golf Championships. The Falcons finished the 2026 NCAA West/South Central Regional Tournament in a tie for 18th place.

UTPB's Head Golf Coach Paul Chavez said, "Another amazing accomplishment for Will Tate. Anytime one of your players is recognized for such a tremendous honor, it is very special. To be recognized among the elite of the Lone Star Conference speaks volumes for not only his skill and talent, but also his character. This prestigious honor distinguishes Will as one of the all-time successful student-athletes to come through UTPB athletics."

Valeria Delgado – 2026 Lone Star Conference Athlete of the Year Nominee
Delgado is a junior goalkeeper from San Jose, Costa Rica, who was named to the 2025 LSC Women's Soccer All-Academic Team. Delgado started all 16 matches in goal and allowed a 1.24 goals-against average (9th in conference), made 93 saves (3rd in conference), held a .830 save percentage (3rd in conference), and averaged 5.81 saves per game (3rd in conference) for the Falcons. In addition, Delgado helped the Falcons set new program records for goals allowed in a season (19) and goals-against average (1.19). Delgado also faced a career-high 28 shots in that match against the Mustangs.

Delgado was named UTPB's Edgardo Madrid & Associates Women's Student-Athlete of the Month for September after never allowing more than one goal in a match during the first seven matches of the season. Delgado made at least eight saves in six of the Falcons' final 10 matches of the season and set a new career-high in saves twice during a four-match span late in the season. She totaled 10 saves in a 0-0 draw vs. Oklahoma Christian University (Oct. 18) and recorded a career-best 11 saves in a 2-1 defeat in the Falcons' final road match of the season at Midwestern State University (Oct. 29). Delgado also faced a career-high 28 shots in that match against the Mustangs.

Delgado is a marketing major with a perfect 4.0 cumulative grade point average as a junior. Delgado was named to the 2025-26 College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District® Team. She has also been named to the LSC Commissioner's Honor Roll in each of her first six semesters and earned the 2025 D2 ADA Academic Achievement Award.

UTPB's Head Women's Soccer Coach Garrett Kull said, "Valeria was a standout for us in the goal this year. A large majority of our success came from her terrific ability to make critical saves. She has also grown into a terrific leader of our team both on and off the field, and is someone nobody would question the commitment of. She brings a positive, high-intensity energy to everything she does, and we are very proud of her."