ARLINGTON, TEXAS – Two UTA student-athletes swept the final WAC Stan Bates Award as Jackson Cichon and Chandler Browning were named the male and female recipients, as announced by the Western Athletic Conference on Tuesday afternoon.
  
Presented annually to the WAC's top male and female scholar athletes, the Stan Bates Award recognizes excellence in athletics, academics and community service. Recipients also receive a $10,000 postgraduate scholarship.
 
The male recipient of the Stan Bates Award is UTA track & field student athlete, Jackson Cichon. A native of Mansfield, Texas, Cichon has made a significant impact on both campus and in the community. He has participated in numerous volunteer initiatives, including litter clean ups, church service, canned food drives, Trunk-or-Treat events, clothing drives, letter-writing campaigns for service members and Mav Move-In. 
 
An economics major, Cichon maintained a 3.71 GPA while earning CSC Academic All District honors in 2026. He served on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) from 2022-26 and was selected as a SACC Team Local Leader during the 2025-26 academic year. Cichon is expected to graduate in Spring 2027 with his MBA.
 
On the track, Cichon was a part of the record-breaking 4x800m relay team this season at Texas Relays (7:22.01). He also holds the No. 5 spot in UTA program history in the men's indoor mile run (4:07.34). In his years at UTA, Cichon has claimed Sunbelt Freshman Outdoor Athlete of the Year (2021-22) and multiple WAC Indoor & Outdoor First Team All-Conference honors. This season, he was also recognized as a UTA Track & Field Team Captain.
 
The female recipient of the Stan Bates Award is Chandler Browning who competed on the UTA women's golf team before graduating in Spring 2026. Browning was selected off the back of a history of volunteering and academic achievement. The Prosper native has taken part in various types of volunteering opportunities such as competing in a number of Wounded Warrior Golf Tournament scrambles around Arlington. Browning has also packaged toothbrush kits for children in Guatemala since 2023 and participated in the 2026 UTA Canned Food Drive.

Browning garnered numerous recognitions in her time at UTA. She was named the 2026 UTA Women's Golf Rising Star Award. The award is voted on by teammates, coaches, and faculty members within the athletic department and given to someone who is early in their field and has shown exceptional promise. Browning was also nominated Women's Golf Teammate of the Month five times during the 2025-26 season. She was elected for the months of October, January, March, April, and May.

Academically, Browning excelled as well, graduating summa cum laude with a 4.0 GPA and a bachelor's degree in Exercise Science. She was named as a 2025-26 spring sports Academic All-WAC honoree and is one of three UTA women's golfers that featured on the list. Browning also made the President's List in three different semesters at UTA while also making the 2025-26 UTA Nursing Honor Roll.

On the course, Browning was a staple of the Mavericks lineup, competing in 11 of UTA's 12 tournaments this season. As a redshirt senior, she averaged a score of 77.6, with a low round of 71, which she carded twice. Browning's best finish on the leaderboard came at the BGSU Women's Intercollegiate where she finished tied for 11th.

Clinical Associate Professor of Kinesiology, Adam Annacone praised the duo of student-athletes for their accomplishments.

"Jackson and Chandler represent the very best of what we hope to see in UTA student-athletes. Their success reflects excellence in competition, commitment in the classroom, and the leadership and character that connect athletics to the broader academic mission of the university. As Faculty Athletic Representative, I am especially proud to see both WAC Stan Bates Award recipients come from UT Arlington. This is a tremendous honor for them, their teams, and our university."
  FOLLOW THE MAVS SOCIALLY
For up-to-date news, photos and videos, follow UTA Athletics online at UTAMavs.com or via several social media accounts on Twitter @UTAMavs, Instagram @UTAMavs and Facebook /UTAMavs.