ARLINGTON, Texas – UT Arlington’s men’s track and field student-athlete Jackson Cichon and women’s golf student-athlete Chandler Browning have been selected as the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) Stan Bates Award winners for the 2025-26 academic year.
 
Named in honor of former WAC Commissioner Stan Bates (1971-80), the award is given to one male and one female student-athlete who have demonstrated excellence in academic achievement, athletic accomplishment and exceptional character and community engagement. A $10,000 postgraduate scholarship is endowed to the winners.
 
Cichon, a native of Mansfield, Texas, has accumulated a 3.71 GPA while pursuing a master’s degree in business administration with a focus on economics. Cichon has received numerous institutional academic honors from UT Arlington including Athletics Honor Roll, UTA Honor Roll, UTA Athletics Scholar and UTA Athletics Super Scholar. Cichon earned indoor all-conference honors from 2023-25 and outdoor all-conference honors in 2023 and 2024 with individual conference titles in the outdoor 800-meter run (2023) and the indoor 800-meter run (2024). Away from the track, Cichon was a member of the UT Arlington Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) from 2022-26.  
 
Browning, a native of Prosper, Texas, has compiled a 4.00 GPA while seeking a bachelor’s of science in nursing (RN) degree. Browning earned Summa Cum Laude honors when she received her B.S. of Exercise Science diploma and has made the president’s list in all three semesters at UTA. Browning also was named to the UTA Nursing Honor Roll this academic year. Browning assisted the Mavericks to a third-place team finish in the 2026 WAC Championship after shooting 17-over for a 20^th place individual finish. Outside of golf, Browning participated in Wounded Warrior Golf Tournament Scrambles where she would play in scramble golf tournaments with wounded warrior veterans at various golf courses in Arlington.