SAN ANTONIO – Pride, Growth, Mental Toughness and Competitive – P.G.M.C. Those four core values became a rallying cry for the UTSA women’s basketball team, helping them win four games in four days to lift the 2026 American Conference Tournament Championship trophy. Now, as the Roadrunners enter the 2026-27 season, P.G.M.C. continues to motivate a group that looks to return to the NCAA Tournament.
“We lean on those five words every single day,” senior forward Idara Udo said. “It doesn’t matter what we’re doing, whether it’s practice, film, being out in the community, or on the way to the game. It’s a way to instill discipline in ourselves and to motivate us to work as hard as we can.”
After winning the 2024-25 American Conference Championship, UTSA had a roller coaster 2025-26 campaign. The Roadrunners not only had to replace American Player of the Year Jordyn Jenkins and Newcomer of the Year Nina De Leon Negron, but injuries plagued the season, with three out for the year and numerous others missing time.
After a 53-41 loss to Tulsa in the home finale, head coach Karen Aston knew the team was at a crossroads. The team was guaranteed only one final regular season contest on the road against a nationally recognized Rice team and one conference tournament game.
“After the Tulsa game, I asked them to give me some things that they wanted to get out of the rest of the season,” Aston said. “They came up with the terms, and it was actually a lot of different players. The first one said pride, then another growth, then mental toughness, and the last one was to be competitive. It was simple stuff, but it resonated with them. I wrote it on the board before the Rice game, and then it took hold with them and caught fire.”
The improbable happened, as UTSA upset the Owls, 61-52, on their home court, handing them their only conference loss and snapping what had been a 22-game winning streak, the second-longest active streak in the country. The switch had been flipped.
“It gave us confidence,” Udo said. “We were confident in the words we got to choose. Ever since that day, the switch flipped, and here we are with another ring.”
After the game, Aston and the team headed back to the locker room and checked off each of the four boxes describing P.G.M.C., but the job wasn’t finished. They then traveled to Birmingham, Alabama for the conference tournament. On the way to the Magic City, Udo and the team felt the shift and a new unspoken energy.
“Nobody really talked about it, but everyone felt it,” Udo said. “It really did give us so much confidence and a strong sense of trust in each other. Not just among the players, but the staff also. It showed in the tournament.”
What the Roadrunners accomplished inside Legacy Arena was extraordinary, as they became the only NCAA Division I team in 2026 to take down the conference’s top three seeds en route to the title. As the No. 6 seed, UTSA toppled No. 7 seed Temple, No. 3 seed South Florida, No. 2 seed East Carolina, and, in a rematch with No. 1 seed Rice, the ‘Runners earned a 54-40 victory to secure the title and punch their ticket to the NCAA Tournament for the third time in program history and first time since 2009.
UTSA had the opportunity to face the No. 1 overall seed UConn Huskies in the Big Dance on national television, and despite losing, just reaching the NCAA Tournament accomplished a major goal Aston and her team had when she took the job, mirroring another motto the team has – “Cash In.” It’s on everything from warm-up shirts to bracelets and even a chain given out to the team’s player of the game. Since her arrival, the goal has been to “Cash In” and reach the NCAA Tournament, but fans shouldn’t worry, “Cash In” isn’t going anywhere.
“We’ve always had ‘Cash In,’ and they didn’t want to lose it,” Aston said. “P.G.M.C. is about remembering that there are other things that involve cashing in, so we’ll be using both this year. It’s been a pretty cool journey and it’s been fun to experience as a coach.”
With the 2026-27 season just starting, Udo stressed the importance of keeping it fresh and making sure everybody knows why P.G.M.C. is crucial to the team’s success.
“It’s about accountability. It’s making sure we meet the standards we set, uphold our values, and do what we say we’ll do. We have a lot of daily reminders. We all wear our P.G.M.C. bracelets, and it’s posted everywhere. Our coaches do an amazing job reminding us of our values, why we’re here, and the goals that we set.”
UTSA will celebrate the 2026 American Conference Tournament Championship on Nov. 16, when Louisiana comes to the Convocation Center. Just before tipoff at 6:30 p.m., the championship banner will be unveiled, and as part of the festivities, the first 250 fans in the facility will receive replica championship rings. Inscribed inside those rings are the four core values that defined the Roadrunners’ championship run: Pride, Growth, Mental Toughness, and Competitive.
Keep up with UTSA Women’s Basketball on goUTSA.com and by following the program on Facebook at /UTSAWBB, X (Twitter) @UTSAWBB, and on Instagram @UTSA_WBB.
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