Grand View Captures Inaugural UEN Heart Cup
OVERLAND PARK, Kan. – The Heart of America Athletic Conference has announced the final standings for the inaugural UEN Heart Cup, presented by Urban Edge Network, recognizing the conference's most successful all-around athletic department based on performance at NAIA National Championships during the 2025-26 academic year.
After a year of national success across multiple sports, Grand View University claimed the first-ever UEN Heart Cup championship with 590 points, edging William Penn University, which finished second with 444 points. Grand View won national championships in men's soccer, football and men's wrestling.
The UEN Heart Cup was created to celebrate broad-based excellence across the conference's championship sports, highlighting national achievement at the NAIA level. The scoring model awards points based on national championship qualification and final placement, with institutions counting their top six men's sports and top six women's sports toward the final standings. Grand View's title was fueled by a conference-best 362 men's points and 228 women's points. William Penn secured the runner-up position with 298 men's points and 146 women's points, while MidAmerica Nazarene University rounded out the top three with 362.5 points.
Final UEN Heart Cup Standings
| Rank | Institution | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Grand View | 590 |
| 2 | William Penn | 444 |
| 3 | MidAmerica Nazarene | 362.5 |
| 4 | Central Methodist | 358 |
| 5 | Missouri Valley | 354 |
| 6 | Benedictine | 332 |
| 7 | Mount Mercy | 330.5 |
| 8 | Park | 237 |
| 9 | Missouri Baptist | 167 |
| 10 | Baker | 164 |
| 11 | William Woods | 140 |
| 12 | Graceland | 20 |
Men's Division Leaders
Grand View also topped the men's standings with 362 points, followed by William Penn (298) and MidAmerica Nazarene (193).
Women's Division Leaders
Grand View led all institutions on the women's side with 228 points, narrowly ahead of Central Methodist (211) and Benedictine (209). Missouri Valley (188.5) and Mount Mercy (165) also posted strong national performances.
"The UEN Heart Cup was created to recognize institutions that demonstrate excellence at the national championship level, of which our membership are constantly competing for," said Heart of America Athletic Conference Commissioner Nik Rule. "What makes this award special is that it rewards both national championship success and consistent qualification across multiple sports. Our membership not only competed at a high level nationally but won six national championships, which means that almost one-quarter of the time our membership are winning a national championship in a sport we compete in."
About the UEN Heart Cup
The UEN Heart Cup recognizes the top overall athletic department in the Heart of America Athletic Conference based on NAIA national championship performance. The award includes results from Heart-sponsored sports that have a pathway to NAIA national championship competition. Institutions accumulate points through national qualification and final championship placement, with each institution's top six men's and top six women's sports counting toward the final standings.
2025-26 UEN Heart Cup Champion: Grand View University (590 points)
Presented by Urban Edge Network