For the third straight year, San José State Athletics has been voted the best Bay Area college sports team by Mercury News readers.
Over the past three years, SJSU Athletics has shown why it continues to earn that recognition, with accomplishments across multiple sports, according to an article published by SJSU Athletics.
The women’s golf team won the Mountain West Championship in 2024 and remained competitive in 2023 and 2025, finishing strong in both years. In 2025, they tied for first, but fell in the playoffs to University of Nevada, Las Vegas, while in 2023 the team finished among the top contenders, but did not capture the title.
During that span, standout player Lucia Lopez Ortega, now an SJSU alumna, made her mark in 2025 by winning Mountain West Golfer of the Year and finishing as the NCAA national runner-up, according to the SJSU Athletics article.
Conference titles have been earned from baseball, women’s soccer and gymnastics, according to the same article.
SJSU baseball head coach Brad Sanfilippo said the athletic department has a lot to be proud of.
“Obviously there’s a lot of pride in the athletic department and the teams that we have,” Sanfilippo said. “Baseball has been really competitive – being in the Mountain West championship game four years in a row – so I think it’s a great honor. It feels great to be associated with this university and athletic department.”
In the 2025 baseball season, SJSU had a 29-30 record, entering the postseason as the No. 6 seed, which is the lowest seed in the Mountain West Tournament.
The Spartans had three major upsets in the tournament against the No. 3, No. 1 and No. 5 seeds, which ultimately led to their return to the title game.
Senior outfielder Alex Fernandes said the program’s recent success has become the expectation.
“That’s kind of the standard for us,” Fernandes said. “That’s where we expect to be at the end of the year. I think it’s been the last three or maybe four years where we’ve been in the championship game. They won one two years before I got here, but that’s the standard.”
Men’s water polo followed the trends of SJSU’s athletic success by winning conference titles in 2023 and 2025, building a strong program.
The 2025 season was a standout year for the men’s water polo team, who finished ranked No. 6 in the country before losing to Fordham University, 13–9, in the NCAA Tournament. The team also had five athletes earn All-American honors that season.
SJSU Director of Athletics Jeff Konya said being voted the best Bay Area sports team reflects the growth within the program, though there is still work to be done.
“I think winning this award three years in a row is the first time it’s ever happened at the school,” Konya said. “It’s a testament to how strong our brand is perceived at this point. We’re on the right track, but we have a lot of work to continue to do to get the athletic program where we ultimately want to be, which is at the top of the group of six.”
The athletics program prides itself not only on sports success, but also in academics.
A record 3.270 collective GPA was posted in fall 2025, with 70% of student-athletes maintaining a 3.0 GPA or higher, according to the same article.
Konya said the focus beyond competition is what separates SJSU athletics from other Bay Area schools.
“There’s a lot of elite Bay Area programs,” Konya said. “I think recently we’ve done a really nice job in the community, the classroom and in competition.”
SJSU has produced multiple professional athletes over the past three years, with alumni competing in the National Football League (NFL), Major League Baseball (MLB), and Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA).
Among them are Charles McAdoo, a second baseman in the Toronto Blue Jays organization, and Nick Nash, who signed as an undrafted free agent with the Atlanta Falcons in 2025 and most recently joined the Washington Commanders, and Natasha Andrea Oon who made her professional debut in summer of 2022 at the Meijer LPGA Classic for Simply Give.
Konya said he hopes Spartan fans take pride in the department’s continued efforts.
“I just hope everyone who’s affiliated has a sense of pride with knowing that the department is trying to be the best versions of itself, and it’s always appreciated when the good work is recognized by our local community in this kind of way,” Konya said.
