Texas Longhorns extend Capital One Cup title streak

The Longhorns won the Capital One Cup for Women’s Athletics for the 2023-2024 season

Over the weekend, Texas Longhorns women’s athletics was recognized for another stellar season. The Longhorns won the Capital One Cup for Women’s Athletics for the 2023-2024 season, the third straight year they have claimed the title.

The announcement was made during the ESPYS on Thursday night. Capital One will also donate $250,000 to the University of Texas Student-Athlete Scholarship Fund. While the Longhorns have dominated this award, it was a close call this year.

During the 2023-2024 season, the Longhorns finished with 156 points. They narrowly beat Stanford, which finished with 155. The top five also included the Florida Gators, UCLA Bruins, and Oklahoma Sooners. While every sport made an impact, the top two teams were volleyball, which finished with 60 points, and softball, which finished with 36 points. Other sports that made earned points included Rowing, Basketball, Swimming and diving, and Outdoor Track and field.

Since the Capital One award was first given out during the 2010-11 season, Texas has won it three times. Their first title came in 2021-22, when the Longhorns, like this year, beat out Stanford. The top ten also included Florida State, Boston College, South Carolina, USC, and Nebraska.

Meta announces NIL incubator for female college athletes

Female athletes ranging from D1-NAIA divisions are eligible to apply and the applications close July 23rd, 2023.

Meta announced its NIL Empower 3.0: “an incubator program aimed to empower female college athletes to maximize NIL opportunities and prepare for life after sports.” This comes on the heels of LSU’s Livvy Dunne announcing her own foundation to help LSU female college athletes excel in Name, Image, and Likeness opportunities.

Instagram is looking for 30 female athletes to go through this five-month program. The selected athletes will “work with the Meta Sports Partnerships team, industry leaders, and some of the biggest brands in the world to gain education, mentorship, and opportunities aimed to help them succeed in the NIL Era.”

The program is threefold:

Education

“Learn what it takes to build a brand, grow an audience and monetize in the NIL era by participating in five educational workshops led by the Meta sports partnerships team and industry professionals.”

Incentives

“Athletes will receive gifting, unlock opportunities to receive at least one NIL deal, be prioritized for Meta incentive programs, and receive amplification opportunities with Meta partners.”

Career Development

“Build your network, connect with fellow female athletes, and prepare for life after sports by hearing from inspirational guest speakers and having the opportunity to be considered for micro-internships.”

Female athletes ranging from D1-NAIA divisions are eligible to apply and the applications close July 23rd, 2023. There are eligibility requirements including:

  • Have at least one (1) semester of eligibility remaining during the 2023-2024 academic year;
  • Excited about the NIL era and eager to learn more about how Facebook and Instagram can help you build and monetize your personal brand;
  • Willingness to collaborate with the Empower cohort on content opportunities;
  • Bonus: ambitious, engaged, entrepreneurial, willing to hustle!

Even if an athlete is not selected, by simply applying they will receive educational NIL resources and be invited to join an informational webinar designed to provide resources, connections, and opportunities for female college athletes.