The energy of a championship weekend is unmatched, from huge upsets to late-game drama. Behind the scenes, however, hosting multiple championships on a single campus takes a tremendous amount of work. As the school prepares to host the 2026 winter SPC championships, the athletic department has been preparing to create the best environment for athletes.
Due to district realignment and the upcoming addition of TMI-Episcopal and Saint Mary’s Hall, the SPC chose to switch the championship-hosting rotation.
“This is the first year that Houston is doing both fall and spring (championships) and DFW is responsible for all of winter,” Assistant Athletic Director Josh Friesen said. “Then next year, Dallas will be in charge of fall and spring while Houston will do all of winter.”
When the metroplex hosts the championships, schools collaborate to determine which campuses have the best facilities for hosting each sport. Because St. Mark’s, Hockaday and Greenhill are the only 4A schools in the SPC north, these schools are expected to host most of the events for the larger-schools division.
“We are hosting a bulk of the 4A teams for boys and girls soccer, basketball and swimming,” Friesen said. “ESD is helping host some. They’re splitting with Greenhill on boys soccer.”
One of the new spaces that St. Mark’s will utilize is the Levering Pool. As the only SPC school in the metroplex with a pool able to accommodate all aquatic events (except diving, which will take place at Jesuit), St. Mark’s agreed to take on the role of hosting all 3A and 4A championships for boys and girls swimming.
“This will be the first ever SPC swimming meet on a school’s campus,” Friesen said. “It’s never happened before. It’s always been offsite at a rented pool… they were just renting a natatorium from an ISD.”
Just across the hall, Hicks Gym will serve as the center of the boys 4A basketball tournament. While St. Mark’s doesn’t host events to increase turnout from Lions’ fans, Friesen hopes that students will attend because of the close proximity.
“I think it’s more of a byproduct. It makes it easier for students to attend because it’s going to be in their backyard,” Friesen said. “Greenhill will have soccer so kids can go from here to there really easily to support our teams. It’ll be harder for our wrestlers to get support because they’re going to be an hour away at Fort Worth Country Day.”
Since most events will be after school on Friday or on Saturday, students shouldn’t be heavily affected. Besides keeping the campus clean and being aware of parking lot traffic, Friesen encourages students to display good sportsmanship.
“They shouldn’t be vocal against other schools, just be neutral spectators for games St. Mark’s isn’t in,” Friesen said. “And be a great cheerleader for St. Mark’s.”
