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Portland Pilots | |
---|---|
University | University of Portland |
Conference | WCC (primary) MPSF (indoor track & field) |
NCAA | Division I |
Athletic director | Scott Leykam |
Location | Portland, Oregon |
Varsity teams | 14 |
Basketball arena | Chiles Center |
Baseball stadium | Joe Etzel Field |
Soccer stadium | Merlo Field |
Other venues | Louisiana-Pacific Tennis Center |
Mascot | Wally the Pilot |
Nickname | Pilots |
Fight song | "University of Portland Victory March 1984" |
Colors | Purple and white [1] |
Website | portlandpilots |
The Portland Pilots is the nickname for athletics at the University of Portland. The Pilots compete in the West Coast Conference (WCC) at the NCAA Division I level.
The Pilots started to gain attention when Clive Charles began coaching the women's soccer team in 1989. He already had been the men's soccer coach since 1986, and he continued to coach both teams until his death in 2003. He was replaced by Bill Irwin. The women's soccer team won national championships in 2002 and 2005 and was led by numerous national-level players (see "notable alumni athletes" section). Additionally, the men's soccer team has been to the College Cup twice in its history: 1988 and 1995.
In addition to soccer, UP consistently has one of the top cross country programs in the nation. Their men's team, coached by Rob Conner, won their 34th overall West Coast Conference championship in October 2014. The men's team has qualified for the NCAA Men's Division I Cross Country Championship a total of eighteen times, making their first appearance in 1993. The team has finished among the top 10 eight times in its history. The Pilots placed 7th in 2001, 2008, and 2013. The Pilots finished 3rd in 2014 and 2018 as well as 2nd in 2017, which was their highest ever finish. [2] In 2008, David Kinsella finished 4th overall, the highest any Pilot has ever placed individually at the national championships. The men's team has won the NCAA West Regional four times in their history: in 1993, 2017, 2018, and 2019. Through 2017, a total of eighteen Pilots have earned All-American honors in cross country, including Scott Fauble, Alfred Kipchumba, Trevor Dunbar, Pete Julian, Uli Steidl, Joe Driscoll, Reid Buchanan, and John Moore. [3] [2] Rob Conner also heads the Pilots' Indoor and Outdoor Track & Field teams, and has coached 25 All-Americans in distance events ranging from the mile to the 10,000m run. [4] Several Pilots have competed at the U.S. Olympic Trials under coach Conner, including William "Woody" Kincaid in the 5,000m in 2016, and John Moore and Michael Kilburg in the 10,000m in 2008.
The Pilots have had success in other sports. The men's basketball team has participated in the NCAA tournament twice (1959 and 1996). Their women's basketball team has participated in the NCAA Tournament six times (1994-1997, 2023, and 2024), qualified for the cancelled 2020 NCAA Tournament, and participated in the WNIT three times (1998, 2009, and 2022). Their baseball team has also participated in the NCAA tournament five times (1957, 1958, 1979, 1989, and 1991). Their volleyball team also participated in the postseason for the first time in 2018 after qualifying for the National Invitational Volleyball Championship. [5]
UP has not fielded a football team since 1950.
Men's sports | Women's sports |
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Baseball | Basketball |
Basketball | Beach volleyball |
Cross country | Cross country |
Soccer | Rowing |
Tennis | Soccer |
Track and field† | Tennis |
Track and field† | |
Volleyball | |
† – Track and field includes both indoor and outdoor |
NCAA team championships
Other team championships
The Pilots compete in the West Coast Conference, which they joined in 1976. Below are a few of their conference titles:
The Portland Pilots play home soccer matches at Merlo Field, part of the Clive Charles Soccer Complex. [6] All volleyball and basketball games are held in the Chiles Center. The baseball team plays in Joe Etzel Field. The Louisiana-Pacific Tennis Center is home to the tennis teams.
The USA Basketball Men's National Team, commonly known as Team USA and the United States men's national basketball team, is the basketball team representing the United States. It is the most successful men's team in international competition, winning medals in all twenty Olympic tournaments it has entered, including seventeen golds. In the professional era, the team has won the Olympic gold medal in 1992, 1996, 2000, 2008, 2012, 2016, 2020, and 2024. Two of its gold medal-winning teams were inducted to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in August 2010: the 1960 team, which featured six Hall of Famers, and the 1992 "Dream Team", featuring 14 Hall of Famers. The team is currently ranked first in the FIBA World Rankings.
Tiffeny Carleen Milbrett is an American former professional soccer forward who was a longtime member of the United States women's national team. In May 2018 the National Soccer Hall of Fame announced Milbrett will be enshrined in the Hall. A native of Oregon, she starred at the University of Portland where she scored a then school record 103 goals during her career. She won an Olympic gold medal in 1996 in Atlanta and a silver medal at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney. She also played in three World Cups, winning in 1999. She is in the top five all-time in the United States national soccer team in three offensive categories.
Clive Michael Charles was an English football player, coach and television announcer. He was one of five National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) coaches to win more than 400 games.
The West Coast Conference (WCC) — known as the California Basketball Association from 1952 to 1956 and then as the West Coast Athletic Conference until 1989 — is a collegiate athletic conference affiliated with NCAA Division I consisting of nine member schools across the states of California, Oregon, and Washington.
The Temple Owls are the athletic teams that represent Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The current athletic director is Arthur Johnson.
The Indiana Hoosiers are the intercollegiate sports teams and players of Indiana University Bloomington, named after the demonym for people from the state of Indiana. The Hoosiers participate in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in 24 sports and became a member of the Big Ten Conference on December 1, 1899. The school's official colors are cream and crimson.
The South Carolina Gamecocks represent the University of South Carolina in the NCAA Division I.
The Marquette Golden Eagles, formerly known as the Marquette Warriors, Blue and Gold, Hilltoppers, and Golden Avalanche, are the teams representing Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. They compete as a member of the NCAA Division I level, primarily competing in the Big East Conference for all sports since its establishment in 2013. The Golden Eagles are a founding member of the current Big East, having been one of the seven members of the original Big East that broke away to form a basketball-focused league. They had joined the original Big East in 2005, having previously competed in Conference USA (C-USA) from 1995/96 to 2004/05, the Great Midwest Conference from 1991/92 to 1994/95, and the Horizon League from 1988/89 to 1990/91. They also competed as an independent from 1916/17 to 1987/88. Men's sports include basketball, cross country, golf, lacrosse, soccer, tennis, and track & field, while women's sports include basketball, cross country, lacrosse, soccer, tennis, track & field and volleyball.
The San Jose State Spartans are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent San José State University. SJSU sports teams compete in the Mountain West Conference at the NCAA Division I level, with football competing in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS).
Harry A. Merlo Field at the Clive Charles Soccer Complex is a 4,892-capacity soccer-specific stadium in Portland, Oregon on the campus of the University of Portland where it serves as home to the school's men's and women's soccer teams.
The Florida Gators track and field program represents the University of Florida in the sport of track and field. The program includes separate men's and women's teams, both of which compete in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The Gators host their home indoor meets in the Stephen C. O'Connell Center and their home outdoor meets at Percy Beard Track, both located on the university's Gainesville, Florida campus. The Gators track teams are currently led by head coach Mike Holloway.
The Bay State Games are an Olympic-style athletic event for amateur athletes in the state of Massachusetts, which includes several divisions and allows athletes of all ages to compete. The Games are divided into Summer and Winter Games. The Summer Games include 25 sports and are usually held in late July. The Winter Games include three different sports and are usually held in late January or early February. The Bay State Games is a member of the National Congress of State Games. Kevin Cummings currently serves as executive director.
The 2012–13 Portland Pilots men's basketball team represented the University of Portland during the 2012–13 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Pilots were members of the West Coast Conference and were led by seventh-year head coach Eric Reveno. They played their home games at the Chiles Center. They finished the season 11–21, 4–12 in WCC play to finish in a tie for seventh place. They lost in the first round of the WCC tournament to Loyola Marymount.
The Portland Pilots women's basketball team represents the University of Portland, located in Portland, Oregon, United States, in NCAA Division I basketball competition. They play their home games at the Chiles Center and are members of the West Coast Conference.
The Stanford Cardinal women's soccer team represent Stanford University in the Pac-12 Conference of NCAA Division I soccer. Home games are played at Laird Q. Cagan Stadium, located on the university's campus in Palo Alto. Paul Ratcliffe has coached the Cardinal since 2003, winning Pac-12 Coach of the Year eight times. During his tenure as head coach, the team won the 2011, 2017, and 2019 national championships, and nine Pac-12 titles, played in nine College Cup tournaments, and reached five NCAA Division I finals.
The 1994 NCAA Division I women's soccer tournament was the 13th annual single-elimination tournament to determine the national champion of NCAA Division I women's collegiate soccer. The semifinals and championship game were played at Merlo Field in Portland, Oregon during December 1994.
The 2018–19 Portland Pilots women's basketball team represented the University of Portland in the 2018–19 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The Pilots were led by fifth year coach Cheryl Sorensen. They played their homes games at Chiles Center and were members of the West Coast Conference. They finished the season 13–17, 5–13 in WCC play to finish in eighth place. They lost in the first round of the WCC women's tournament to San Francisco.
The 2020–21 Portland Pilots men's basketball team represented the University of Portland during the 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Pilots were led by fifth-year head coach Terry Porter until he was fired February 5, 2021 after 17 games. He was replaced by interim head coach Ben Johnson for the rest of the season. They played their home games at the Chiles Center as members of the West Coast Conference. In a season limited due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, they finished the season 6–15, 0–11 in WCC play to finish in last place. They lost to Santa Clara in the first round of the WCC tournament.
The 2022–23 Portland Pilots women's basketball team represented the University of Portland in the 2022–23 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The Pilots were led by fourth-year coach Michael Meek. They played their homes games at Chiles Center and were members of the West Coast Conference (WCC).