UC Riverside Highlanders

UC Riverside Highlanders
University	University of California, Riverside
Conference	Big West (primary) Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (indoor track & field)
NCAA	Division I
Athletic director	Wes Mallette
Location	Riverside, California
Varsity teams	15
Basketball arena	Student Recreation Center Arena
Baseball stadium	Riverside Sports Complex
Soccer stadium	UC Riverside Soccer Stadium
Other venues	Ag/Ops Course Amy S. Harrison Field SRC Tennis Courts UC Riverside Track Facility
Mascot	Scotty Highlander
Nickname	Highlanders
Colors	Blue and gold [1]
Website	gohighlanders.com

The UC Riverside Highlanders represent the University of California, Riverside (UCR) in Riverside, California in 15 men's and women's intercollegiate athletics. ^[2] The Highlanders compete in NCAA Division I; they are members of the Big West Conference. ^[3]

In 1954, UCR's founding class adopted the name "Highlanders", reflecting the campus's high altitude. After the student body passed a referendum to move to Division I competition in 1998, the bear mascot, formerly called "Scotty", was professionally redesigned to look more ferocious. ^[4] The new mascot featured a half-blue face in homage to William Wallace, the subject of the movie Braveheart. ^[5] In line with the Scottish motif, UCR assembles a bagpipe band made up of students and staff who play at graduation and other campus events. The blue and gold tartan worn by the pipe band and the mascot is a registered trademark of the University of California. ^[6] For the women's basketball team's first appearance at the NCAA Tournament in 2006, UCR sent 22 members of the pipe band to play at halftime. ^[7]

In 2020, the future of UCR's sports program was placed into doubt, as the university's leadership were considering cutting the entire athletics department in response to financial strain caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. However, in May 2021, the university announced that they had decided against eliminating athletics and would instead continue sponsoring all sports at the Division I level. ^[8]

Sports sponsored

Men's sports	Women's sports
Baseball	Basketball
Basketball	Cross country
Cross country	Golf
Golf	Soccer
Soccer	Softball
Tennis	Tennis
Track and field1	Track and field1
	Volleyball
1 – includes both indoor and outdoor

Baseball

Main article: UC Riverside Highlanders baseball

The UC Riverside Highlanders baseball team is the varsity intercollegiate baseball team of the University of California, Riverside. ^[9] The team is a member of the Big West Conference, which is part of the NCAA Division I. UC Riverside's first baseball team was fielded in 1958. The team plays its home games at the 2,500-seat Riverside Sports Complex.

Basketball

Men's basketball

Main article: UC Riverside Highlanders men's basketball

A game between the Highlanders and Air Force Falcons men's basketball teams in 2018

The UC Riverside Highlanders men's basketball team represents the University of California, Riverside. The school's team currently competes in the Big West Conference, which is part of the NCAA Division I. ^[10] UC Riverside's first men's basketball team was fielded during the 1958–59 season. The team plays its home games at the 3,168-seat Student Recreation Center Arena.

Women's basketball

Main article: UC Riverside Highlanders women's basketball

The UC Riverside Highlanders women's basketball team represents the University of California, Riverside. The school's team currently competes in the Big West Conference, which is part of the NCAA Division I. ^[11] UC Riverside's first women's basketball team was fielded during the 1977–78 season. The team plays its home games at the 3,168-seat Student Recreation Center Arena.

Soccer

Men's soccer

Main article: UC Riverside Highlanders men's soccer

The UC Riverside men's soccer team plays against Air Force in 2024

The UC Riverside women's soccer team plays against the USC Trojans in 2014

The team was established in 1965, and has been competing in the Big West Conference since 2002, ^[12] where it has won two tournament championships (in 2018 ^[13] and 2022, when the team also won the regular season) ^[14] .

The men's soccer squad have an NCAA Division I Tournament record of 0–2 through two appearances. ^{[15] [16]}

Women's soccer

The UC Riverside Highlanders women's soccer team have an NCAA Division I Tournament record of 0–1 through one appearance. ^[17]

In 2005 the women's soccer team competed in the first round of the NCAA tournament. ^[18] In 2007, UCR's baseball team won their first Big West championship and reached the Division I postseason for the second time since 2003, and the cross country team sent its first two athletes to the national championships. ^{[19] [20]}

Year	Round	Opponent	Result
2005	First Round	Colorado	L 0–1

Former varsity sports

Football

The UC Riverside Highlanders football team played from 1955 until the program was disbanded in 1975. The team played at Highlander Stadium. The team won two CCAA championships before the sport was discontinued because of low attendance and in anticipation of the impact of Title IX regulations. ^[21]

Club teams

Non-varsity student sports clubs that compete with other area universities include the Rugby Football Club, established in 2006, which plays in the Southern California Rugby Football Union. ^[22] The karate program is provided through the UC Riverside Recreation Center's Leisure Line classes. The classes are provided by top-of-the-line USA Shotokan karate team coaches from the American JKA Karate Association, an association that has been in the city for over 40 years. It is one of the largest collegiate programs in the United States, that take competitors to local, national and international competitions. A Men's and Women's Club Soccer team also competes in the West Coast Soccer Association. ^[23]

UCR also has a boxing club called Highlander Gloves, which competes in the USIBA College National Championships. Highlander Gloves trains at a local gym named the Raincross Boxing Academy that was founded by a member of Highlander Gloves. UCR's Highlander Gloves has produced numerous national champions and consistently ranks within the top five schools in the USIBA National Championships. The club was founded by UC Riverside student Celia Miranda in partnership with Det. Mario Dorado of the Riverside Police Foundation to create a free non-profit program that provides tutoring and mentorship to at-risk students in the Riverside area. This program operates independently of the university, as the gym is located off-campus. Raincross Boxing academy has notably been the home for numerous notable fighters including World title challengers Josesito López, Chris Arreola and Ricardo Rafael Sandoval. ^{[24] [25]}

Championships

Appearances

The UC Riverside Highlanders competed in the NCAA Tournament across 6 active sports (2 men's and 4 women's) 10 times at the Division I level. ^[26]

• Baseball (2): 2003, 2007
• Women's basketball (3): 2006, 2007, 2010
• Men's soccer (1): 2018
• Women's soccer (1): 2005
• Women's indoor track and field (2): 2009, 2016
• Women's outdoor track and field (1): 2009

Team

UC Riverside has never won a national championship at the NCAA Division I level. ^[27]

UC Riverside won 4 national championships at the NCAA Division II level. ^[27]

• Baseball (2): 1977, 1982
• Women's volleyball (2): 1982, 1986

Below is one national championship that was not bestowed by the NCAA:

• Women's volleyball – Division II (1): 1977 (AIAW)

Individual

UC Riverside had 1 Highlander win an NCAA individual championship at the Division I level. ^[27]

NCAA individual championships
Order	School year	Athlete(s)	Sport	Source
1	2015–16	Vesta Bell	Women's indoor track and field	[28]

At the NCAA Division II level, UC Riverside garnered 11 individual championships. ^[27]

Facilities

UCR Soccer Stadium in 2017

The volleyball and basketball teams play home games in the Student Recreation Center Arena (SRC), which seats 3,168. The baseball team competes at the Riverside Sports Complex. UCR graduate Troy Percival personally built UCR's baseball clubhouse to major league quality standards. ^[29] Softball is played at the Amy S. Harrison Field, named after a UCR graduate who donated $300,000 towards its upgrade in 2004. ^[30] Adjacent to the softball field are the soccer and track fields.

The soccer field was resurfaced with artificial turf in 2007. ^[31] In 2011, the old track and field facility, which had bleachers that dated back to the 1950s and a track surface that was over 15 years old, was completely torn out and replaced with a brand new facility. ^[32]

Traditions

Mascot

"Scotty Highlander" is the mascot for UC Riverside. The original mascot was an aggressive little bear wearing a kilt for the school's logo. In 1998, a referendum to move to NCAA Division I was passed and the students approached the administration requesting a new mascot and the old mascot was replaced. In 2011, the mascot was updated again with students voting online and a new "Scotty Highlander" mascot, featuring a roaring bear wearing a plaid Tam o' Shanter was chosen. ^[2]

School colors

All schools in the University of California System have a combination of blue and gold as their school colors. ^[2] UC Riverside follows this tradition.

See also

• List of NCAA Division I institutions

References

1. "UCR Colors | Brand Identity". June 13, 2020. Retrieved July 13, 2020.
2. "The Mascot". gohighlanders.com. Retrieved May 26, 2019.
3. "UC Riverside". bigwest.org.
4. UCR School Life: School Spirit – UCR's Current Mascot Archived February 15, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
5. "The History of UCR's Mascot". University of California, Riverside, Department of Athletics. Archived from the original on August 8, 2007. Retrieved August 22, 2007.
6. "The University of California Riverside Tartan". The University of California Riverside Pipe Band. Retrieved August 22, 2007.
7. Durant, Celeste (April 26, 2006). "Pipe Pep". Inside UCR. 2 (8). Archived from the original on September 4, 2006. Retrieved August 22, 2006.
8. Medcalf, Myron (May 6, 2021). "UC Riverside won't cut sports, will remain at Division I level despite pandemic". ESPN.com . Retrieved December 12, 2021.
9. "2010 UC Riverside baseball media guide" (PDF). gohighlanders.com. Retrieved May 26, 2019.
10. "Men's Basketball: Career Coaching Records". gohighlanders.com. Retrieved May 26, 2019.
11. "Women's Basketball: Career Coaching Records". gohighlanders.com. Retrieved May 26, 2019.
12. UCR Men's Soccer Record Book (2025)
13. Men's Soccer Wins First Big West Conference Championship at news.ucr.com. 14 Nov 2018
14. UC Riverside men’s soccer wins first Big West regular season title at news.ucr.com - 30 Oct 2022
15. "Bracket of the 2018 NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Championship". National Collegiate Athletic Association . Retrieved November 19, 2018.
16. "Bracket of the 2022 NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Championship". National Collegiate Athletic Association . Retrieved February 15, 2024.
17. "Division I Women's Soccer Championships Records Book" (PDF). National Collegiate Athletic Association . Retrieved July 25, 2018.
18. "UC Riverside Women's Soccer" (Press release). UCR Athletic Department. November 11, 2005. Archived from the original on December 10, 2007. Retrieved January 5, 2008.
19. Steele, Allan (June 4, 2007). "Disappointing end to memorable year for UCR baseball team". Press Enterprise . Archived from the original on June 15, 2010. Retrieved January 4, 2008.
20. Steele, Allan (November 19, 2007). "UCR runners struggle". Press Enterprise . Archived from the original on February 13, 2009. Retrieved January 4, 2008.
21. Alexander, Jim (June 24, 2007). "UC Riverside Rediscovers Glory Days – Briefly". Press Enterprise . Archived from the original on February 15, 2009. Retrieved January 4, 2008.
22. "Southern California Rugby Football Union". Southern California Rugby Union. Retrieved January 30, 2008.
23. "Rec Center – Recreation and Sports Cubs". recreation.ucr.edu. Archived from the original on January 29, 2008. Retrieved February 21, 2008.
24. "About Us".
25. "- HighlanderLink".
26. "NCAA Championships Statistics". National Collegiate Athletic Association . Retrieved April 10, 2022.
27. "Championships Summary" (PDF). National Collegiate Athletic Association. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 20, 2014. Retrieved May 20, 2018.
28. "Division I Women's Indoor Track Championships Records Book" (PDF). National Collegiate Athletic Association . Retrieved July 8, 2018.
29. Steele, Allan (February 27, 2007). "Percival gives UC Riverside edge in baseball recruiting". Press Enterprise . Archived from the original on March 9, 2007. Retrieved October 5, 2007.
30. "UC Riverside to Dedicate Amy S. Harrison Field During Double Header" (Press release). University of California, Riverside. March 18, 2004. Archived from the original on March 2, 2008. Retrieved January 24, 2008.
31. Steele, Allan (August 29, 2007). "Field of Dreams for UCR Soccer Teams". Press Enterprise . Archived from the original on June 15, 2010. Retrieved January 4, 2008.
32. Steele, Allan (June 29, 2011). "UCR breaks ground on new track facility". Press Enterprise . Archived from the original on September 9, 2012. Retrieved August 22, 2011.

External links

• Official website