UNC Wilmington Seahawks

UNC Wilmington Seahawks
UNC Wilmington Seahawks
University	University of North Carolina Wilmington
Conference	CAA (primary); Sun Belt (beach volleyball)
NCAA	Division I
Athletic director	Michael Oblinger
Location	Wilmington, North Carolina
Varsity teams	19
Basketball arena	Trask Coliseum
Baseball stadium	Brooks Field
Softball stadium	Boseman Field
Soccer stadium	UNC Wilmington Soccer Stadium
Other venues	Seahawk Natatorium (swimming and diving); Hanover Hall (volleyball)
Nickname	Seahawks
Colors	Teal, gold, and navy;
Website	uncwsports.com

Last updated November 11, 2024

Colonial Athletic Association logo in UNC Wilmington's colors

The UNC Wilmington (UNCW) Seahawks are the varsity athletic teams representing the University of North Carolina Wilmington in Wilmington, North Carolina in intercollegiate athletics. The university sponsors eight teams for the men (baseball, basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, swimming and diving, tennis, and outdoor track & field only) and eleven for the women (basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, softball, swimming and diving, tennis, track & field (indoor and outdoor), volleyball, and beach volleyball). With the exception of beach volleyball (Sun Belt Conference), the Seahawks compete as a non-football member of NCAA Division I and are members of the Coastal Athletic Association.^[2]

Teams

Individual teams

Men's sports	Women's sports
Baseball	Basketball
Basketball	Cross Country
Cross Country	Golf
Golf	Soccer
Soccer	Softball
Swimming & Diving	Swimming & Diving
Tennis	Tennis
Track & Field ¹	Track & Field ²
	Volleyball
	Beach Volleyball
¹outdoor only – ²indoor and outdoor

Baseball

UNC Wilmington won the Colonial Athletic Association's automatic bid to play in the NCAA regional playoffs in 2004, 2006, 2012, 2015, 2023 and 2024. In addition, the program received at-large bids to the NCAA Tournament in 2003, 2008 and 2016. UNCW set a Colonial Athletic Association record with four consecutive 40-win seasons from 2003–06 and set a school record with 44 victories in 2008, including a 21-game winning streak. The rich heritage of UNCW baseball began when the Seahawks captured the NCJAA 1961 and 1963 National Championships. The Seahawks have sent over 90 players to play professionally. UNCW has hosted the Colonial Athletic Association baseball tournament at Brooks Field eight consecutive years and 10 times overall.

Men's basketball

The UNC Wilmington basketball program moved to Division I in 1976-77. In 1984, the Seahawks joined the ECAC-South Conference (also known as the Colonial Athletic Association). In their first conference home game at Trask Coliseum the Seahawks defeated George Mason.^{[ citation needed ]} The first appearance in a Colonial Athletic Association championship game came in 1987, just their third season of league play that saw them finish the regular season in 2nd place. UNCW appeared in three more Colonial Athletic Association title games (1989, 1996, 1998) before capturing their first championship in 2000 with a 57-47 win over Richmond. UNCW won the title again in 2006 by beating Hofstra, 78-67.

The Seahawks’ first votes in any Top 25 poll came early in the 1992-93 season. Other notable wins that captured the attention of pollsters included road wins at Miami (FL) and NC State (96-84). The first appearance in post-season play came in 1998 when they were selected for the NIT. They played again in the NIT in 2001.

Postseason Play

UNCW has made six appearances in the NCAA Tournament (2000, 2002, 2003, 2006, 2016, 2017), two in the NIT (1998, 2001), one in the CIT (2015) and one in the CBI (2022) in which the Seahawks won the CBI Championship.

In their first trip in 2000 they lost to the #2 seed Cincinnati, 64-47. In their second appearance in 2002, the 13th seeded Seahawks shocked the 4th seeded University of Southern California Trojans with a 93-89 overtime win. They were defeated by that year's tournament runner-up Indiana in the second round, 76-66. In 2003, they lost to Maryland on a last-second basket. Ironically, their close call losses in the tournaments for both seasons came at the hands of the two participants in the 2002 National Championship Game.

In 2006 the Seahawks earned a ninth seed in the Atlanta Regional as CAA conference champions, losing to #8 seed George Washington in overtime, 88-85. The Seahawks lost to #4 seed Duke (93-85) in 2016 as a 13 seed in the West Regional. In 2017, Virginia beat #12 seed UNCW (76-71) in the first round of the East Regional.

Men's soccer

The UNC Wilmington soccer team has appeared in four NCAA Tournaments, with their most recent appearance coming in 2018. They play their home matches at UNCW Soccer Stadium.

Women's basketball

The UNC Wilmington women's basketball program completed its 37th season of competition in 2010-11, including the last 25 as a member of the NCAA Division I ranks. The Seahawks began as a member of the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women in 1973-74 and spent 10 years as a member until the association's disbandment following the 1982-83 season.

UNCW joined the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for one season, recording a program best mark of 22-6 that year before joining the NCAA Division I ranks as a member of the ECAC-South Conference in 1984 (the league changed its name to the Colonial Athletic Association in 1985).

The Seahawks have made two appearances in the Colonial Athletic Association championship game, falling both times to Old Dominion (92-49 in 2000 and 76-48 in 2002). UNCW's best regular-season finish came in 2010-11, when the Seahawks finished in a tie for second place with Old Dominion University, one game behind regular season champion James Madison.

Track and field

The men's and women's track & field programs have a long history of success including 11 Colonial Athletic Association Men's Team Championships, 168 Individual Champions, and 478 All-Colonial Athletic Association performances. The team has represented UNCW at the NCAA national level on 119 occasions, including nine times at the NCAA Finals. Anna Raynor was named an All-American in the javelin on three occasions. She also finished third at the USA National Championships in 2007 and competed at the US Olympic Trials in 2008. Seahawk track & field athletes have been named Colonial Athletic Association Most Valuable Athlete six times, and Colonial Athletic Association Athlete of the Year four times. Academically, they have earned U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association All-Academic individual (35x) and team (38x) recognition, as well as Colonial Athletic Association Scholar Athlete of the Year on four occasions.

Additional athletics

The men's swimming and diving team has won the Colonial Athletic Association title for 12 consecutive years, from 2002 through 2013. The men's tennis team has won the Colonial Athletic Association title twice in the last three years (2009, 2011) by defeating Virginia Commonwealth University. The men's golf team has won seven conference championships: 2004, 2005, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2018, and 2019. The women's golf team has won four conference championships: 2007, 2008, 2011, and 2012. UNC Wilmington also captured the men's and women's Colonial Athletic Association soccer titles in 2009.

UNC Wilmington introduced beach volleyball as a sponsored athletics offering in the spring of 2015 and participated in its first competitive season in the spring of 2016. UNCW joined the Coastal Collegiate Sports Association in 2016–17, and has since changed conferences twice—first to the ASUN Conference in 2021–22, and then to the Sun Belt Conference in 2022–23.

Sammy C. Hawk

"Sammy" is the official name of UNCW's costumed Seahawk mascot. The name "Sammy" was selected for its gender neutral connotation.

Sammy is a Hebrew name meaning sun child. UNCW's Seahawk is a mythical creature, born from the sun, who lives in the Atlantic Ocean as a fish. During the sports season the Seahawk is able to shapeshift into the form of a bird of prey to feast on the opponents. In order to transmutate Sammy needs the mystical basketball that was left in Wilmington during the "Blizzard" that hit the city in the early part of the 21st century bringing with it 3 championships.

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The 2016–17 UNC Wilmington Seahawks men's basketball team represented the University of North Carolina at Wilmington during the 2016–17 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Seahawks were led by third-year head coach Kevin Keatts and played their home games at the Trask Coliseum as members of the Colonial Athletic Association. They finished the season 29–6, 15–3 in CAA play to win the regular season championship, their third consecutive championship. They defeated Delaware, William & Mary, and the College of Charleston to win the CAA tournament. As a result, they earned the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament for the second consecutive year. As the No. 12 seed in the East region, they lost in the first round to Virginia.

The 2017–18 UNC Wilmington Seahawks men's basketball team represented the University of North Carolina at Wilmington during the 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Seahawks were led by first-year head coach C. B. McGrath and played their home games at the Trask Coliseum as members of the Colonial Athletic Association. They finished the season 11–21, 7–11 in CAA play to finish in sixth place. They defeated Hofstra in the quarterfinals of the CAA tournament before losing in the semifinals to Northeastern.

The 2017–18 UNC Wilmington Seahawks women's basketball team represented the University of North Carolina Wilmington during the 2017–18 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The Seahawks, led by first year head coach Karen Barefoot, played their home games at the Trask Coliseum and were members of the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA). They finished the season 12–19, 4–14 in CAA play to finish in a tie for eight place. They advance to the quarterfinals of the CAA women's tournament, where they lost to Drexel.

The 2001–02 UNC Wilmington Seahawks men's basketball team represented the University of North Carolina Wilmington during the 2001–02 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Seahawks, led by eighth-year head coach Jerry Wainwright, played their home games at the Trask Coliseum and were members of the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA).

The 2021–22 UNC Wilmington Seahawks men's basketball team represented the University of North Carolina Wilmington during the 2021–22 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Seahawks are led by second-year head coach Takayo Siddle. They played their home games at Trask Coliseum as part of the Colonial Athletic Association. They finished the season 27–9, 15–3 in CAA play to finish in a tie for the regular season championship with Towson. The Seahawks defeated Elon and Charleston in the CAA tournament before losing to Delaware in the championship game. They received a bid to the College Basketball Invitational tournament as the No. 9 seed. They defeated VMI, Drake, Northern Colorado, and Middle Tennessee to win the CBI championship.

The 2022–23 UNC Wilmington Seahawks men's basketball team represented the University of North Carolina Wilmington in the 2022–23 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Seahawks, led by third-year head coach Takayo Siddle, played their home games at Trask Coliseum in Wilmington, North Carolina as members of the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA).

The 2022–23 College of Charleston Cougars men's basketball team represented the College of Charleston in the 2022–23 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Cougars, led by second-year head coach Pat Kelsey, played their home games at the TD Arena in Charleston, South Carolina as members of the Colonial Athletic Association.

The 2002–03 UNC Wilmington Seahawks men's basketball team represented the University of North Carolina Wilmington during the 2002–03 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Seahawks, led by first-year head coach Brad Brownell, played their home games at the Trask Coliseum and were members of the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA).

The 2005–06 UNC Wilmington Seahawks men's basketball team represented the University of North Carolina Wilmington during the 2005–06 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Seahawks, led by fourth-year head coach Brad Brownell, played their home games at the Trask Coliseum and were members of the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA).

The 2023–24 UNC Wilmington Seahawks men's basketball team represented the University of North Carolina Wilmington during the 2023–24 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Seahawks, led by fourth-year head coach Takayo Siddle, played their home games at Trask Coliseum in Wilmington, North Carolina as members of the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA). The Seahawks finished the season with a 21–10 record, 12–6 in CAA play, to finish in a tie with Hofstra for third place. They were defeated by fifth seed Towson in the quarterfinals of the CAA tournament.

The 2023–24 Hofstra Pride men's basketball team represented Hofstra University during the 2023–24 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Pride, led by third-year head coach Speedy Claxton, played their home games at the Mack Sports Complex in Hempstead, New York, as members of the Coastal Athletic Association.

The 2024–25 UNC Wilmington Seahawks men's basketball team represents the University of North Carolina Wilmington during the 2024–25 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Seahawks are led by fifth-year head coach Takayo Siddle and play their home games at Trask Coliseum in Wilmington, North Carolina as members of the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA).

References

↑ UNCW Seahawks - Official Brand Identity Usage and Style Guide (PDF). January 28, 2015. Retrieved April 1, 2016.
↑ CAA Logos, Colonial Athletic Association, retrieved September 8, 2021.

External links

Official website

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[1] UNCW Seahawks - Official Brand Identity Usage and Style Guide (PDF). January 28, 2015. Retrieved April 1, 2016.

[2] CAA Logos, Colonial Athletic Association, retrieved September 8, 2021.

[1]

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v t e University of North Carolina Wilmington
Athletics	Colonial Athletic Association Baseball Brooks Field Men's basketball Women's basketball Men's soccer Trask Coliseum
Campus	Residences Wilmington
People	Alumni Faculty
Student life	Greek life Wrightsville Beach