Western Washington Vikings | |
---|---|
University | Western Washington University |
Conference | Great Northwest Athletic Conference Northwest Collegiate Rowing Conference (rowing only) |
NCAA | Division II |
Athletic director | Jim Sterk [1] |
Location | Bellingham, Washington |
Varsity teams | 15 |
Basketball arena | Sam Carver Gymnasium |
Baseball stadium | Viking Field |
Track stadium | Civic Stadium |
Mascot | Victor E. Viking |
Nickname | Vikings |
Colors | Navy blue, white, slate blue, and silver [2] |
Website | wwuvikings |
The Western Washington Vikings represent Western Washington University in intercollegiate sports in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference of the NCAA Division II with the exception of the women's rowing team which is a member of the Northwest Collegiate Rowing Conference. WWU has been an official member of NCAA Division II since September 1998. Their mascot is Victor E. Viking. [3]
Western Washington sponsors six sports for men and nine sports for women with approximately 350 student athletes.
The story of Victor E. Viking, the mascot, is that he visited Bellingham in 1923 and decided to become a supporter of the team. He has since become the mascot representation of the Vikings. [4] In 2015, The Washington Post reported on controversy at Western over the mascot. Some claim that an imposing white man does not sufficiently represent the school, while some argue against removing the mascot that had been representing Western for nearly 100 years. [5] The controversy was renewed in 2022, [6] [7] but Victor continues as the mascot of the institution as of February 2024 [update] .
The 2010 NCAA graduation rate study showed that 69 percent of Western student-athletes receive their degrees in six years or less based on the Federal Graduation Rate formula, a rate the same as that of the full student body. This is 13 percentage points higher than the average for NCAA Division II schools nationally and 15 points higher than the average for the nine U.S. schools in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference. Using the NCAA Academic Success Rate, which includes all freshman student-athletes from the fall of 2003 and also accounts for student-athletes who transfer into or out of the institution, Western posted an 85 percent success rate, compared to the NCAA II national number of 73 percent. The average ASR of the nine U.S. GNAC schools was 77 percent.
Men's
| Women's
|
Western Washington University is credited with 13 official team National Championship. 1 at the NAIA level and 12 NCAA Championships.
Association | Division | Sport | Year | Opponent/Runner-Up | Score |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
NAIA | Division 1 | Softball | 1998 | Simon Fraser | 5–1 |
NCAA | Division II | Women's Rowing [8] | 2005 | Mercyhurst | 20–12 |
2006 | Barry | 20–15 | |||
2007 | UC San Diego | 20–15 | |||
2008 | UC San Diego | 20–15 | |||
2009 | Mercyhurst | 18–13 | |||
2010 | Seattle Pacific | 20–11 | |||
2011 | Mercyhurst | 20–13 | |||
Men's Basketball | 2012 | Montevallo | 72–65 | ||
Women's Soccer | 2016 | Grand Valley State | 3–2 | ||
Women's Rowing | 2017 | Central Oklahoma | 17–16 | ||
Women's Soccer | 2022 | West Chester | 2-1 | ||
Women's Rowing | 2024 | Mercyhurst | 22-21 |
Additionally, Western's club sports have won the following championships:
Sport | Division | Year |
---|---|---|
Road Cycling | Division II | 2007 |
CycloCross | Division II | 2007 |
CycloCross | Division II | 2009 |
Men's Hockey | Division II | 2013 |
Women's Handball | Division II | 2014 |
Water Skiing | Division II | 2015 |
WWU won the 2011–12 NCAA Division II men's basketball national championship, just the second collegiate crown in that sport in state of Washington history and the first since 1976. WWU reached the national semifinals in men's basketball in 2001 and women's basketball in 2000. WWU ranks among the top 15 in women's basketball victories among all four-year schools with that program making 12 NCAA tournament appearances in 13 years.
In 2010–11, WWU placed seventh among 310 NCAA Division II schools in the Sports Director's Cup national all-sports standings, the second-highest finish in school history. The Vikings were sixth in 2009–10 and 10th in 2008–09. WWU has had eight straight Top 50 finishes and been among the Top 100 in each of its first 13 seasons as an NCAA II member. In 2010–11, Western won its third straight and seventh overall Great Northwest Athletic Conference All-Sports championship, taking league titles in volleyball, men's golf and women's golf, and the regular-season crown in women's basketball. The Vikings, who won the Northwest Collegiate Rowing Conference championship, placed second in men's and women's cross country, men's and women's outdoor track, men's indoor track and softball.
Other accomplishments include:
Western Washington University is a public university in Bellingham, Washington. The northernmost university in the contiguous United States, WWU was founded in 1893 as the state-funded New Whatcom Normal School, succeeding a private school of teaching for women founded in 1886. The university adopted its present name in 1977.
The UBC Thunderbirds are the athletic teams that represent the University of British Columbia. In Canadian intercollegiate competition, the Thunderbirds are the most successful athletic program both regionally in the Canada West Universities Athletic Association, and nationally in U Sports, winning 116 national titles. UBC has won an additional 20 national titles competing in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics against collegiate competition from the United States and 40 national titles in sports that compete in independent competitions.
NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest level of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major collegiate athletic powers, with large budgets, more elaborate and nicer facilities and a few more athletic scholarships than Divisions II and III as well as many smaller schools committed to the highest level of intercollegiate competition.
The Washington Huskies are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Washington, located in Seattle. The school competes at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level as a member of the Pac-12 Conference.
NCAA Division II (D-II) is an intermediate-level division of competition in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). It offers an alternative to both the larger and better-funded Division I and to the scholarship-free environment offered in Division III.
The Cascade Collegiate Conference is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). Member schools are located in the Northwestern United States and in British Columbia. The conference's members compete in 15 sports. The current commissioner of the conference is Robert Cashell.
The Tulane Green Wave are the athletic teams that represent Tulane University, located in New Orleans, Louisiana. Tulane competes in NCAA Division I as a member of the American Athletic Conference. There are 14 Green Wave intercollegiate programs, two of which compete outside The American. Beach volleyball and bowling, women's sports that are not sponsored by The American, compete in Conference USA (CUSA).
The Seattle Redhawks are the intercollegiate varsity athletic teams of Seattle University of Seattle, Washington. Informally and colloquially, they are referred to as Seattle U. They compete in the NCAA's Division I as a member institution of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC). The university will become a full member of the West Coast Conference on July 1, 2025.
The Ohio Wesleyan Battling Bishops are the sports and other competitive teams at Ohio Wesleyan University. The men's and women's Bishops teams are NCAA Division III teams that compete in the North Coast Athletic Conference and the Mid-Atlantic Rowing Conference. The university sponsors 25 varsity sports, as well as several intramural and club teams.
Maryland has a number of major and minor professional sports franchises. Two National Football League teams play in Maryland, the Baltimore Ravens in Baltimore and the Washington Commanders in Prince George's County. The Baltimore Orioles compete as Major League Baseball franchise in Baltimore.
The Wright State Raiders are the athletics teams of Wright State University in Fairborn, Ohio. The school currently participates in ten sports at the Division I level of the NCAA and are members of the Horizon League. The school's mascot is a wolf.
The Red Foxes are the athletic teams of Marist College. The Marist Red Foxes compete in NCAA Division I athletics as a member of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) the only exception being football, a member of the Pioneer Football League (PFL).
The UC Davis Aggies are the athletic teams that represent the University of California, Davis.
The Sacramento State Hornets is the team that represents California State University, Sacramento in intercollegiate athletics.
Long Beach State athletics, or simply Beach athletics, are the athletic teams that represent California State University, Long Beach. Teams compete in 19 sports at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level. Long Beach State is a founding member of the Big West Conference, and also competes in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation and the Golden Coast Conference for sports not sponsored by the Big West.
The North Greenville Trailblazers are the athletic teams representing North Greenville University, located in Tigerville, South Carolina, in intercollegiate sports as a member of the NCAA Division II ranks, primarily competing in the Conference Carolinas since the 2011–12 academic year. They were also a member of the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA), primarily competing as an independent in the South Region of the Division I level. The Trailblazers previously competed as a member of the Mid-South Conference (MSC) of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) from 1995–96 to 2000–01.
The Western Oregon Wolves are the athletic teams that represent Western Oregon University, located in Monmouth, Oregon, in intercollegiate sports as a member of the Division II level of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), primarily competing in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) since the 2001–02 academic year. The Wolves previously competed in the D-II Pacific West Conference (PacWest) from 1998–99 to 2000–01; and in the Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) from 1993–94 to 1997–98.
The Colby Mules are the varsity and club athletic teams of Colby College, a liberal arts college located in Waterville, Maine. Colby's varsity teams compete in the New England Small College Athletic Conference of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III. The college offers 32 varsity teams, plus club sports, intramural sports called I-play.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology's intercollegiate sports teams, called the MIT Engineers, compete mostly in NCAA Division III. MIT has won 22 Team National Championships and 42 Individual National Championships. MIT is the all-time Division III leader in producing Academic All-Americans (302) and ranks second across all NCAA Divisions. MIT athletes have won 13 Elite 90 awards, ranking MIT first among NCAA Division III programs and third among all divisions. Most of the school's sports compete in the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC), with sports not sponsored by the NEWMAC housed in several other conferences. Men's volleyball competes in the single-sport United Volleyball Conference. One MIT sport, women's rowing, competes in Division I in the Patriot League. Men's water polo, a sport in which the NCAA holds a single national championship for all three of its divisions, competes in the Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) alongside Division I and Division II members. Three sports compete outside NCAA governance: men's rowing competes in the Eastern Association of Rowing Colleges (EARC), sailing in the New England Intercollegiate Sailing Association of ICSA and squash in the College Squash Association. In April 2009, budget cuts led to MIT's eliminating eight of its 41 sports, including the mixed men's and women's teams in alpine skiing and pistol; separate teams for men and women in ice hockey and gymnastics; and men's programs in golf and wrestling.
The Sonoma State Seawolves are the athletic teams that represent Sonoma State University, located in Rohnert Park, California, in NCAA Division II intercollegiate sports. The Seawolves compete as members of the California Collegiate Athletic Association for all 11 varsity sports.