Portland Pilots

Last updated

Portland Pilots
Portland Pilots logo.svg
University University of Portland
Conference WCC (primary)
Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (indoor track & field)
NCAA Division I
Athletic directorScott Leykam
Location Portland, Oregon
Varsity teams14
Basketball arena Chiles Center
Baseball stadium Joe Etzel Field
Soccer stadium Merlo Field
Other venuesLouisiana-Pacific Tennis Center
MascotWally the Pilot
NicknamePilots
Fight song"University of Portland Victory March 1984"
ColorsPurple and white [1]
   
Website www.portlandpilots.com

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.

Contents

History

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.

Sports sponsored

Men's sportsWomen's sports
Baseball Basketball
Basketball Beach volleyball
Cross countryCross country
Soccer Rowing
Tennis Soccer
Track and fieldTennis
Track and field
Volleyball
† – Track and field includes both indoor and outdoor

Former teams

National championships

NCAA team championships

Other team championships

Conference championships

The Pilots compete in the West Coast Conference, which they joined in 1976. Below are a few of their conference titles:

Venues

The Chiles Center, which is now painted white ChilesCenter.png
The Chiles Center, which is now painted white

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.

Olympians

Notable alumni athletes

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States men's national basketball team</span> National basketball team

The USA Basketball Men's National Team, commonly known as the United States men's national basketball team, is the basketball team representing the United States. It is the most successful team in international competition, winning medals in all nineteen Olympic tournaments it has entered, including sixteen golds. In the professional era, the team won the Olympic gold medal in 1992, 1996, 2000, 2008, 2012, 2016, and 2020. 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tiffeny Milbrett</span> American soccer player

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clive Charles</span> English footballer and manager

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West Coast Conference</span> College athletics conference

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Temple Owls</span> Intercollegiate sports teams of Temple University

The Temple Owls are the athletic teams that represent Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The current athletic director is Arthur Johnson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indiana Hoosiers</span> Intercollegiate sports teams of Indiana University Bloomington

The Indiana Hoosiers are the intercollegiate sports teams and players of Indiana University Bloomington, named after the colloquial term 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eastern Illinois Panthers</span> Sports teams of a university or college

The Eastern Illinois Panthers are the intercollegiate athletic programs of Eastern Illinois University (EIU) located in Charleston, Illinois, United States. The Panthers athletic program is a member of the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) and competes at the NCAA Division I level in the Football Championship Subdivision. EIU's colors are blue and gray. Selected as the team mascot in 1930, EIU's panther was informally known as "Billy" for many years and was officially named "Billy the Panther" in 2008. Panther teams have won five NCAA national championships in three sports. The Panthers also won the 1969 NAIA men's soccer title.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">San Francisco Dons</span> Intercollegiate sports teams of University of San Francisco

The San Francisco Dons is the nickname of the athletic teams at the University of San Francisco (USF). The Dons compete in NCAA Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) as members of the West Coast Conference (WCC), of which USF is a charter member.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">San Jose State Spartans</span> Intercollegiate sports teams of San Jose State University

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).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Loyola Marymount Lions</span> Athletic teams that represent Loyola Marymount University

The Loyola Marymount Lions are the athletic teams that represent Loyola Marymount University, a Jesuit institution in Los Angeles, California. The school competes in NCAA Division I and the West Coast Conference.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Merlo Field</span>

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 soccer teams. From March 29, 2015, until the end of 2016, the stadium played host to the Portland Timbers' USL side Portland Timbers 2.

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2012–13 Portland Pilots men's basketball team</span> American college basketball season

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 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2020–21 Portland Pilots men's basketball team</span> American college basketball season

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2021–22 Portland Pilots men's basketball team</span> American college basketball season

The 2021–22 Portland Pilots men's basketball team represented the University of Portland during the 2021–22 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Pilots, led by first-year head coach Shantay Legans, played their home games at the Chiles Center as members of the West Coast Conference.

The 2022–23 Portland Pilots women's basketball team represents the University of Portland in the 2022–23 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The Pilots are led by fourth year coach Michael Meek. They play their homes games at Chiles Center and are members of the West Coast Conference.

The 2023–24 Portland Pilots women's basketball team represented the University of Portland in the 2023–24 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The Pilots were led by fifth year coach Michael Meek. They played their home games at Chiles Center and were members of the West Coast Conference. They finished the season 21–13, 10–6 in WCC play to finish in 3rd place. As the No. 3 seed in the WCC Tournament, they defeated Loyola Marymount in the quarterfinals, Santa Clara in the semifinals and Gonzaga in the championship to win the WCC Tournament. They received a automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament where as the No. 13 seed in the Albany 2 region, they were lost in the first round by Kansas State.

References

  1. "University of Portland Launches Secondary Logo as Part of NIKE Brand Refresh". PortlandPilots.com. October 17, 2014. Retrieved June 8, 2020.
  2. 1 2 "Pilots Hit Podium with Runner-Up Finish at NCAA Championships". University of Portland. Retrieved February 11, 2018.
  3. "University of Portland - Men's NCAA XC Championship History" (PDF). www.portlandpilots.com. Retrieved February 11, 2018.
  4. "University of Portland - All-Time Records and Awards 1.27.17". www.portlandpilots.com. Retrieved February 11, 2018.
  5. "Pilots enter Postseason for First Time, Play Northern Colorado on Thursday".
  6. NCAA Website [ permanent dead link ] "A very gracious man" September 29, 2003 by Beth Rosenburg