The Northern Kentucky Norse are the athletic teams of Northern Kentucky University, located in Highland Heights, Kentucky, United States. NKU is an NCAA Division I school competing in the Horizon League, which it joined on July 1, 2015, after leaving the Atlantic Sun Conference.[2] The university's teams for both men and women are nicknamed "Norse."
| Northern Kentucky Norse | |
|---|---|
 | |
| University | Northern Kentucky University |
| Conference | Horizon League |
| NCAA | Division I |
| Athletic director | Ken Ralph |
| Location | Highland Heights, Kentucky |
| Varsity teams | 22 (23 in 2025–26) |
| Basketball arena | Truist Arena |
| Baseball stadium | Bill Aker Baseball Complex |
| Soccer stadium | NKU Soccer Stadium |
| Mascot | Victor E. Viking |
| Nickname | Norse |
| Colors | Black, gold, and white[1] |
| Website | nkunorse |
Nomenclature
editNorse has been a common term for Norsemen in the early medieval period, especially in connection with raids and monastic plundering by Norsemen in the British Isles (i.e. Norse Vikings or Norwegians)[3] (Gall Goidel, lit.: foreign Gaelic), was used concerning the people of Norse descent in Ireland and Scotland, who assimilated into the Gaelic culture. The Norse, or Northmen, were also known as Ascomanni, ashmen, by the Germans, Lochlanach (Norse) by the Irish and Dene (Danes) by the Anglo-Saxons.[4]
Division I transition
editNKU began preparing to reclassify as an NCAA Division I institution in the fall of 2008, and officially started the process in the fall of 2012. During the four-year reclassification, NKU was not eligible for Division I championships.[5] The university ended its membership in the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) at the conclusion of the 2011–12 academic year and began playing a full Atlantic Sun Conference schedule in fall 2012.[5] Following the four years, NKU became a full Division I member.[6] Prior to completing its transition to Division I, NKU changed its membership from the Atlantic Sun Conference to the Horizon League.[2]
Sports teams
editA member of the Horizon League, NKU currently sponsors varsity teams in nine men's and 12 women's NCAA-sanctioned sports, plus one men's sport that operates outside of NCAA governance.[7]
By 2025–26, NKU will have added six sports, three each for men and women, in the 2020s. Men's and women's swimming & diving, women's stunt,[a] and men's and women's triathlon[b] were added in 2024–25, with men's volleyball to follow in 2025–26.[8] Men's volleyball will join the single-sport Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association upon the program's launch.[9]
| Men's Intercollegiate Sports | Team Article | Head Coach | Women's Intercollegiate Sports | Team Article | Head Coach | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baseball | Dizzy Peyton | Basketball | Norse women's basketball | Jeff Hans | ||
| Basketball | Norse men's basketball | Darrin Horn | Cross country | Steve Kruse | ||
| Cross country | Steve Kruse | Golf | Daryl Landrum | |||
| Golf | Daryl Landrum | Soccer | Bob Sheehan | |||
| Soccer | Blair Stevenson | Softball | Brittany Duncan-Houghland | |||
| Swimming & diving | Kevin Woodhull-Smith | Stunt | Shayla Miles-Aaron | |||
| Tennis | Brian Nester | Swimming & diving | Kevin Woodhull-Smith | |||
| Track & Field (Indoor & Outdoor) | Steve Kruse | Tennis | Brian Nester | |||
| Triathlon | Brooks Doughtie | Track & Field (Indoor & Outdoor) | Steve Kruse | |||
| Volleyball (from 2025–26) | Jim Palilonis | Triathlon | Brooks Doughtie | |||
| Volleyball | Liz Hart |
Men's basketball
editThe men's basketball team was the NCAA Division II national runner-up during the 1995–96 and 1996–97 seasons. The Norse won the Horizon League Tournament following the 2016–17 season, making them eligible for their first NCAA tournament appearance.
Women's basketball
editIn 2000, the NKU women's basketball team became NKU's first national championship team by winning the NCAA Division II Women's Basketball Championship in overtime 71–62 over North Dakota State, ending its season with a 32–2 record. The 2002–03 team was the NCAA Women's Division II national runner-up.[10]
The team won its second national championship in 2008 by a score of 63–58 over South Dakota, becoming one of only five schools to win more than one NCAA Division II Women's Basketball Championship, as well as the only two-time NCAA national champions in the state of Kentucky.[11][12] One of the top coaches in NCAA Division II women's basketball, Nancy Winstel, was head coach of the team from 1983 until her retirement at the end of the 2011–12 season.[10] Dawn Plitzuweit, an assistant at Michigan, was named the new NKU Women's Basketball coach on May 10, 2012.[13] On May 6, 2016, Camryn Whitaker was named as the new head coach.[14]
Men's soccer
editIn 2010, the NKU men's soccer team won the NCAA Division II national championship by defeating Rollins 3–2 in a driving snowstorm in Louisville.[15] The team was led by senior Steven Beattie, who was named Ron Lenz National Player of the Year in both 2008 and 2010.[16]
Women's soccer
editThe women's soccer team was the NCAA Division II runner-up in 2000 and advanced to the NCAA Division II Final Four in 1999 and 2001.
Baseball
editThe Norse Baseball team as Division II team won Great Lakes conference valley championships between 2002 and 2009. As a Division I team, In 2024 they became the first Horizon League tournament champions in program's history as a baseball team and advanced to their first ever NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament.
Softball
editThe Norse softball began in 1985 and is currently coached by Brittany Duncan-Houghland, the sixth coach in program history. Following former head coach Kathryn Gleason who is the losingest coach in NKU history. Gleason took the Norse to their first NCAA Tournament with a dismal record of 23–32 and being swept in the Tennessee Regionals. Gleason compiled a 207–262–1 (.440) record as her time as a head coach at UMass (74–74–1) and NKU (133–188)[17] The team holds an overall record of 621–445–1 (.583).[17]
Spirit squad
editIn 2006, the Norse cheerleading squad won the Universal Cheerleading Association's national title in the small unit coed category of competition, and also won the national title again in 2007 and 2009.
In 2011, The Norse Dance Team placed in the Universal Dance Association's national competition in the open hip hop category.
Championships
editOver the forty years Northern Kentucky has sponsored intercollegiate athletics the university has won three NCAA DII national championships, 33 GLVC championships, and seven GLVC All-Sport Awards[18]
National championships
edit| Basketball (W) | 2000, 2008 |
| Soccer (M) | 2010 |
Horizon League Championships
edit| Baseball | 2024 (tournament) |
| Basketball (M) | 2017 (tournament), 2018 (regular season), 2019 (tied regular season & tournament), 2020 (tournament) |
| Soccer (W) | 2016 (tournament) |
Great Lakes Valley Conference Championships
edit| Baseball | 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2009 |
| Basketball (M) | 2003, 2009 |
| Basketball (W) | 1999, 2000, 2006, 2009 |
| Golf (M) | 2000, 2001, 2006, 2007, 2012 |
| Golf (W) | 2003, 2005, 2008 |
| Soccer (M) | 1987, 1992, 1993, 1995, 2010 |
| Soccer (W) | 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2005, 2009 |
| Softball | 2005, 2009 |
| Tennis (M) | 1986, 1987, 1990, 2003, 2004 |
| Tennis (W) | 1988, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004 |
| Volleyball (W) | 1985, 1995, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001 |
NKU claimed the GLVC All-Sports Trophy seven times in its final 11 seasons in the conference: 1999–2000, 2000–02, 2004–06, 2008–10.[18]
Club sports
editStudents have also organized club teams in ice hockey, taekwondo, fencing, boxing, lacrosse, rugby, kickball, skeet & trap, ultimate frisbee, and Brazilian jiu-jitsu. These clubs are primarily organized through the Sport Club program.
Facilities
edit- Truist Arena, originally known as The Bank of Kentucky Center and later as BB&T Arena, is a 9,400-seat multi-purpose arena located on the NKU campus. It was completed in 2008[19] and is the home to men's and women's basketball teams, as well as graduation ceremonies. The arena is also home and other non-university entertainment and sporting events[20] and the Kentucky Monsters of the Ultimate Indoor Football League.[21] The arena name was first changed in 2015 following the purchase of The Bank of Kentucky by BB&T, and most recently in 2022, two years after BB&T merged with SunTrust to create Truist Financial. This latest name change was delayed because Truist did not start rebranding its Kentucky locations with the new corporate name until late 2021.
- NKU Soccer Stadium is the home of Norse soccer. The $6.5-million, 1,000-seat facility was completed in the Fall of 2009 and is located next to Truist Arena.[22] Stadium amenities include: seating for 1,000 spectators plus 1,000 sq ft (93 m2) "Founders' Suite" luxury box, night lighting, a World Cup style 120-yard by 80-yard playing surface, concessions, coaches' offices, four locker rooms, athletic training facilities, and press box and media areas.[23]
- Regents Hall is the home court for NKU volleyball and the practice facility for NKU men's and women's basketball. The gym seats about 1,800. The facility, along with the adjacent Albright Health Center houses most of the coaches within the department along with locker room facilities for the baseball, softball and cross country teams.
- The Bill Aker Baseball Complex at Friendship Field is the home field for NKU baseball. It has a seating capacity of 500 spectators.
- The Frank Ignatius Grein Softball Field is the home field for NKU softball. It has a seating capacity of about 500.
- The Joyce Yeager Tennis Complex is the home court for NKU tennis. The six-court facility is used as a competition venue as well as general use by the university community. There is seating available for about 200 spectators.
- The NKU cross country teams host the Queen City Invitational every third year at A.J. Jolly Park in Alexandria, Kentucky in conjunction with the University of Cincinnati and Xavier University.
Footnotes
edit- ^ Stunt, an all-female cheerleading discipline that emphasizes acrobatics, does not have an NCAA-sanctioned championship, but the sport is recognized as part of the NCAA Emerging Sports for Women program.
- ^ Women's triathlon does not have an NCAA-sanctioned championship, but is recognized as part of the Emerging Sports for Women program. Men's triathlon has no NCAA recognition at all.
References
edit- ^ "Color Palette". Northern Kentucky University Athletic Department Brand Identity Guidelines (PDF). March 16, 2016. Retrieved March 18, 2019.
- ^ a b "Northern Kentucky University to Join Horizon League in July". Horizon League. May 11, 2015. Archived from the original on May 14, 2015. Retrieved May 11, 2015.
- ^ Baldour, John Alexander; Mackenzie, William Mackay (1910). The Book of Arran. Arran society of Glasgow. p. 11.
- ^ Adam of Bremen 2.29.
- ^ a b Peale, Cliff (December 8, 2011). "NKU goes D-I, could play Ohio State". NKY.com. Cincinnati Enquirer. Retrieved December 9, 2011.
- ^ "NKU accepts invitation to join Atlantic Sun Conference, will reclassify to NCAA Division I". nkunorse.com. Retrieved 8 December 2011.
- ^ "NKU Norse". Northern Kentucky University. Retrieved October 4, 2024.
- ^ "Northern Kentucky Athletics to expand with six new sports programs" (Press release). Northern Kentucky Norse. November 8, 2023. Retrieved November 9, 2023.
- ^ "Northern Kentucky to Join MIVA on July 1, 2025" (Press release). Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association. August 23, 2024. Retrieved October 2, 2024.
- ^ a b "NKU Norse: Head Coach Nancy Winstel". Northern Kentucky University. Retrieved August 2, 2010.
- ^ Staff (April 2008). "Northern Kentucky downs South Dakota 63-58 For 2008 Division II Title" (PDF). smallcollegehoops.com Women's Division II Bulletin. p. 1. Retrieved August 2, 2010.
- ^ "Governor meets with Lady Norse". The Northerner. April 16, 2008. Retrieved August 2, 2010.
- ^ Posted on Thu, May 10, 2012 : 4:14 p.m. (2012-05-10). "Former Michigan assistant Dawn Plitzuweit will lead Northern Kentucky into Division I". Annarbor.com. Retrieved 2016-04-13.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "NKU welcomes Camryn Whitaker as @NKUNorseWBB head coach". Northern Kentucky University. Retrieved 2016-05-06.
- ^ Skinner, Richard (December 4, 2010). "Northern Kentucky University wins men's NCAA Division II soccer title". The Cincinnati Enquirer. Retrieved April 10, 2011.
- ^ "NKU's Beattie named Ron Lenz National Player of the Year for men's soccer". Northern Kentucky University. December 1, 2010. Retrieved April 10, 2011.
- ^ a b "Softball Records". Northern Kentucky University. Retrieved April 10, 2011.
- ^ a b "NKU Athletics celebrates 40-year anniversary". The Northerner. March 2, 2011. Retrieved April 10, 2011.
- ^ Staff (February 14, 2005). "Bank of Kentucky buys NKU events center naming rights". Cincinnati Business Courier. Retrieved August 2, 2010.
- ^ "Bank of Kentucky Center". Cincinnati Metromix. Retrieved August 2, 2010.
- ^ "Northern Kentucky River Monsters Introduced". UIFL. November 26, 2010. Retrieved April 10, 2011.
- ^ Jones, Nick (September 22, 2010). "Soccer stadium dedicated". The Northerner. Retrieved April 10, 2011.
- ^ "NKU Soccer Stadium". Northern Kentucky University. Retrieved August 2, 2010.
External links
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