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Western Washington Vikings

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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 Vikings
Logo
UniversityWestern Washington University
ConferenceGreat Northwest Athletic Conference
NCAADivision II
Athletic directorJim Sterk[1]
LocationBellingham, Washington
Varsity teams15
Basketball arenaSam Carver Gymnasium
Baseball stadiumViking Field
Track stadiumCivic Stadium
MascotVictor E. Viking
NicknameVikings
ColorsNavy blue, white, slate blue, and silver[2]
       
Websitewwuvikings.com

Western Washington sponsors six sports for men and nine sports for women with approximately 350 student athletes.

Mascot

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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.

Student athletes

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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.

Sports

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Varsity Teams

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  • Former Athletic Teams: Football, Men's Rowing, Baseball, Field Hockey, Men's Swimming, Men's Tennis, Women's Tennis, and Wrestling

National championships

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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
Women's Baseball Division I-III 2024

The WWU Women's Baseball club was founded in the Fall of 2023 and won the club sports championship their inaugural year. As women's baseball is relatively new for club sports, there have only been six teams welcomed to the Women's College Club Baseball final. Those teams range from Division I to Division III.[9]

Individual teams

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Basketball

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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.

 
Wade King Student Recreation Center

Football

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Main article: Western Washington Vikings football

Others

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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:

  • Seven straight Division II national titles in women's rowing from 2005 to 2011, the first NCAA school in any division to achieve that distinction.
  • Second nationally in volleyball in 2007, and the fourth-longest league winning streak in NCAA II of 57 from 2002–04.
  • NAIA national softball title in 1998.
  • 38-game victory string in women's soccer from 1982–84.

Sport clubs teams

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  • Baseball
  • Men's Crew
  • Climbing
  • Cycling
  • Equestrian
  • Fencing
  • Figure Skating
  • Ice Hockey
  • Judo
  • Men's Lacrosse
  • Women's Lacrosse
  • Men's Rugby
  • Women's Rugby
  • Sailing
  • Swimming
  • Tennis
  • Men's Ultimate
  • Women's Ultimate
  • Men's Volleyball
  • Women's Volleyball
  • Men's Water Polo
  • Women's Water Polo
  • Water Skiing
  • Wakeboarding
  • Wrestling

References

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  1. ^ "Jim Sterk". WWU Vikings. Retrieved December 6, 2023.
  2. ^ Western Washington University Logo Sheet (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on April 18, 2019. Retrieved April 17, 2017.
  3. ^ "Victor E. Viking". Brand and Communication Guide. Western Washington University. Retrieved 2024-01-06.
  4. ^ "VICTOR E. VIKING". Western Washington University Athletics. 2018-06-04. Retrieved 2024-01-06.
  5. ^ Svrluga, Susan (2015-11-24). "A debate over a mascot, a racially charged threat and another college cancels classes". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2024-01-06.
  6. ^ Kendig, Corey (2022-01-13). "Is the Viking next to go? WWU eyes ditching Viking mascot due to colonialism". The College Fix. Retrieved 2024-01-06.
  7. ^ Monson, Dori (2022-01-14). "Dori: Is Western Washington University's Viking mascot getting the woke boot?". MyNorthwest.com. Retrieved 2024-01-06.
  8. ^ "Division II Rowing Championship Results" (PDF). NCAA. NCAA.org. Retrieved January 31, 2016.
  9. ^ "BFA Women's College Club Baseball Championships - Baseball for All". 2022-02-21. Retrieved 2024-10-20.
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