The Western Colorado Mountaineers are the athletic teams that represent Western Colorado University, located in Gunnison, Colorado, in NCAA Division II intercollegiate sports. The Mountaineers compete as members of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference for all 11 varsity sports.
| Western Colorado Mountaineers | |
|---|---|
 | |
| University | Western Colorado University |
| Conference | Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference |
| NCAA | Division II |
| Athletic director | Miles VanHee |
| Location | Gunnison, Colorado |
| Varsity teams | 11 |
| Football stadium | Mountaineer Bowl |
| Basketball arena | Paul Wright Gymnasium |
| Soccer stadium | Gateway Field |
| Mascot | Mad Jack |
| Nickname | Mountaineers |
| Colors | Crimson and slate[1] |
| Website | www |
Facilities
editFacilities include the 65,000-square-foot Mountaineer Field House, completed in 2014; Mountaineer Bowl (elevation 7,771 feet (2,369 m)), which was originally completed in 1949 and saw a major renovation as part of the development of The Rady Family Sports Complex in 2024; and Paul Wright Gym (elevation 7,723 feet (2,354 m)).
Media
editKEJJ 98.3 FM and KWSB 91.1 FM broadcasts many of Western's football, basketball and wrestling contests and all broadcasts can be heard online through KWSB.org.
Varsity sports
editThe Mountaineers have collected 98 RMAC team conference championships in all sports as of 2023.[2]
Western Colorado has won 20 RMAC conference championships in football as of 2023. They were named conference champions in 1954, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1971, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1991, 1992, 1994, 1995, 1997, 1998, and 2021.[2]
Individual National Championships since 1986 include Men's Indoor Track & Field (13 National Champions); since 1996, Women's Indoor Track & Field (8 National Champions); since 1985, Men's Outdoor Track & Field (20 National Champions); since 1987, Women's Outdoor Track & Field (25 National Champions); since 1993, Women's Cross Country (5 National Champions); since 1999, Men's Cross Country (3 National Champions); since 1963, Wrestling (16 National Champions); in 1968, Men's Swimming & Diving (1 National Champion); since 1957, Men's Skiing (7 National Champions); and since 1997, Women's Skiing (2 National Champions). Since 1963 there have been 15 national championships between the NCAA College Division, NCAA Division II, and NAIA classifications in Wrestling (2 National Championships); Women's Cross Country (4 National Championships); and Men's Cross Country (9 National Championships). Western's first conference championship in 1954 began a tradition of success that has led to 88 more Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference titles. Everett Brown earned the college's first All-America honor in 1934.
The Mountaineers have a combined 15 national team championships, 117 individual national NAIA or NCAA Division II championships, and 1,038 All-America honors since 1911.[3][4][5][6]
Sports Illustrated's weekly "Faces in the Crowd" section has featured seven student-athletes, coaches, and administrators since 1959.[7]
Teams
edit|
Men's sports
|
Women's sports
|
Track & Field
editThe men's and women's indoor/outdoor track and field program in addition to the cross country program has been particularly successful, producing numerous team national championships including many individual national champions and All-Americans.
In 2016–17, Alicja Konieczek became the first Mountaineer to win four national track and field titles.[8] She has since won four more national titles—the most by any female in Western's history.[9][10]
National championships
editTeam
edit| Sport | Association | Division | Year | Opponent/Runner-up | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Men's Cross Country (9) | NCAA | Division II | 1995 | Central Missouri State | 69–98 (-29) |
| 1999 | Adams State | 27–95 (-68) | |||
| 2000 | Abilene Christian | 29–62 (-33) | |||
| 2001 | 38–74 (-36) | ||||
| 2002 | 35–81 (-46) | ||||
| 2003 | 40–68 (-28) | ||||
| 2004 | Adams State | 39–76 (-37) | |||
| 2005 | 51–108 (-57) | ||||
| 2011 | 27–69 (-42) | ||||
| Women's cross country (4) | NAIA (1) | Single | 1990 | Adams State | 58–70 (-12) |
| NCAA (3) | Division II | 2000 | North Dakota | 38–131 (-93) | |
| 2001 | Adams State | 46–55 (-9) | |||
| 2002 | 43–46 (-3) | ||||
| Wrestling (2) | NCAA | Division II | 1963 | Southern Illinois | 62–57 (+5) |
| 1964 | Colorado Miners | 51–49 (+2) |
Mountain Sports and Club Sports
edit- Alpine Skiing
- Nordic Skiing
- Freeride Skiing and Snowboarding
- Mountain Biking
- Road Cycling
- Trail Running
- Men's Baseball
- Men's and Women's Boxing
- Figure Skating (co-rec)
- Men's and Women's Ice Hockey
- Men’s Lacrosse
- Men's and Women's Rugby
- Men's and Women's Soccer
- Women's Volleyball
References
edit- ^ Western Brand Identity Guidelines (PDF). August 30, 2013. Retrieved January 31, 2017.
- ^ a b "Conference Team Championships".
- ^ "National Team Championships".
- ^ "Individual National Champions".
- ^ "RMAC Team Championships".
- ^ "Mountaineer All-Americans".
- ^ "Mountaineers in Sports Illustrated's Faces in the Crowd".
- ^ "Alicja Konieczek - 2016-17 Track & Field".
- ^ "Alicja Konieczek". Track & Field Results Reporting System (TFRRS).
- ^ The Western 2017-18 Administration Annual Report. p. 20, The Western 2017-18 Administration Annual Report.