UC Riverside Highlanders
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UC Riverside Highlanders | |
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University | University of California, Riverside |
Conference | Big West (primary) Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (indoor track & field) |
NCAA | Division I |
Athletic director | Wes Mallette (interim) |
Location | Riverside, California |
Varsity teams | 15 |
Basketball arena | Student Recreation Center Arena |
Baseball stadium | Riverside Sports Complex |
Soccer stadium | UC Riverside Soccer Stadium |
Other venues | Ag/Ops Course Amy S. Harrison Field SRC Tennis Courts UC Riverside Track Facility |
Mascot | Scotty Highlander |
Nickname | Highlanders |
Colors | Blue and gold[1] |
Website | www |
The UC Riverside Highlanders represent the University of California, Riverside (UCR) in Riverside, California in intercollegiate athletics. The Highlanders compete in NCAA Division I; they are members of the Big West Conference.[2]
The athletic department fields fifteen teams including men and women's basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, tennis, and track and field, women's-only softball and volleyball and men's-only baseball.
In 2020, the future of UCR's sports program was placed into doubt, as the university's leadership were considering cutting the entire athletics department in response to financial strain caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. However, in May 2021, the university announced that they had decided against eliminating athletics and would instead continue sponsoring all sports at the Division I level.[3]
Nickname
The UC Riverside official team nickname is the "Highlanders."[4]
History
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f7/UC_Riverside_Highlanders_%28old%29_logo.svg/150px-UC_Riverside_Highlanders_%28old%29_logo.svg.png)
Since the school was founded in 1954, UC Riverside has won 5 team National Championships (4 NCAA, 1 AIAW) and 12 Individual National Championships (1 Division I and 11 Division II).
Sports sponsored
Men's sports | Women's sports |
---|---|
Baseball | Basketball |
Basketball | Cross country |
Cross country | Golf |
Golf | Soccer |
Soccer | Softball |
Tennis | Tennis |
Track and field † | Track and field† |
Volleyball | |
† – Track and field includes both indoor and outdoor |
Baseball
The UC Riverside Highlanders baseball team is the varsity intercollegiate baseball team of the University of California, Riverside.[5] The team is a member of the Big West Conference, which is part of the NCAA Division I. UC Riverside's first baseball team was fielded in 1958. The team plays its home games at the 2,500-seat Riverside Sports Complex.
Basketball
Men's basketball
The UC Riverside Highlanders men's basketball team represents the University of California, Riverside. The school's team currently competes in the Big West Conference, which is part of the NCAA Division I.[6] UC Riverside's first men's basketball team was fielded during the 1958–59 season. The team plays its home games at the 3,168-seat Student Recreation Center Arena.
Women's basketball
The UC Riverside Highlanders women's basketball team represents the University of California, Riverside. The school's team currently competes in the Big West Conference, which is part of the NCAA Division I.[7] UC Riverside's first women's basketball team was fielded during the 1977–78 season. The team plays its home games at the 3,168-seat Student Recreation Center Arena.
Soccer
Men's soccer
The UC Riverside Highlanders men's soccer team have an NCAA Division I Tournament record of 0–1 through one appearance.[8]
Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
---|---|---|---|
2018 | First Round | Pacific | L 0–1 |
Women's soccer
The UC Riverside Highlanders women's soccer team have an NCAA Division I Tournament record of 0–1 through one appearance.[9]
Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
---|---|---|---|
2005 | First Round | Colorado | L 0–1 |
Former varsity sports
Football
The UC Riverside Highlanders football team played from 1955 until the program was disbanded in 1975. The team played at Highlander Stadium.
Championships
Appearances
The UC Riverside Highlanders competed in the NCAA Tournament across 6 active sports (2 men's and 4 women's) 10 times at the Division I level.[10]
- Baseball (2): 2003, 2007
- Women's basketball (3): 2006, 2007, 2010
- Men's soccer (1): 2018
- Women's soccer (1): 2005
- Women's indoor track and field (2): 2009, 2016
- Women's outdoor track and field (1): 2009
Team
UC Riverside has never won a national championship at the NCAA Division I level.[11]
UC Riverside won 4 national championships at the NCAA Division II level.[11]
- Baseball (2): 1977, 1982
- Women's volleyball (2): 1982, 1986
Below is one national championship that was not bestowed by the NCAA:
- Women's volleyball – Division II (1): 1977 (AIAW)
Individual
UC Riverside had 1 Highlander win an NCAA individual championship at the Division I level.[11]
NCAA individual championships | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Order | School year | Athlete(s) | Sport | Source |
1 | 2015–16 | Vesta Bell | Women's indoor track and field | [12] |
At the NCAA Division II level, UC Riverside garnered 11 individual championships.[11]
Traditions
Mascot
"Scotty Highlander" is the mascot for UC Riverside. The original mascot was an aggressive little bear wearing a kilt for the school's logo. In 1998, a referendum to move to NCAA Division I was passed and the students approached the administration requesting a new mascot and the old mascot was replaced. In 2011, the mascot was updated again with students voting online and a new "Scotty Highlander" mascot, featuring a roaring bear wearing a plaid Tam o' Shanter was chosen.[4]
School colors
All schools in the University of California System have a combination of blue and gold as their school colors.[4] UC Riverside follows this tradition.
See also
References
- ^ "UCR Colors | Brand Identity". June 13, 2020. Retrieved July 13, 2020.
- ^ http://www.bigwest.org/history/
- ^ Medcalf, Myron (6 May 2021). "UC Riverside won't cut sports, will remain at Division I level despite pandemic". ESPN.com. Retrieved 12 December 2021.
- ^ a b c "The Mascot". gohighlanders.com. Retrieved May 26, 2019.
- ^ "2010 UC Riverside baseball media guide" (PDF). gohighlanders.com. Retrieved May 26, 2019.
- ^ "Men's Basketball: Career Coaching Records". gohighlanders.com. Retrieved May 26, 2019.
- ^ "Women's Basketball: Career Coaching Records". gohighlanders.com. Retrieved May 26, 2019.
- ^ "Bracket of the 2018 NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Championship". National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved 19 November 2018.
- ^ "Division I Women's Soccer Championships Records Book" (PDF). National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved 25 July 2018.
- ^ "NCAA Championships Statistics". National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved 10 April 2022.
- ^ a b c d "Championships Summary" (PDF). National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved 20 May 2018.
- ^ "Division I Women's Indoor Track Championships Records Book" (PDF). National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved 8 July 2018.