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University of California - Irvine
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University of California - Irvine - Athletics - College ProwlerCollege Prowler3.08

Athletics

B-
Where does this grade come from?View all Athletics rankingsReview this school to add your opinion

Comparable Schools' Athletics Grades:

Quick Stats

Athletic Association
  • NAA
  • NCAA
Athletic Division NCAA Division I-AAA
Athletic Conferences Football: N/A
Basketball: Big West Conference
School Colors Blue and gold
School Nickname Anteater
Men Playing Varsity Sports 203 - 2%
Women Playing Varsity Sports 151 - 1%

Student Author OverviewWhat's This?

Unlike at other more sports-oriented campuses around Southern California—UCLA, USC, San Diego—being a student athlete at UCI is an ambiguous honor. Despite IM sports being on the rise at other universities nationwide, some UCI students could care less. The others either participate in IMs or don’t know they exist—it’s very possible to be athletically ignorant on this campus. Both the men’s basketball and baseball teams are gaining in popularity, but they pale in comparison to nationally ranked schools, such as USC and UCLA. There also seems to be a bit of buzz going on about the school’s golf teams. The ARC is frequently filled to capacity, but many UCI students view exercising as a hobby rather than a sport. There is no football or ice hockey teams, so the fall quarter here isn’t as exciting as it is at other schools. Generally, sports come very much after academics and even other extracurricular activities at UCI. Thus, if you are very interested in sports and attending large sporting events, then UCI is not a good choice.

With an anteater for a mascot, UCI’s student body almost takes a masochistic pleasure in its general apathy and ignorance of student sports. You can’t get a much more docile mascot than an anteater, and “docile” seems to sum up the overall student attitude about sports here at UCI­—rather, that’s what you would say if you were one of the few who paid attention to sports here.

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UC Irvine Student ReviewsWhat's This?

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Athletics at University of California - Irvine

dalcowboiz

'14

Biology

3.5
B

School Spirit

We have great athletics but the fact that there isnt a football team takes away from the spirit because football is such a big event

Jan 08, 2012

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Athletics at University of California - Irvine

amyvo13

'14

Business Administration and Management

3.5
B

Not Too Spirited, but Good Enough

Basketball games are big. UCI doesn't have a football team. Most students are too busy studying instead of worrying about going to games.

Jan 04, 2012

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Athletics at University of California - Irvine

rainshadow

'14

Psychology

4.6
A

Stong and Talented Athletics With State-Of-The-Art Gym

Not only does UCI have strong and outgoing teams, particularly basketball and soccer for both genders, but it also as a state-of-the-art gym called the Ark. This gym is one of the best and most expensive in California, and is even used by basketball star Cobe Byrant. The Ark is available for all students, and is taken to great advantage, especially during finals week when stress is high.

Dec 20, 2011

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Page 1 of 11

Student Survey Poll ResultsWhat's This?

How popular are varsity sports on campus?

How popular are intramurals and club sports?

How would you describe the athletic facilities?

Facts

Men's Varsity Sports
  • Baseball
  • Basketball
  • Cross country
  • Golf
  • Soccer
  • Tennis
  • Track and field
  • Volleyball
  • Water polo
Women's Varsity Sports
  • Basketball
  • Cross country
  • Golf
  • Soccer
  • Tennis
  • Track and field
  • Volleyball
  • Water polo
Intramurals
  • Arena soccer
  • Basketball
  • Bowling
  • Dodgeball
  • Flag football
  • Floor hockey
  • Football
  • Kickball
  • Racquetball
  • Reverse volleyball
  • Soccer
  • Softball
  • Speed soccer
  • Swimming
  • Tennis
  • Track
  • Ultimate Frisbee
  • Volleyball
  • Water polo
  • Wrestling
Club Sports
  • Archery
  • Badminton
  • Cricket
  • Cycling
  • Equestrian
  • Fencing
  • Field hockey
  • Ice hockey
  • Japanese karate
  • Kendo
  • Lacrosse (men’s, women's)
  • Orienteering
  • Roller hockey
  • Rugby (men’s)
  • Sailing
  • Snowboarding
  • Soccer (men’s, women’s)
  • Surfing
  • Table tennis
  • Tae kwon do
  • Tennis
  • Triathlon
  • Ultimate Frisbee
  • Volleyball (men’s, women’s)
  • Water polo (men’s, women’s)
  • Wrestling
  • Wushu
Athletic Fields & Facilities
  • Anteater Recreational Center (ARC)
  • Aquatics Complex

Most Popular Sports

On the varsity level, the baseball, basketball, men’s water polo, and volleyball teams are the most popular on campus, but that is still not saying much. Although the IM sports have been gaining some momentum lately, they still can’t beat the old favorites.

Most Overlooked Teams

Men’s and women’s golf

School Spirit

Without any major sports team to lead the way, and losing out on prestige to LA and Berkeley, it takes a few years for students to really start feeling any school spirit. Once they get past that stage of wearing sweatshirts from rival schools and adjust to the Ivy League street names, they realize that hey, UCI isn’t such a bad place to be. Granted, with little to do outside of UCI, students sort of adapt their sensibilities to the surrounding University and start to like it. After a bit, you’ll start to notice more UCI logos among your classmates as the years progress, showing that, although not vocal, the UCI spirit is still somewhat visible.

Getting Tickets

Don’t worry about there being a line outside of any UCI sporting events. There usually isn’t one. Although UCI has been gaining national recognition in its intercollegiate varsity sports like baseball, basketball, and volleyball it has yet to gain much recognition from its own students.

Best Place to Take a Walk

Aldrich Park

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Most Recent Student Author

College Prowler guides are in the hands of students throughout the entire process. Because you can't make student-written guides without the students, we have students at each campus who write, edit, and survey their peers for every guide that we publish. Thanks to our most recent student author at UCI

Name: Tracey Xuan Nguyen

Hometown: Hawthorne, CA

Major: Business Economics

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