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Valparaiso University
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Valparaiso University - Athletics - College ProwlerCollege Prowler2.69

Athletics

C+
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-AA
Athletic Conferences Football: Pioneer Football League
Basketball: Horizon League
School Colors Brown and gold
School Nickname Crusader
Men Playing Varsity Sports 292 - 22%
Women Playing Varsity Sports 144 - 10%

Student Author OverviewWhat's This?

For students, lately there have only been two sports worth attending: volleyball and basketball. Each year the attendance varies, but these two teams can draw in a large community and student crowd. The student section in the ARC is usually filled with the Pep Band and fans sporting brown and gold. There are many other athletic teams on campus, but they draw much smaller crowds.

There is a football team, but while decent, they have enormous trouble filling the stands for every home game, except Homecoming. The softball team is continuing to improve with each consecutive year’s success, and in turn, is gaining more of a regular crowd. Most of the other Division I sports don’t draw much of a crowd at all.

Many students also like to play sports. Intramurals are available to anyone who wants to play, and they are a great way for a large number of students to stay in shape and take a much needed break from studying. About half of the student body gets involved in at least one intramural sport. Many teams are created by Greek organizations, other clubs, residents sharing a wing, and groups of friends. The highly coveted champion t-shirt is the reward for winning tournaments. 

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Valparaiso Student ReviewsWhat's This?

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Athletics at Valparaiso University

LovelyBear77

'15

Political Science and Government

4.2
A-

The Sports Are Good!

The sports at Valparaiso University are big and play hard. We have a lot of school spirit, a lot of fans are very involved in sports related activities. The sports teams are very friendly to everyone who wants to participate.

Dec 09, 2011

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Athletics at Valparaiso University

edinger2

'11

Education

2.7
C+

Sports Facilities Are Out Dated

The sports facilities are outdated. The ARC is an old building that does not even have wifi access inside of it. I think the building needs an update!

Apr 09, 2011

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Athletics at Valparaiso University

lilwegz33

'12

Geography

4.2
A-

VU BBALL

Basketball is really the only big sport here. Volleyball is pretty popular as well. Football is a complete joke; the whole team is still cocky even though they've lost 20+games in a row. The soccer teams are usually fairly good and their games can be fun to attend. Basketball games versus big schools like Purdue, ND, Kansas, MSU, and the all-too-famous Butler are exciting and fun.

Nov 12, 2010

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Page 1 of 7

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
  • Football
  • Golf
  • Soccer
  • Swimming and diving
  • Tennis
  • Track and field
Women's Varsity Sports
  • Basketball
  • Bowling
  • Golf
  • Soccer
  • Softball
  • Swimming and diving
  • Tennis
  • Track and field
  • Volleyball
Intramurals
  • Badminton
  • Basketball
  • Billiards
  • Bowling
  • Cornhole
  • Dodgeball
  • Floor hockey
  • Foosball
  • Football
  • Golf
  • Kickball
  • Racquetball
  • Soccer
  • Softball
  • Swimming
  • Table tennis
  • Tennis
  • Ultimate Frisbee
  • Volleyball
  • Wallyball
  • Water basketball
Club Sports
  • Badminton
  • Fencing
  • Soccer (men’s, women’s)
  • Tennis
  • Ultimate Frisbee
  • Volleyball
Athletic Fields & Facilities
  • ARC Pool
  • Athletics Recreation Center (ARC)
  • Brown Field
  • The Course at Aberdeen
  • Eastgate Field
  • Emory G. Bauer Field
  • Fitness Center
  • Valpo Softball Field
  • Valpo Tennis Complex

Most Popular Sports

Basketball (men’s and women’s), volleyball

Most Overlooked Teams

Softball, men's soccer, swimming

School Spirit

Valpo’s school spirit really shines when it comes to—you guessed it— basketball. The most blatant show of school spirit is the VUCRU—the student cheering section at the games. These students (most of the student body, in fact) dress to the nines in VU apparel and colors, sporting VU temporary tattoos, gold and brown face paint, and even gold wigs. VUCRU sponsors theme nights, so you’ll often see these students with alien antennaes, coconut bras, or cowboy hats. They are loud, obnoxious, and do everything they can to harangue, irritate, and hassle the other team, its coaches, and the refs. Some of the most fun times at Valpo are had in the VUCRU! Tons of students even travel to see out-of-town VU games. One of the most notable instances of this was when students traveled hundreds of miles to watch VU play Duke during the 2003–2004 season. You’ll also find school spirit running high during Homecoming and Spring Week when Union Board and Greek organizations put together campus competitions and sponsor campus-wide activities. Most students are proud to wear the brown and gold!

Getting Tickets

Tickets are usually not required for students. Your VU ID card will get you into the games free—even basketball games. Tickets are only required for off-campus sporting events or NCAA interleague games, where students get discounted rates. The only tickets that can be hard to get are extra tickets for men’s basketball for friends and relatives. These are not expensive but can sell out for big games.

Best Place to Take a Walk

On campus—the sidewalks make a great place to run or ride. Off-campus trails include the trails at the Dunes and the Prairie Dogwood bicycle and walking trail.

Did You Know?

All of the athletics at Valpo are Division 1 besides football, which is Division 1 AA.

Valpo's basketball games are sometimes picked up by ESPN.

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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 Valpo

Name: Amber Will

Hometown: Schofield, WI

Major: Political Science and History

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