Washington University in St. Louis
- Athletics

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Washington University in St. Louis - Athletics - Athletics - College ProwlerCollege Prowler2.31

Athletics

Quick Stats

Athletic Association
  • NAA
  • NCAA
Athletic Division NCAA Division III (with football)
Athletic Conferences Football: University Athletic Association
Basketball: University Athletic Association
School Colors Red and green
School Nickname The Wash U Bear
Men Playing Varsity Sports 302 - 9%
Women Playing Varsity Sports 183 - 6%

Student Author OverviewWhat's This?

The typical big-draw college sports like men’s football struggle for any kind of following at Wash U—bleachers for these events are, at best, peppered with loyal fans and the occasional girlfriend or boyfriend. Most other sports suffer the same fate. For three sports, however, turnout is never a problem: The women’s volleyball team, which has won eight national championships since 1989, the women’s basketball team, which won four consecutive NCAA titles (1996-2000), and the men's basketball team, which won back-to-back national championships in 2008 and 2009, each enjoy a contingent of die-hard fans and draw big crowds for their high-quality matches.

The real sports scene at Wash U, however, is recreational. Thousands of students participate in the intramural leagues, and it’s fair to say that Wash U is an exceptionally athletic campus when compared to its peers. The annual Residential College Olympics on the South 40 are only one of many major amateur sporting events throughout the year, including several 5K runs, year-long IM leagues, and intra-fraternity competitions. There are also a number of club sports, often slightly more competitive than IM leagues, that provide a middle-ground between recreational sports and varsity. The running club is populated by former high-school long-distance stars, the sailing club competes at national regattas against top state-schools, the crew club practices every morning before class . . . the list of organizations is very long. Athletic students, in any case, will not wilt for lack of ways to stay in shape.

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Wash U Student ReviewsWhat's This?

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Athletics at Washington University in St. Louis

wustl213

Pre-Medicine Studies '15

2.7
C+

We Have Sports Here?

Athletics are not big here, in spite of the fact that school spirit/pride is really high. I've never been to a football game. You're only likely to go to games for any sport if you have friends on teams who want you to come watch.

May 24, 2012

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Athletics at Washington University in St. Louis

bubbles0123

Economics and Econometrics '16

3.1
B-

Athletics

Athletic events are fun, and people show up to the games to cheer for WashU, but they aren't a huge part of life on campus.

Apr 23, 2012

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Athletics at Washington University in St. Louis

wustl15

Psychology '15

3.1
B-

Strong Athletics, Little Support

I would give athletics at WashU a B-. It's unfortunate that more students don't support the athletic teams because most of them are actually really good and we do well in our conference overall. Red Alert does a good job of trying to drum up support for athletics (usually basketball) by giving out free food if you wear a t-shirt that you're given for free in the beginning of the year. I think the university could do a better job at getting the word out about games though. Often, I'll walk by Francis Field in the fall and football games will be going on, but I had no idea until that moment. Also, the Athletic Complex is pretty outdated considering the beautiful, new facilities that appear everywhere else on the WashU campus, which seems to be an indication of what the university values.

Apr 22, 2012

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User rating for Washington University in St. Louis - Athletics is 3.5 out of 5 based on 31 user reviews.

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
  • Soccer
  • Swimming
  • Tennis
  • Track and field
Women's Varsity Sports
  • Basketball
  • Golf
  • Soccer
  • Softball
  • Swimming
  • Tennis
  • Track and field
  • Volleyball
Intramurals
  • Arm wrestling
  • Badminton
  • Basketball
  • Cards
  • Cross country
  • Field goal kicking
  • Flag football
  • Free-throw shooting
  • Home run derby
  • Kickball
  • Racquetball
  • Soccer
  • Softball
  • Swimming
  • Table tennis
  • Tennis
  • Three-point shooting
  • Track and field
  • Ultimate Frisbee
  • Volleyball
  • Water polo
Club Sports
  • Badminton
  • Baseball
  • Basketball
  • Crew
  • Cycling
  • Equestrian
  • Fencing
  • Field hockey
  • Golf
  • Gymnastics
  • Ice hockey
  • Lacrosse
  • Muay Thai
  • Racquetball
  • Rock climbing
  • Roller hockey
  • Rugby
  • Running
  • Sailing
  • Soccer
  • Softball
  • Table tennis
  • Tae Kwon Do
  • Tennis
  • Triathlon
  • Ultimate Frisbee
  • Volleyball
  • Water polo (men's and women's)
  • Winterguard
  • Wrestling
Athletic Fields & Facilities
  • Athletic Complex
  • Boathouse
  • Bushyhead Track
  • Francis Field
  • Gateway National Golf Links
  • I.E. Milestone Pool
  • Kelly Field
  • South 40 Fitness Center
  • The Swamp
  • Tao Tennis Center
  • WU Field House
  • WU Softball Field

Most Popular Sports

On the varsity level, the football and soccer teams have the largest presence on campus, but that presence is still pretty small. The men’s basketball team won the Division III championship this year, and the women’s team got second. Women’s volleyball also draws large crowds. All of the IM sports are very popular, especially ultimate Frisbee and flag football.

Most Overlooked Teams

A few teams at Wash U which don’t always get a second look: the competitive ultimate Frisbee team that often plays other schools around the country; the relatively newly-formed rugby team which competes with local universities; and the sailing team, which competes in regattas all over the Midwest.

School Spirit

Rather than specifically expressing their pride as Wash U students, students like to show how proud they are to be members of their specific fraternity or sorority, residents of such-and-such dorm, writers for a newspaper, athletes on a team, and so forth. Every club/team/sorority/dorm/class/religious group has its own T-shirt, party, visor, or memorabilia of some kind, and people tend to define themselves more specifically along those lines. The only events at which Wash U students gather and celebrate their pride in unison are perhaps convocation And the big sports games like basketball and women’s volleyball games.

Getting Tickets

A few sports events, like the basketball and volleyball games, occasionally involve a ticket purchase, but the vast majority of Wash U sporting events are free to both students and the public.

Best Place to Take a Walk

Concordia Seminary, across from the South 40

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Most Recent Student Author View all

Name
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