Athletics: Sparking statewide pride

 
Intercollegiate athletics plays an important role at WSU, and “Cougar Pride” is evident throughout the state of Washington.

More than 500 WSU student athletes compete at the NCAA Division I level as members of the Pac-12 Conference, nicknamed the “Conference of Champions.” Eight of the twelve conference schools are members of the Association of American Universities (AAU) and all of the institutions are highly ranked by various groups, including the Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) and the Times Higher Education World University Rankings (Times).

In addition to on-field successes, WSU student athletes excel in the classroom. During the 2018 spring semester, they combined to maintain a 3.10 cumulative GPA—the highest in program history. Senior Casey Schoenlein earned the Pac-12 Volleyball Scholar-Athlete of the Year while Paige Danielson received the 2018 NCAA Elite 90 Award, given to the top rowing student-athlete at the NCAA Championships.

WSU fields teams in seven men’s and ten women’s sports:

  • Football
  • Baseball
  • Men’s and women’s basketball
  • Men’s and women’s outdoor and indoor track and field
  • Men’s and women’s cross country
  • Men’s and women’s golf
  • Women’s soccer, volleyball, tennis, crew, and swimming