The West Chester Golden Rams represent
West Chester University of Pennsylvania
West Chester University (also known as West Chester, WCU, or WCUPA, and officially as West Chester University of Pennsylvania) is a public research university in and around West Chester, Pennsylvania. The university is accredited by the Middle ...
, which is located in
West Chester, Pennsylvania
West Chester is a borough and the county seat of Chester County, Pennsylvania. Located within the Philadelphia metropolitan area, the borough had a population of 18,461 at the 2010 census. West Chester is the mailing address for most of its neighb ...
, in
intercollegiate sports
College athletics encompasses non-professional, collegiate and university-level competitive sports and games.
World University Games
The first World University Games were held in 1923. There were originally called the ''Union Nationale des ...
. They compete in the
Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference
The Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level. The conference was originally formed in 1951 as the State Teachers C ...
(PSAC) in
NCAA
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...
Division II.
The university currently fields 23 varsity Division II men's and women's teams.
The men's basketball team is coached by
Damien Blair
Damien Blair (born 1972/73) is the men's head basketball coach at West Chester.
Early life and education
Blair attended The Haverford School and was coached by Mike Mersky. As a junior, he averaged 19 points per game and earned first-team All-I ...
and won its first NCAA Division II Tournament game in 2018. In 2019–20, the team was ranked eighth and began the season on a 13-game win streak.
The Men's soccer team is coached by Michael Benn, who has been with the Golden Rams for 10 years. He has led them to the NCAA Division II Tournament 4 times, one trip seeing them go to the National final and the
PSAC conference tournament 7 times as of 2021.
Facilities
*
John A. Farrell Stadium
John A. Farrell Stadium is a stadium in West Chester, Pennsylvania. It is primarily used by the West Chester University of Pennsylvania Golden Rams football and track & field teams. The stadium was also the temporary home of the Philadelphia In ...
(Football/Outdoor Track & Field)
*Hollinger Field House (Men's & Women's Basketball/Volleyball/Men's & Women's Indoor Track & Field/Men's & Women's Diving)
*Serpico Stadium (Baseball)
*Rockwell Field (Men's & Women's Soccer)
Varsity athletic teams
Men's
*
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...
* Basketball
* Cross-Country
* Football
* Golf
* Soccer
* Swimming & Diving
* Tennis
* Track & Field
Women's
* Basketball
* Cheerleading
* Cross-Country
* Field Hockey
* Golf
* Gymnastics
* Lacrosse
* Rugby
* Soccer
* Softball
* Swimming & Diving
* Tennis
* Track & Field
* Volleyball
National championships
The West Chester University Golden Rams have won a total of eleven team national championships.
NCAA national team championships
AIAW/DGWS national team championships
Prior to the NCAA sanctioned women's sports, West Chester University's women's teams competed for national championships under the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) and its predecessors, the Division for Girls' and Women's Sports (DGWS) and the Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (CIAW).
Notable athletes
*
Geno Auriemma
Luigi "Geno" Auriemma (born March 23, 1954) is an Italian-born American college basketball coach and, since 1985, the head coach of the University of Connecticut Huskies women's basketball team. , he has led UConn to 17 undefeated conference sea ...
(B.A. 1981) – University of Connecticut women's basketball head coach
*Timothy Ferkler (B.A. 1986) – Quarterback of 1984 National Championship team
*John Edelman – Former MLB pitcher
*
Pat Kelly – Major League Baseball Player - Second Baseman for the
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Amer ...
*John Mabry – 14-year MLB career
*
Cathy Rush
Cathy Rush (born Cathy Cowan; April 7, 1947) was the head women's basketball coach at Immaculata from 1972 to 1977. She led Immaculata to three consecutive AIAW national titles from 1972–1974. She led the Mighty Macs to six consecutive fina ...
(B.S. 1968, M.Ed. 1972) – Former Immaculata University women's basketball head coach
*
Joe Senser
Joseph Michael Senser (born August 18, 1956) is an American former professional football player who was a tight end for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL). A 6'4", 240 lbs. tight end from West Chester University, S ...
(1979) – Former NFL tight end, Minnesota Vikings
*Ralph Tamm (B.S. 1988) – Former NFL offensive guard
*Marian Washington (1970) – Former University of Kansas women's basketball head coach
*Mike Washington – 2008
"Outstanding Amateur Athlete"
*
Joey Wendle – Major League Baseball All-Star for the
Tampa Bay Rays
The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East division. Since its inception ...
*Don Williams (1963) – Center forward on the 1961 National Championship soccer team, three-time All-American
*
Lee Woodall
Lee Artis Woodall (born October 31, 1969) is a former professional American football player who was selected by the San Francisco 49ers in the sixth round of the 1994 NFL Draft. A 6'1", 230-lb. linebacker from West Chester University, Woodall pla ...
(1993) – Former NFL linebacker, San Francisco 49ers
*Jerry Yeagley (1961) – Coached Indiana University to five NCAA Soccer Championships
See also
*
Lacrosse in Pennsylvania Lacrosse has been played in Pennsylvania since the 19th century. There are many respected amateur programs at the club, college, and high school level, as well as several respected past and present professional teams in the National Lacrosse League ...
References
External links
*
{{National Intercollegiate Rugby Association