Wayne State Warriors

The Wayne State Warriors are the athletic teams that represent Wayne State University, located in Detroit, Michigan, in NCAA Division II intercollegiate sporting competitions. The Warriors compete as members of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) for all 16 varsity sports. The Warriors have been members of the GLIAC since 1975.

History

The Wayne State intercollegiate athletics program was established in 1917 by director of athletics David L. Holmes, when the school was known as Detroit Junior College. Revered by his athletes, Holmes initially coached all sports. His track teams were nationally known into the 1950s; in his first ten years, he produced two Olympians from the school's Victorian-era gym. Although he had major ambitions for Wayne and scheduled such teams as Notre Dame and Penn State in the 1920s, the lack of facilities and money for athletics kept the athletic program small.

In 1927, three years after the school was renamed the College of the City of Detroit, a student poll selected the name of " Tartars" for the school's teams, which were generally known as the Detroit Tartars. In 1934, the college became Wayne University, with athletic teams known as the Wayne Tartars until 1956 when the school became Wayne State University and athletic teams were called the Wayne State Tartars. The Tartars nickname lasted until 1999 when the university changed it to "Warriors" due to a feeling that the Tartar name was dated and that not many people knew what a Tartar was.

As the Detroit Tartars, the school competed in the Michigan Collegiate Conference from 1927 to 1931. In 1946, Wayne University was a founding member of the Mid-American Conference in 1946, but only played one season in the conference before leaving in 1947. In 1955 the university, along with John Carroll University, Case Institute of Technology, and Western Reserve University formed the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC). The University competed in the PAC until 1967 before competing as an independent program and joining the upstart Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) in 1975.

Since September 2000, Rob Fournier has served as athletic director. Erika Wallace, who came to WSU in July 2019, serves as Chief of Staff.

Varsity sports

The Wayne State University Athletic Department sponsors the following sports:

Baseball

Wayne State has had 7 Major League Baseball Draft selections since the draft began in 1965.

Fencing

Fencing for Wayne State, future two-time Olympican Byron Krieger was Wayne State's first Intercollegiate Fencing Association/NCAA champion in foil in 1942.">"Ex-Fencing Champion Dies in Havdalah Candle Fire" – ''The Forward''
/ref> Future three-time Olympian Allan Kwartler also fenced at Wayne State.

Football

Wayne State football competes with the other sports in the GLIAC, the program also competed in the PAC from 1955–1967 and in the Midwest Intercollegiate Football Conference from 1990–1998. Wayne State has won three conference championships, one in the GLIAC and two PAC championships. The Warriors played in the Division II National Championship game in 2011, losing to the Pittsburg State Gorillas, 35-21.

Notable NFL alumni include: Vic Zucco, Richard Byas, Jr., Paul Butcher, Sr., Tom Beer, and Joique Bell.

Ice hockey

Wayne State previously competed in men's and women's NCAA Division I ice hockey as a member of College Hockey America (CHA). The university dropped their men's program at the end of the 2007–08 season, followed in 2011 by ending the women's hockey program.

Notable non varsity sports

Rugby

Founded in 2002, the Wayne State women's rugby team won the NSCRO 15s National Championship in 2012, 2013, 2016, 2017 and 2018."The Wayne State Success Story"
Rugby Today, Clara Lefton, May 14, 2015. Wayne State won the NSCRO Rugby Sevens Championship in 2014 and again in 2015. Wayne State rugby is led by Head Coach Darrin Barner.

Championships

National Championships

*''Note: Although WSU competes at the DII level, the NCAA combines all three divisions for its National Fencing Championships.''

Conference Championships

i. GLIAC Championships:

ii. President's Athletic Conference Championships:

iii. College Hockey America:

References

External links

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