The Cal State Northridge Matadors (branded as the CSUN Matadors) are the athletic teams that represent

California State University, Northridge California State University, Northridge (CSUN or Cal State Northridge), is a public university in the Northridge neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, United States. With a total enrollment of 36,848 students (as of Fall 2024), it has the ...

Northridge, Los Angeles, California Northridge is a neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley region of the City of Los Angeles. The community is home to California State University, Northridge, and the Northridge Fashion Center. Originally named Zelzah by settlers in 1908, the ...

. The Matadors field 17 teams in nineteen sports. The Matadors compete in

NCAA Division I NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest division of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major collegiate athlet ...

and are members of the

Big West Conference The Big West Conference (BWC) is an American collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference whose member institutions participate in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's NCAA Division I, Division I. The conference was origina ...

. CSUN has been a member of the Big West Conference since the summer of 2001 for most sports. The men's and women's indoor track and field teams compete in the

Mountain Pacific Sports Federation The Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) is a college athletic conference with members located mostly in the Western United States, although it has added members as far east as Massachusetts. The conference participates at the NCAA Divisio ...

instead. Men's volleyball also competed in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation, but began to compete in the Big West beginning in 2018.

Nickname

The Matador nickname was suggested in 1958 by student submissions, and was chosen over four other finalists. These included the Apollos, Falcons, Rancheros and Titans. The Matador is said to reflect the region's Spanish heritage.

History

CSUN had previously been a member of the

Big Sky Conference The Big Sky Conference is a List of NCAA conferences, collegiate athletic conference, affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA's NCAA Division I, Division I with college football, football competing in the Football Cha ...

from 1996 to 2000. The Matadors won 34 NCAA Division II National Titles before moving up to Division I in 1990. That still ranks third all time in Division II.

Sports sponsored

Baseball

The baseball team is a varsity intercollegiate athletic team of California State University, Northridge in Northridge, California, United States. The team is a member of the Big West Conference, which is part of the NCAA Division I. Cal State Northridge's first baseball team was fielded in 1959. The team plays its home games at 1,200-seat

Matador Field Matador Field is a baseball venue located on the campus of Cal State Northridge in Los Angeles, California, United States, more specifically in the San Fernando Valley district of Northridge. It is home to the Cal State Northridge Matadors b ...

. During its time in Division II, the Matadors baseball team won two national championships (1970, 1984).

Basketball

Men's basketball

The men's basketball team represents California State University, Northridge in Northridge, California, United States. The school's team currently competes in the Big West Conference, which is part of the NCAA Division I. Cal State Northridge's first men's basketball team was fielded in 1958–1959. The team plays its home games at the 2,400-seat Premier America Credit Union Arena.

Women's basketball

The women's basketball team represents California State University, Northridge in Northridge, California, United States. The school's team currently competes in the Big West Conference, which is part of the NCAA Division I. Cal State Northridge's first women's basketball team was fielded in 1958–1959. The team plays its home games at the 2,400-seat Premier America Credit Union Arena.

Soccer

Men's soccer

The men's soccer team have an NCAA Division I Tournament record of 1–7 through seven appearances. Big West Conference logo 2021 in CSUN colors ltbg no-tm

Women's soccer

The women's soccer team have an NCAA Division I Tournament record of 0–1 through one appearance.

Softball

While Division II members, the Matadors won the NCAA Division II softball tournament four times:

1983 1983 saw both the official beginning of the Internet and the first mobile cellular telephone call. Events January * January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to TCP/IP is officially completed (this is considered to be the beginning of the ...

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeas ...

1985 The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** The Internet's Domain Name System is created. ** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a n ...

, and

1987 Events January * January 1 – Bolivia reintroduces the Boliviano currency. * January 2 – Chadian–Libyan conflict – Battle of Fada: The Military of Chad, Chadian army destroys a Libyan armoured brigade. * January 3 – Afghan leader ...

Since joining Division I, the Matadors softball team has appeared in two

Women's College World Series The Women's College World Series (WCWS) is the final portion of the NCAA Division I softball tournament for college softball in the United States and is held annually in Oklahoma City, OK. The event is held at Devon Park (stadium), Devon Park loca ...

1993 The United Nations General Assembly, General Assembly of the United Nations designated 1993 as: * International Year for the World's Indigenous People The year 1993 in the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands had only 364 days, since its ...

and

1994 The year 1994 was designated as the " International Year of the Family" and the "International Year of Sport and the Olympic Ideal" by the United Nations. In the Line Islands and Phoenix Islands of Kiribati, 1994 had only 364 days, omitti ...

, advancing to the title game in

before falling to Arizona. During its time in Division II, Matadors softball won four national championships.

Women's volleyball

The CSUN Matadors women's volleyball team have an NCAA Division I Tournament record of 1–5 through five appearances.

Former varsity sports

Cal State Northridge Matadors football The Cal State Northridge Matadors football team represented California State University, Northridge in the sport of American football from the 1962 through 2001 seasons. Between 1962 and 1992, Cal State Northridge competed at the NCAA Division ...

(discontinued 2001) * Swimming (men's and women's) (discontinued 2010)

Non-varsity sports

Rugby

CSUN women's rugby began as a university recognized club team in 2011, after a 17-year hiatus. CSUN women's rugby played in the Collegiate SoCal Division 2 in 2012, and finished ranked first in Southern California and 14th in the Nation in Division 2. In 2013, the team finished first in California and sixth in the Nation in Division 2.

Championships

Appearances

The CSUN Matadors competed in the NCAA Tournament across 13 active sports (6 men's and 7 women's) 58 times at the Division I level. * Baseball (6): 1965, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 2002 * Men's basketball (2): 2001, 2009 * Women's basketball (4): 1999, 2014, 2015, 2018 * Men's soccer (7): 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2012, 2013, 2016 * Women's soccer (1): 2012 * Softball (14): 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2007, 2015 * Women's tennis (1): 2001 * Men's indoor track and field (2): 1998, 2008 * Men's outdoor track and field (3): 1992, 2007, 2010 * Women's indoor track and field (3): 1996, 1996, 2000 * Women's outdoor track and field (8): 1991, 1994, 1995, 1997, 2000, 2001, 2004, 2008 * Men's volleyball (2): 1993, 2010 * Women's volleyball (5): 1992, 1996, 2003, 2004, 2013

Team

CSUN has never won a national championship at the NCAA Division I level. CSUN won 30 national championships at the Division II level. * Baseball (2): 1970, 1984 * Men's golf (3): 1969, 1973, 1974 * Men's gymnastics (2): 1968, 1969 * Women's gymnastics (1): 1982 * Men's outdoor track and field (1): 1975 * Softball (4): 1983, 1984, 1985, 1987 * Men's swimming and diving (9): 1975, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985 * Women's swimming and diving (4): 1982, 1987, 1988, 1989 * Men's tennis (1): 1969 * Women's tennis (1): 1982 * Women's volleyball (2):

, 1987 Below are four national championships that were not bestowed by the NCAA: * Women's outdoor track and field – Division I (3): 1978, 1979, 1980 (

AIAW The Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) was a college athletics organization in the United States, founded in 1971 to govern women's college competitions in the country and to administer national championships (see AIAW Cham ...

) * Women's volleyball – Division II (1): 1980 (AIAW)

Individual

CSUN had 6 Matadors win NCAA individual championships at the Division I level. At the NCAA Division II level, CSUN garnered 163 individual championships.

References

External links

* {{Mountain Pacific Sports Federation navbox 1958 establishments in California Sports clubs and teams established in 1958