Wayne State College

Wayne State College is a proud member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Its 15-sport program competes at the Division II level. Men's sports sponsored include baseball, basketball, cross country, football, indoor track and field and outdoor track and field. The women compete in basketball, cross country, golf, indoor track and field, outdoor track and field, softball, volleyball and soccer. WSC is a member of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference in all sports.  Wayne State also offers the National Collegiate Championship sport of beach volleyball.  

Athletics at Wayne State College have enjoyed a rich tradition of success and been an important part of college life since at least 1912, when football began competition as an intercollegiate sport. Men's basketball began around that same time, and men's track & field started in the early 1920s. Through World War II those three sports were the main varsity sports on campus, with the athletes and coaches for all three generally being the same. During those years Wayne State competed in the Nebraska Intercollegiate Athletic Association (NIAA), which included the other three Teachers Colleges (Chadron, Kearney and Peru) and for a time Omaha University.

The post-war era brought many changes to WSC athletics. First, the NIAA became the Nebraska College Conference (NCC) and through the 1950s included nearly all the colleges in Nebraska. Several new sports were added, including baseball, cross-country, golf, swimming, tennis and wrestling. For a while boxing was even a varsity sport - one at which Wayne State was very successful, winning several conference team and individual titles.

The 1960s were one of the high points of WSC athletics, with some of school's most successful athletes and teams coming from that decade. Several teams and individuals made their mark on the national level, with perhaps swimming and wrestling being the cream of the crop. However, other sports like cross-country (9th at the NAIA national meet in 1960), basketball (several national tournament appearances in the late 1960s) and track and field (Frank Burgasser, national champion in the javelin in 1969) enjoyed some of their greatest successes during this period. The 1970 football team, which made WSC's only appearance in a bowl game, marked the end of an era.

During the 1970s, athletics at WSC - and at many colleges across the country - struggled to redefine its role in an era of declining enrollments and budgets. By 1980, cross-country, golf, indoor track, swimming, tennis and wrestling were dropped.

There were some bright spots, however. Men's cross-country won its first conference title in 1975 and the newly added women's varsity sports of basketball, softball and volleyball competed at national tournaments during the 70's. The NCC, which had shrunk to just the four state colleges by the 1970s, disbanded in 1976. Wayne State and Kearney State then joined the Central States Intercollegiate Conference (CSIC), which became known as one of the toughest conferences at that level in the country.

A leaner athletic department was able to compete successfully in the CSIC during the 1980s. The women's track and field team, while never able to capture the conference crown, had some of the best sprinters and relay teams the school has ever had. The baseball team also was very successful during those years, as was volleyball and women's basketball.

The 1988-89 school year marked the beginning of a new era for the WSC athletics program. As the CSIC disbanded, the school ended its long-time association with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) to step up to the NCAA Division II level. That change has brought an increased level of funding to the program, along with the higher level of competition and prestige NCAA membership brings with it.

In 1988, Pete Chapman became the school's first full-time athletic director to help Wayne State College make the transition to NCAA Division II athletics. The 1989-90 season marked Wayne State's first year of competition in NCAA Division II athletics. The school was scheduled to begin competition in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference during the 1990 season with football scheduled to play in the RMAC in 1991. But WSC president Dr. Donald Mash announced in March, 1990 that Wayne State College was withdrawing from the conference due to travel and NCAA equivalencies and financial aid issues.

While being an independent presented its own unique challenges, WSC rose to the challenge and developed strong regional programs capable of competing at the national level. Three highlights include the 1993 football team's record of 9-1 (best since 1949), Lamart Cooper's 55-meter dash national title during the 1996 indoor track season and James McGown's three NCAA All-America honors in cross-country, indoor track and outdoor track during the 1997-98 school year.

In 1997, women's soccer was added as a varsity sport at Wayne State, giving the school 15 varsity sports (eight women's programs and seven men's programs). It was the first varsity sport added at Wayne State since 1989 when women's golf made its debut.

The late 1990's also saw the Wayne State men's basketball team turn into one of the top teams in the NCAA Division II North Central Region under coach Greg McDermott. The Wildcats posted five straight 20-win seasons from 1996-2000 and reached the NCAA Post-Season Tournament twice. WSC hosted the 1999 North Central Regional Tournament at Rice Auditorium and advanced to the Sweet 16 in the 1999-2000 season, falling to eventual national champion Metro State in the North Central Regional championship game in Denver. The Wildcats finished the 1999-2000 season with a 26-6 record, setting a school record for wins in a season.

On May 20, 1998 the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference announced that it was expanding to 10 teams, with WSC, Concordia-St. Paul and Minnesota-Crookston to be its newest members. Wayne State benefitted from the increased visibility of its athletic programs and the opportunity to compete for individual and team conference titles and honors through its membership in the NSIC. Sports such as cross country, track and field and golf were allowed to compete for conference championships in the 1998-99 school year with other sports such as football, volleyball, soccer, men's and women's basketball, baseball and softball becoming eligible for conference titles in 1999-2000.

The 1999-2000 WSC men's basketball team was the first Wildcat team to win a Northern Sun Conference title. In 2001, the Wildcat baseball team won their first NSIC title and advanced to the NCAA Central Region Tournament for the first time in school history. The WSC volleyball team clinched the 2001 NSIC regular season title and just missed a berth in the NCAA Tournament with a 24-9 record.

The 2005-06 school year proved to be Wayne State's most successful as a member of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference. The Wildcats won five conference titles and finished second in the NSIC's All-Sports Competition. WSC won conference titles in men's cross country, men's indoor track and field, women's basketball, baseball and men's outdoor track and field.   2005-06 also marked the first time that Wayne State College sent three teams to NCAA regional play as the volleyball, women's basketball and baseball teams all participated in NCAA regional competition. For volleyball and women's basketball, it marked their first appearances in NCAA post season play while the baseball team reached the NCAA post season for the third straight season and fourth time in six years. Another milestone was achieved by Katie Wilson during the indoor track and field season as the shot putter placed fifth at the NCAA Div. II Indoor National Track and Field Championships to become the school's first NCAA All-American in women's track and field. 

The 2008-09 season saw nine of Wayne State's 15 sports qualify either as a team or individually for the NCAA Division II Tournament.  A record four teams (football, volleyball, baseball and softball) qualified for post-season play while men's cross country, men's golf, women's golf, men's outdoor track and field and women's outdoor track and field saw individuals qualify for their respective NCAA Tournament.  Football tied a school record with nine wins and reached the NCAA Division II playoffs for the first time in school history while softball also reached the NCAA Tournament for a first time.  Baseball tied a school record with 45 wins and reached the Central Regional final for the second time in five years. 

The 2011-12 Wayne State College women's basketball team made school history, posting a 32-3 record while winning a second straight Northern Sun Conference regular season title with a 20-2 league mark.  The Wildcats also captured the NSIC/Sanford Health Women's Basketball Tournament title which led to WSC hosting the 2012 NCAA Central Region Women's Basketball Tournament.  WSC posted exciting wins in Rice Auditorium over Minnesota State, Augustana and Metro State to earn the school's first-ever Central Region title.  WSC then advanced to the Elite Eight in San Antonio, Texas where the top-ranked Wildcats were upset by #5 Bentley (Mass.) in the national quarterfinals to end the season at 32-3.  The Wildcats were unbeaten at home for a third straight season, going 19-0 in Rice Auditorium.  The unbeaten home win streak would move to 52 games (covering 3 1/2 seasons) before finally coming to an end in January, 2013. 



The 2015 Wayne State College women's outdoor track and field team posted the highest-ever finish for a Wildcat team at a national track and field championship, tied for eighth place with 26 points.  The Wildcats had four All-American performers, led by senior thrower Sara Wells who became the first athlete in school history to win two individual national championships in the same season.  The Albion native won the indoor national title in the shot put in March, 2015 and capped her stellar Wildcat career with an outdoor national championship.  She finished her Wayne State career as a two-time National Champion and seven-time All-American.

In the fall of 2015, the Wayne State College volleyball made school history by advancing farther in the NCAA National Tournament than any program in the Division II era.  The Wildcats qualified for the NCAA Division II National Tournament for the 10th time in 11 years and at the Central Regional defeated three Top 10 nationally ranked teams - #8 Central Missouri, #4 Southwest Minnesota State and #1 and seven-time national champion Concordia-St. Paul - to win the school's first-ever NCAA Central Region crown.  WSC then advanced to the Elite Eight in Tampa, Florida and the Wildcats defeated Carson-Newman (Tenn.) 3-1 in the national quarterfinals before falling to Palm Beach Atlantic 3-0 in the Final Four to finish the magical season with a record of 28-8 overall.  WSC ended the year ranked third in the final AVCA Division II Top 25 Coaches Poll, marking the highest ever finish for any Wayne State team to end the season in the NCAA Division II era.

Wayne State College women's track and field saw another two-time national champion close a stellar career in 2018 as Michaela Dendinger captured the NCAA individual title in the hammer throw as a senior along with an outdoor shot put championship in her junior season, ending her time in a Wildcat uniform as a nine-time NCAA All-American.  

June, 2019 saw the announcement of two additional sports at Wayne State - the re-instatement of the women's golf program and the addition of beach volleyball.  In just the second year back WSC women's golf earned a second place finish at the 2022 NSC Tournament and in the spring of 2025 the Wildcats earned their first-ever bid to the NCAA Division II National Tournament competing in the Central Regional.  

Wayne State volleyball made more school history in 2022 and 2023, capturing back-to-back Northern Sun Conference regular season titles.  The 2022 team hosted the NCAA Central Region Tournament while the 2023 team hosted the NSIC Volleyball Tournament in Rice Auditorium and later captured the NCAA Central Region title in St. Paul, Minnesota and advanced to the NCAA Elite 8 in Moon Township, Pa.  The 2022 team recorded a 30-3 record while the 2023 squad went a perfect 18-0 in the rugged Northern Sun Conference while ending with a stellar 31-3 mark.  

Facilities at Wayne State have also undergone improvements in recent years. In the fall of 2008, a $4.5 million dollar state-of-the-art renovation was made to Rice Auditorium along with a new weight room at Memorial Stadium.  The basement of Rice Auditorium was completely renovated and now features classrooms for the Health, Human Performance and Sports Department along with renovated coaches offices on the main floor of Rice Auditorium.  In Memorial Stadium, renovations include a new weight room with 18 platforms and racks along with new football coaches offices and a first-ever locker room for women's soccer.

Another $1.3 million was invested into Wildcat athletic facilities in 2013 and 2014 that saw the installation of field turf at Bob Cunningham Field, resurfacing of the Dr. LeRoy Simpson Track and widening of the playing surface to go with fencing and a new scoreboard at the WSC Soccer Complex.

With the improved facilities, Wayne State has been able to host such events as the 2003, 2006, 2009, 2010 and 2014 NCAA North Central/Central Regional Cross Country Championships, the 2004 NSIC Indoor Track and Field Championships, the 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007 NSIC Baseball Tournaments, the 2006 NSIC Red Baron Women's Basketball Classic and the 2006, 2008 and 2009 NSIC Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Wayne State also hosted the 2010 NCAA Central Regional Softball Tournament and has hosted Northern Sun Conference Cross Country Championships six times (2004, 2010, 2014, 2019, 2021 & 2022). 

The latest update to Rice Auditorium came in 2022 with the stage conversion project.  The $1 million project enclosed the current stage and created an open-air room to provide premium fan seating and in-game hospitality area for Wildcat home events.  The area will also be utilized for student-athlete recruitment and team meetings.

Construction began in the summer of 2023 and was completed in the spring of 2025 on a $30 million Athletic and Recreation (ARC) project that includes the addition of the Wildcat Dome (air-supported structure), major renovations to the Recreation Center and auxiliary varsity only weight room and creation of the Bebee Family Atrium.  It was the largest athletic construction project in the history of Wayne State College and the largest amount of money raised for a facility project on the WSC campus at over $5.6 million.  Plans are in the works to move forward with Phase III of the project that includes converting the Gardner Indoor Athletic Complex into a practice gym with a wood court and complete renovation of the Rice Auditorium lobby.  



updated 7/31/25