Catholic University Cardinals

Catholic University Cardinals
University The Catholic University of America
Conference Landmark Conference & Old Dominion Athletic Conference
NCAA Division III
Athletic director Sean M. Sullivan
Location Washington, D.C.
Varsity teams 21
Football stadium Cardinal Stadium
Basketball arena Raymond A. DuFour Center
Baseball stadium Robert J. Talbot Baseball Field
Soccer stadium CUA Soccer Field
Mascot Red the Cardinal
Nickname Cardinals
Fight song C.U. Marching Song
Colors Red and Black
         
Website www.cuacardinals.com

The Catholic University of America's intercollegiate sports teams are called the Cardinals (after the bird northern cardinal), and they compete in the NCAA's Division III. They are primarily members of the Landmark Conference, and associate members of the Old Dominion Athletic Conference until July 1, 2017, when the football team will join the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference. The team colors are red (PMS 1805) and black.[1]

Catholic celebrates Homecoming in the fall to coincide with a home football game.

Origin of the name

Originally known as the Red and Black after the colors they wore, Catholic University's athletes came to be known as the Cardinals (often the Flying Cardinals, occasionally the Fighting Cardinals) in the mid-1920s.[2]

Varsity teams

Men's Women's
Basketball Basketball
Soccer Soccer
Lacrosse Lacrosse
Cross Country Cross Country
Tennis Tennis
Swimming & Diving Swimming & Diving
Indoor Track & Field Indoor Track & Field
Outdoor Track & Field Outdoor Track & Field
Baseball Softball
Football Field Hockey
Volleyball

History

Boxing

As a team, CUA won the national title in 1938. Besides, two cardinals won individual championships:

The NCAA discontinued boxing in 1961.

Football

The football team appeared in two major bowl games (the 1936 Orange Bowl, which they won and the 1940 Sun Bowl, which they tied). In the fall of 2008, already in Division III, the team went to the ECAC Southeast Bowl and defeated Johns Hopkins University 18-17 to give the Cards their first post season win since 1936.

Year Bowl Opponent Result
1936 Orange Bowl Mississippi W 20-19
1940 Sun Bowl Arizona State T 0-0
2008 ECAC Southeast Bowl Johns Hopkins W 18-17

The team has made three consecutive trips to the Division III playoffs.

Cardinals' NCAA D-III Tournament history
Year Round Opponent Won/Lost Result
1997 1st Trinity University L 33-44
1998 1st Lycoming College L 14-49
1999 1st McDaniel College L 16-20

Baseball

In 1977, the Catholic University Cardinals played the NCAA Division I Baseball Championship after winning the ECAC District II championship.

Cardinals' NCAA D-I Tournament history
Year Opponent Won/Lost Result
1977
Seton Hall University W 4-3
Temple University L 3-10
St. John's University L 3-8
Cardinals' NCAA D-III Tournament history
Year Round Opponent Won/Lost Result
2011
Mid-Atlantic Regional Kean University W 3-2
Mid-Atlantic Regional Misericordia University L 0-4
Mid-Atlantic Regional Johns Hopkins University L 2-7
2015
Mid-Atlantic Regional Alvernia University L 2-3
Mid-Atlantic Regional Johns Hopkins University L 3-15

Basketball

Men's

The 1943-44 men's basketball team won the Mason-Dixon Conference title and made the program's first trip to the NCAA Tournament. The team played in Madison Square Garden, losing to Dartmouth and Temple.

Cardinals' NCAA D-I Tournament history
Year Opponent Won/Lost Result
1944
Dartmouth College L 38-63
Temple University L 35-55

The 1963-64 season, Catholic played the NCAA College Division (Division II) Tournament at Hofstra, losing to Hofstra and Philadelphia.

Cardinals' NCAA D-II (College Division) Tournament history
Year Opponent Won/Lost Result
1964
Hofstra University L 91-92 (2OT)
Philadelphia Textile L 64-94

The men's basketball team won the 2001 NCAA Division III National Championship and was the only program in Division III to reach the Sweet Sixteen five consecutive seasons, from 1998-2002. They also reached the postseason in 1993, 1996, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2013, 2015,[3] and 2016.[4]

Cardinals' NCAA D-III Tournament history
Year Round Opponent Won/Lost Result
1993 1st Stockton State College L 91-106
1996 1st Cabrini College L 65-85
1998
2nd Johns Hopkins University W 67-62
Sectional Semifinals Hunter College L 82-84 (2 OT)
1999
1st Lebanon Valley College W 77-72
2nd Goucher College W 73-69
Sectional Semifinals William Paterson University L 71-79
2000
2nd Christopher Newport University W 65-64
Sectional Semifinals William Paterson University W 57-52
Sectional Finals Franklin & Marshall College L 74-85
2001
1st City College of New York W 82-65
2nd Widener University W 69-67
Sectional Semifinals State University of New York at Brockport W 69-64
Sectional Finals Clark University W 82-78
National Semifinals Ohio Northern University W 82-76
Championship William Paterson University W 76-62
2002
2nd Hampden–Sydney College W 74-66
Sectional Semifinals Clark University L 72-75
2003 2nd Montclair State University L 78-95
2004
1st SUNY-Old Westbury W 75-50
2nd Gwynedd–Mercy College L 72-74 (OT)
2006 1st Widener University L 59-61
2007
1st Messiah College W 37-58
2nd Lincoln University L 70-81
2013
1st College of Staten Island W 67-61
2nd Williams College L 78-89
2015
1st Alvernia University W 87-80
2nd Randolph–Macon College L 65-78
2016 1st Endicott College L 76-84

Women's

The 2011-12 women's basketball team won the Landmark Conference title and made the program's first trip to the NCAA Tournament. In 2013 they won their second straight Landmark Conference title and again received the LC's automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament, repeating in 2015.

Cardinals' NCAA D-III Tournament history
Year Round Opponent Won/Lost Result
2012 1st Muhlenberg College L 54-63
2013
1st Cabrini College W 52-44
2nd Widener University L 56-57
2015 1st University of New England L 50-54

Track & field

The track & field team has produced three individual national champions:

Swimming

The men's swim team has won four Capitol Athletic Conference titles and three National Catholic Division III championships, while women's swimming has won a Catholic Division III title. The swimming program has two individual national titles as well:

Lacrosse

Men's

The men's lacrosse team went to the NCAA tournament in 2015 after winning the conference title.

Cardinals' NCAA D-III Tournament history
Year Round Opponent Won/Lost Result
2015 1st Gettysburg College L 3-19

Women's

In 2008, the women's lacrosse team went undefeated in the inaugural year of the Landmark Conference and won the Conference post-season tournament, garnering a birth in the NCAA tournament for the first time in program history, and making it to the regional finals where they lost to Salisbury University. The team has won the Landmark Conference Tournament in 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014 and 2015.

Cardinals' NCAA D-III Tournament history
Year Round Opponent Won/Lost Result
2008
1st Christopher Newport University W 18-16
2nd Rowan University W 15-9
Sectional Finals Salisbury University L 7-18
2009
1st Messiah College W 9-8 (OT)
2nd University of Mary Washington W 19-14
Sectional Finals Salisbury University L 14-18
2010
1st Christopher Newport University W 19-9
2nd Salisbury University L 9-18
2011
1st University of Mary Washington W 18-10
2nd The College of New Jersey L 9-15
2012
1st Christopher Newport University W 18-5
2nd University of Redlands W 17-10
Regional Final Salisbury University L 6-13
2014 2nd Franklin & Marshall College L 11-17
2015
2nd Western New England University W 22-5
Sweet 16 University of Mount Union W 21-8
Elite Eight SUNY Cortland L 12-13

Soccer

Men's

The men's soccer team went to the NCAA tournament in 2009, 2010, 2013 (at-large bid) and 2014.

Cardinals' NCAA D-III Tournament history
Year Round Opponent Won/Lost Result
2009 1st Lynchburg College L 0-3
2010 1st Ohio Wesleyan University L 1-2
2013 1st Franklin & Marshall College L 0-1
2014
1st United States Coast Guard Academy W 2-0
2nd Muhlenberg College L 0-0 (2OT)
3-5 (pen)

Women's

Women's soccer went undefeated in the CAC in 2005 and earned a berth in the NCAA Tournament, repeating in 2009, 2014 and 2015 as LC champions.

Cardinals' NCAA D-III Tournament history
Year Round Opponent Won/Lost Result
2005 1st Lynchburg College L 1-5
2009 1st Lynchburg College L 1-3
2014
1st Hanover College W 3-2
2nd Carnegie Mellon University L 1-2 (OT)
2015
1st Ithaca College W 1-0
2nd Swarthmore College L 0-1

Field hockey

The field hockey team advanced to the 2001 ECAC Southern Region championship game and won the ECAC title in 2010. In 2011 CUA won its first conference championship, which propelled the Cardinals to their first-ever NCAA Tournament.[5] They won the conference title again in 2012,[6] and 2013.[7] In 2014, the team earned an at-large bid and a first round bye to big dance. In 2015, they were again Landmark Conference champions.[8]

Cardinals' NCAA D-III Tournament history
Year Round Opponent Won/Lost Result
2011
1st Eastern University W 5-2
2nd Lynchburg College L 0-2
2012 1st Lynchburg College L 3-4 (OT)
2013
1st Messiah College W 2-1 (OT)
2nd DePauw University W 1-0 (OT)
Elite Eight Christopher Newport University L 0-1
2014
2nd Messiah College W 2-0
Elite Eight The College of New Jersey L 0-1
2015 1st Bridgewater College L 1-2

Volleyball

The volleyball team made its first NCAA tournament appearance in 2001 and followed it up in 2002.

Cardinals' NCAA D-III Tournament history
Year Round Opponent Won/Lost Result
2001
2nd Gettysburg College W 3-1 (30-22, 30-19, 22-30, 30-27)
Mid-Atlantic Regional Final Juniata College L 0-3 (20-30, 19-30, 13-30)
2002 Mid-Atlantic Regional Final Ohio Northern University L 0-3 (21-30, 24-30, and 15-30)

Softball

Softball has an ECAC Southern Region title.

Songs

Alma mater songs

The official Alma Mater Song was adopted in 1920, when students organized a contest for an alma mater song, open to the then all-male student body. The winner was Hail CUA (lyrics by Robert H. Mahoney and music by Victor Herbert), but second-place winner Guardian of Truth (music and lyrics by Thomas J. McLean) became more popular over the years.[9][10]

Fight song

The cardinal's fight song is C.U. Marching Song (1931):[11] (Music by Michael J. MacDonald & Lyrics by Clement Ducy)[12]

Sing a song of C.U.A. for all the world to hear,
Drink a toast to Alma Mater, praise her far and near,
Make a vow you'll e'er be true and do what she taught right,
Whether we win or whether we lose, we'll never give up the fight,
Down the field the men in red and black go marching on
To victory, to victory,
Driving all before them in the struggle toward the goal
Of victory, of victory.
Onward we're marching with all our might,
Marching for C.U. never yielding, ever cheering, FIGHT!
Forever onward we're marching to victory,
For the Red and Black is winning
For C.U.A. it's Fight, Fight, Fight.
Crimson and Black are above all the rest.
Always a shout and a cheer, FIGHT!
Always our colors stand out with the best,
Onward forever against any odds,
Bringing the victory near.

CUA songs and cheers

Students supporting the games in the early 1900s created the following songs and chants to inspire high spirits:[13]

CUA (CU Will Shine)

On, CUA, we’re rooting for you
And we know you’ll win today,
So battle hard, whatever befall you
For the name of CUA (Rah-Rah)
Go down the field,
And cross the goal line
With that CU pep and fight,
And when the grand old game is over,
CUA will shine tonight.
CU will shine tonight
CU will shine,
CU will shine tonight,
All down the line.
CU will shine tonight,
CU will shine,
When the sun goes down and the moon comes up,
CU will shine.

Drink a Highball

Drink a highball at nightfall,
Be good fellows while you may,
For tomorrow may bring sorrow,
So tonight let’s all be gay,
Tell the story of the glory,
Of the Catholic University,
Drink a highball,
Let’s be jolly --
Here’s the health of CUA.

Flying Cardinals

Fight Hard, Hit Hard, Buck that line!
Every man must do his part for victory!
For the honor of the red and black,
We stand behind the fighting varsity!
With our colors proudly flying high,
We will march today to victories new!
We all will back you to the limit,
Fight hard every minute,
Victory come to old CU.
Give three cheers for CU!
RAH RAH
Let us banish fear for vict’ry!
RAH RAH RAH
Everybody up!
Everybody shout
To our fighthing boys of CUA!
We cheer, boys!

National team championships

Division I

Division III

Notable athletes

References

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Wednesday, April 20, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.