Western Michigan Broncos

Western Michigan Broncos
University Western Michigan University
Conference Mid-American Conference
National Collegiate Hockey Conference
NCAA Division I
Athletic director Kathy Beauregard
Location Kalamazoo, Michigan
Varsity teams 15
Football stadium Waldo Stadium
Basketball arena University Arena
Ice hockey arena Lawson Arena
Baseball stadium Hyames Field
Softball stadium Ebert Field
Soccer stadium WMU Soccer Complex
Mascot Buster Bronco
Nickname Broncos
Colors Brown and Gold[1]
         
Website www.wmubroncos.com

The Western Michigan Broncos are a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) team representing Western Michigan University (WMU). They compete in the Mid-American Conference in men's baseball, basketball, football, soccer and tennis; and women's basketball, cross-country, golf, gymnastics, soccer, softball, track and field, and volleyball. The men's ice hockey team competes in the National Collegiate Hockey Conference. The Broncos also have a flight team, the SkyBroncos, who have won the National Intercollegiate Flying Association (NIFA) National Championship award five times.

The Broncos have won two NCAA national championships. The men's cross country team won the NCAA title in 1964 and 1965. WMU finished as national runners up in 1955 for baseball and 1958 for men's cross country.

The facilities include Waldo Stadium (football), University Arena (men's and women's basketball, volleyball), Lawson Arena (hockey), Hyames Field (baseball), Ebert Field (softball), Sorensen Courts/West Hills Athletic Club (men's and women's tennis), and Kanley Track (women's track and field). The soccer teams compete at the WMU Soccer Complex located near the Parkview Campus.

The school's primary rival is Central Michigan University.

History

WMU athletic teams were once known as the Hilltoppers, a reference to the school's location on top of Prospect Hill, but changed their nickname in 1939 to the Broncos to avoid confusion with teams of other schools such as the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers. John Gill, an assistant coach on the football team who later served as head coach, coined the new athletic nickname after approval for the name change was granted by the school's athletic board. In 2011, WMU commissioned artist Revere La Noue to create a 6,500-square-foot building wrap representing the Broncos for the 2011 ArtPrize competition. WMU president John Dunn has said that the work, "Epic Broncos", captures the "history and pride of being a Bronco".[2]

WMU's Waldo Stadium

Varsity sports

Baseball

The baseball team has represented WMU since its first season in 1911, compiling an overall record of 1,822–1349–23 (.574) through 2012.[3] They have appeared in the College World Series six times, most recently in 1963. In the 1955 College World Series, WMU finished as the NCAA runner-up, losing to Wake Forest 7–6 in the championship game.[3]

WMU has won 14 Mid-American Conference championships, including 13 of 19 from 1949 to 1967.

The Broncos are coached by Billy Gernon. They had a 26–29 (.473) record in 2012.

Basketball (men's)

Football

Ice hockey

Soccer (men's)

The men's soccer team won the MAC tournament championship in 2003. They are coached by Chad Wiseman. A famous former player is Rob Friend, who transferred to the University of California, Santa Barbara's Men's Soccer program. He plays in Major League Soccer (MLS) for the LA Galaxy, as well as the Canadian National Team.

Soccer (women's)

On November 9, 2013, Western Michigan women's soccer team won the Mid-American Conference tournament championship and a trip to the NCAA tournament. The MAC Championship is the second for the program, coming 10 years from the first one in 2003.

Softball

The Bronco softball team has appeared in three Women's College World Series, in 1980, 1981 and 1982 (NCAA).[4]

Volleyball

The volleyball team has been competing at Western Michigan University since 1965. In that span, the team has won 7 MAC regular season championships (1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 2000) and 4 MAC tournament championships (1987, 1988, 1989, 2000). WMU's all-time overall record is 705-482-9 (.593) and all-time conference record is 261-122 (.681). The Broncos are coached by Colleen Munson. In her two years at WMU, she has compiled a 41-24 (.631) record.

Other varsity sports

The men's cross country team won the NCAA Division I championship in 1964 and 1965,[5] and finished as national runners up in 1958.

The women's gymnastics team won the MAC championship in 2006 and 2013.

The Broncos track and field sprint medley relay team is currently ranked #1 in the NCAA.[6]

Awards

For the 2010–11 season, WMU was awarded the Cartwright Award, given to one MAC program each season for excellence in academics, athletics and citizenship.[7] For the season, WMU won the Jacoby Trophy (most successful women's program) and finished second for the Reese Trophy (most successful men's program).[7]

Championships

NCAA Division I National Championships

1964 • 1965

NCAA Division I National Runners-up

1955
1958

MAC championships

CCHA tournament championships

1986, 2012

Non-varsity sports

Synchronized skating

Although the sport of synchronized skating is not an official NCAA sport Western Michigan is home to an internationally competitive synchronized skating team, who have medalled at competitions around the world. The Bronco's synchronized skating program consists of a senior team, which competes internationally as well as a collegiate level team which is competitive among the top university and collegiate teams from around the United States. The team lost their athletic funding and Varsity status along with Men's Cross Country and Track & Field in the 2003-2004 competitive season, and became a Club sport.

Rugby

Founded in 1990, Western Michigan plays college rugby in Division I in the north division of the MAC Conference.[8] The Broncos reached the MAC conference semifinals in 2014.[9] The Broncos play their home matches at UpJohn Park in Kalamazoo. The Broncos are led by head coach Mark Allen.

Championships

United States Collegiate Ski and Snowboard Association (USCSSA) Championships

2005

American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) Division 2 Championships

1996

National Intercollegiate Flying Association (NIFA) National Championships

1947
1948
1983
1998
2002

United States Figure Skating Association (USFSA) National Championships

2004

References

  1. ↑ "WMU Visual Identity Program". Retrieved 2016-03-28.
  2. ↑ Herndon, Jess (October 23, 2011). "'Epic Broncos' at ArtPrize reflects Western Michigan University, its mascot". Michigan Live. Retrieved July 2, 2012.
  3. 1 2 http://www.wmubroncos.com//pdf8/684471.pdf
  4. ↑ Plummer, William; Floyd, Larry C. (2013). A Series Of Their Own: History Of The Women's College World Series. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States: Turnkey Communications Inc. ISBN 978-0-9893007-0-4.
  5. ↑ "NCAA Division I Men's Cross Country Championship History". National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved April 17, 2014.
  6. ↑ Bronco Sprint Medley Team Ranked Nation's Best by Track & Field News - WMUBroncos.com—Official Web Site of Western Michigan Athletics
  7. 1 2 "Western Michigan Wins Cartwright Award". Mid-American Conference. Retrieved October 6, 2011.
  8. ↑ "CLUB RUGBY AT WMU COMPLETES FIRST CONFERENCE SEASON", Western Herald, February 14, 2013.
  9. ↑ "MAC Semifinals Set", Rugby Today, October 28, 2014.
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