Northern Kentucky Norse
Encyclopedia
The Northern Kentucky Norse are the athletic teams of Northern Kentucky University
, located in Highland Heights
, Kentucky
, United States
. NKU is a NCAA
Division II school that is part of the Great Lakes Valley Conference
(GLVC). The university's teams for both men and women are nicknamed "Norse."
on Division I reclassificiation ends in the summer of 2011. In April 2011 university president, Dr. James Votruba, announced that he will recommend the move to the board of regents.
Women's sports
in overtime 71–62 over North Dakota State
, ending their season with a 32–2 record. The 2002–03 team was the NCAA Women's Division II national runner-up.
The team won their second national championship in 2008 by a score of 63–58 over South Dakota
, becoming one of only five schools to win more than one NCAA Women's Division II Basketball Championship
, as well as the only two-time NCAA national champions in the state of Kentucky. One of the top coaches in NCAA Division II women's basketball, Nancy Winstel
, has been head coach of the team since 1983.
3-2 in a driving snowstorm in Louisville
. The team was led by senior Steven Beattie, who was named Ron Lenz National Player of the Year in both 2008 and 2010.
NKU has claimed the GLVC All-Sports Trophy seven times in the last 11 seasons in: 1999-2000, 2000–02, 2004–06, 2008–10.
Northern Kentucky University
|type = Public|president= Dr. James C. Votruba|city = Highland Heights|state = KY|country = U.S.|endowment = $68 million|students = 15,405|undergrad = 13,206|postgrad = 2,199|faculty = 1,159...
, located in Highland Heights
Highland Heights, Kentucky
Highland Heights is a city in Campbell County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 6,554 at the 2000 census.Highland Heights is home to Northern Kentucky University...
, Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. NKU is a NCAA
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
Division II school that is part of the Great Lakes Valley Conference
Great Lakes Valley Conference
The Great Lakes Valley Conference is an intercollegiate athletic conference which competes at the NCAA's Division II level. Member institutions are located in the states of Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri, and Wisconsin....
(GLVC). The university's teams for both men and women are nicknamed "Norse."
Move to Division I
Over the past few years the university has upgraded many of the athletic facilities on campus fueling rumors that the university was a strong candidate to move to Division I after the NCAA's moratoriumMoratorium
Moratorium may refer to:*Moratorium *Moratorium *Moratorium to End the War in Vietnam*UN moratorium on the death penalty*2010 U.S. Deepwater Drilling Moratorium...
on Division I reclassificiation ends in the summer of 2011. In April 2011 university president, Dr. James Votruba, announced that he will recommend the move to the board of regents.
Sports
Men's sports- BaseballCollege baseballCollege baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. Compared to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a less significant contribution to cultivating professional players, as the minor leagues primarily...
- BasketballCollege basketballCollege basketball most often refers to the USA basketball competitive governance structure established by the National Collegiate Athletic Association . Basketball in the NCAA is divided into three divisions: Division I, Division II and Division III....
- Cross countryCross country runningCross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road...
- GolfGolfGolf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
- SoccerCollege soccerCollege soccer is a term used to describe association football played by teams who are operated by colleges and universities as opposed to a professional league operated for exclusively financial purposes...
- TennisTennisTennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
Women's sports
- Basketball
- Cross country
- Golf
- Soccer
- SoftballSoftballSoftball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 10 to 14 players. It is a direct descendant of baseball although there are some key differences: softballs are larger than baseballs, and the pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand...
- Tennis
- Track and fieldTrack and fieldTrack and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
- VolleyballVolleyballVolleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
Men's basketball
The men's basketball team was the NCAA Division II national runner-up during the 1995–96 and 1996–97 seasons.Women's basketball
In 2000, the NKU women's basketball team became NKU's first national championship team by winning the NCAA Women's Division II Basketball ChampionshipNCAA Women's Division II Basketball Championship
Division II women's basketball champions for the NCAA The finals are played at St. Joseph Civic Arena in St. Joseph, Missouri.-Championships:- Schools ranked by titles :-See also:*NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Championship...
in overtime 71–62 over North Dakota State
North Dakota State Bison
The North Dakota State Bison is the name of the athletic teams of North Dakota State University which is located in the city of Fargo, North Dakota. The teams are often called the "Thundering Herd"...
, ending their season with a 32–2 record. The 2002–03 team was the NCAA Women's Division II national runner-up.
The team won their second national championship in 2008 by a score of 63–58 over South Dakota
South Dakota Coyotes
The South Dakota Coyotes, also known as the USD Coyotes , are the athletic teams for the University of South Dakota. Their team colors are vermilion and white. They have been members of The Summit League of the NCAA's Division I since the 2011-12 season...
, becoming one of only five schools to win more than one NCAA Women's Division II Basketball Championship
NCAA Women's Division II Basketball Championship
Division II women's basketball champions for the NCAA The finals are played at St. Joseph Civic Arena in St. Joseph, Missouri.-Championships:- Schools ranked by titles :-See also:*NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Championship...
, as well as the only two-time NCAA national champions in the state of Kentucky. One of the top coaches in NCAA Division II women's basketball, Nancy Winstel
Nancy Winstel
Nancy Winstel is the head women’s basketball coach at Northern Kentucky University. She ranks 3rd in wins among NCAA Division II women’s basketball coaches and 9th in winning percentage with an overall record of 636-238 . Having finished her 27th season as coach of the Norse, Winstel has compiled...
, has been head coach of the team since 1983.
Men's soccer
In 2010, the NKU men's soccer team won the NCAA Division II national championship by defeating RollinsRollins College
Rollins College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college located in Winter Park, Florida , along the shores of Lake Virginia....
3-2 in a driving snowstorm in Louisville
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
. The team was led by senior Steven Beattie, who was named Ron Lenz National Player of the Year in both 2008 and 2010.
Women's soccer
The women's soccer team was the NCAA Division II runner-up in 2000 and advanced to the NCAA Division II Final Four in 1999 and 2001.Softball
The Norse softball began in 1985 and is currently coached by Kathy Stewart, the fourth coach in program history. NKU made their first ever NCAA Women's College World Series Tournament in 2002 before falling in the opening game. The following season, in 2003, the Norse won the program's first NCAA Tournament win. The Norse hold the NCAA record for most consecutive wins in a season with 55, set in the 2005 season. The Norse concluded the season going 55-2. In the program history the team holds an overall record of 621-445-1 (.583).Spirit squad
In 2006, the Norse cheerleading squad won the Universal Cheerleading Association's national title in the small unit coed category of competition, and also won the national title again in 2007 and 2009.Championships
Over the forty years Northern Kentucky has sponsored intercollegiate athletics the university has won three NCAA DII national championships, 33 GLVC championships, and seven GLVC All-Sport AwardsNational Championships
| Basketball (W) | 2000, 2008 |
| Soccer (M) | 2010 |
Great Lakes Valley Conference Championships
| Baseball | 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2009 |
| Basketball (M) | 2003, 2009 |
| Basketball (W) | 1999, 2000, 2006, 2009 |
| Golf (M) | 2000, 2001, 2006, 2007 |
| Golf (W) | 2003, 2005, 2008 |
| Soccer (M) | 1987, 1992, 1993, 1995, 2010 |
| Soccer (W) | 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2005, 2009 |
| Softball | 2005, 2009 |
| Tennis (M) | 1986, 1987, 1990, 2003, 2004 |
| Tennis (W) | 1988, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004 |
| Volleyball (W) | 1985, 1995, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001 |
NKU has claimed the GLVC All-Sports Trophy seven times in the last 11 seasons in: 1999-2000, 2000–02, 2004–06, 2008–10.
Club sports
Students have also organized club teams in ice hockey, taekwondo, fencing, boxing, lacrosse, rugby, kickball, skeet & trap, and Brazilian jiujitsu. These clubs are primarily organized through the Sport Club program.Facilities
- The Bank of Kentucky Center is a 9,400-seat multi-purpose arenaArenaAn arena is an enclosed area, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theater, musical performances, or sporting events. It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectators. The key feature of an arena is that the event space is the...
located on the NKU campus. It was completed in 2008 and is the home to men's and women's basketball teams, as well as graduation ceremonies. The arena is also home and other non-university entertainment and sporting events and the Kentucky MonstersKentucky MonstersThe Kentucky Monsters are a professional indoor football team that will begin play in the Ultimate Indoor Football League in 2012. The Monsters are based in Highland Heights, Kentucky and will play at The Bank of Kentucky Center....
of the Ultimate Indoor Football LeagueUltimate Indoor Football LeagueThe Ultimate Indoor Football League is a regional professional indoor football league that began its inaugural season on February 18, 2011.-History:...
. - NKU Soccer Stadium is the home of Norse soccer. The $6.5 Million, 1,000-seat facility was completed in the Fall of 2009 and is located next to The Bank of Kentucky Center. Stadium amenities include: seating for 1,000 spectators plus 1000 sq ft (92.9 m²) "Founders' Suite" luxury box, night lighting, a World Cup style 120-yard by 80-yard playing surface, concessions, coaches’ offices, four locker rooms, athletic training facilities, and press box and media areas.
- Regents Hall is the home court for NKU volleyball and the practice facility for NKU men's and women's basketball. The gym seats about 1,800. The facility, along with the adjacent Albright Health Center houses most of the coaches within the department along with locker room facilities for the baseball, softball and cross country teams.
- The Bill Aker Baseball Complex at Friendship Field is the home field for NKU baseball. It has a seating capacity of about 500.
- The Frank Ignatius Grein Softball Field is the home field for NKU softball. It has a seating capacity of about 500.
- The Joyce Yeager Tennis Complex is the home court for NKU tennis. The six-court facility is used as a competition venue as well as general use by the university community. There is seating available for about 200 spectators.
- The NKU cross country teams host the Queen City Invitational every third year at A.J. Jolly Park in AlexandriaAlexandria, KentuckyAs of the census of 2000, there were 8,286 people, 2,884 households, and 2,275 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,538.7 people per square mile . There were 2,989 housing units at an average density of 555.1 per square mile...
, KentuckyKentuckyThe Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
in conjunction with the University of CincinnatiCincinnati BearcatsThe Cincinnati Bearcats are the NCAA athletic teams representing the University of Cincinnati. Since July 1, 2005, the school's athletic teams have been members of the Big East Conference....
and Xavier University.