| SIUE Cougars | |
| University | Southern Illinois University Edwardsville |
|---|---|
| Conference(s) | Ohio Valley Conference
Missouri Valley Conference - Men's Soccer Southern Conference - Wrestling |
| NCAA | Division I |
| Athletics director | Dr. Brad Hewitt |
| Location | Edwardsville, IL |
| Varsity teams | 8 mens & 8 womens |
| Basketball arena | Vadalabene Center |
| Baseball stadium | Simmons Baseball Complex |
| Soccer stadium | Ralph Korte Stadium |
| Mascot | Eddie |
| Nickname | Cougars |
| Fight song | Mighty Cougar Roar |
| Colors | Black, Red, and White
|
| Homepage | http://www.siuecougars.com |
The Cougars are the intercollegiate athletic teams of Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, located in Edwardsville, Illinois. The Cougars are a member of NCAA Division I and compete within the Ohio Valley Conference. The university has a total of 16 varsity sports teams.
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In 2007 the university began the transition to the NCAA Division I and joined the Ohio Valley Conference in 2008[1]. The Cougars also compete in the Missouri Valley Conference for men's soccer and the Southern Conference for wrestling. SIUE previously competed in Division II as a part of the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC).
The SIUE Department of Athletics sponsors the following sports:
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Men's Intercollegiate Sports |
Women's Intercollegiate Sports |
The Cougar men's basketball program was begun as a Division 2 program in 1967 by Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame coach Harry Gallatin who had no scholarships, inadequate facilities, and almost no money to work with. The program has since seen mixed success under 7 coaches, with the most successful having been Larry Graham (147-84 with 3 NCAA Div. 2 appearances in 8 seasons from 1984-92) and Marty Simmons (88-59, 2 D2 NCAAs in 5 seasons from 2002-07).
The Cougars' women's program first took to the court in 1974. For 29 of its 38 seasons, it was guided by Wendy Hedberg who amassed a record of 470-361 and led her teams into the NCAA Division 2 tournament 5 times.
Current coaches Lennox Forrester and Amanda Levens are in charge during the move from Division 2 to Division 1. The 2011-12 season will see the Cougars' first campaigns for the Ohio Valley Conference regular season titles, although they will not be elegible for post-season play until 2012-13.
SIUE won its first NCAA Division II softball championship in 2007 by defeating Lock Haven 3-2 in the longest championship game in history (twelve innings). The Cougars won their last sixteen consecutive games of the season.
Club Ice Hockey competes at the American Collegiate Hockey Association Division II level in the Mid-American Collegiate Hockey Association. The SIUE also fields a JV team at the ACHA Division III level in the MACHA Silver Division. The varsity team concluded the 2009-2010 season winning the MACHA Gold Division Championship over Missouri State University 5-1, the win was the team's 5th MACHA Championship in 8 seasons.Starting in the 2010-2011 season, the Cougars JV team will compete in the Pacific Region of the ACHA's Division III league. This move will allow the JV team to be eligible for National Rankings, Regional Tournaments, and a National Championship. The ice hockey teams play their games at the East Alton Ice Arena in East Alton, IL; fifteen minutes from campus.[2]
Roller Hockey competes at the Division II level of the National Collegiate Roller Hockey Association in the Great Plains Collegiate Inline Hockey League.In the 2010 NCRHA National Championships held April 7-11 in San Jose, CA the club finished as the National Runner Ups to the West Chester University Golden Rams. It was the teams second straight appearance at the National tournament, first appearance in the Final Four and National title game.[3]
i. National Championships:
| Soccer (M) | 1972 (D2), 1979 (D1) |
| Softball (D2) | 2007 |
| Tennis (M) (D2) | 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984 |
| Tennis (W) (D2) | 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989 |
| Wrestling (D2) | 1984, 1985, 1986 |