The Seattle Redhawks are the intercollegiate varsity athletic teams of Seattle University, located in Seattle, Washington that competes in the Western Athletic Conference. The athletic program comprises eight men's sports: baseball, basketball, cross country, golf, swimming, soccer, tennis, and track and field, and nine women's sports: basketball, cross country, golf, swimming, soccer, softball, tennis, track and field, volleyball.
Between 1950 and 1971, Seattle U. competed as a NCAA Division I independent, then joined the West Coast Athletic Conference (now West Coast Conference) in 1971. In 1980, the administration voluntarily downgraded its athletic program, moving from NCAA D-I to NAIA. In 2001, Seattle University rejoined the NCAA and competed in Division III for a year, then in Division II from 2002 to 2009.
For the 2009–10 academic year, Seattle University's varsity teams played full schedules against Division I opponents. Although Seattle U. was then an Division I independent school, the university was hoping to rejoin the West Coast Conference, since all nine current members are private, religiously affiliated institutions (seven are Catholic and four share Seattle University's Jesuit affiliation). Seattle once again became eligible for NCAA Championships beginning in 2012–13.
In 2000, Seattle University changed its nickname from Chieftains to Redhawks.
Seattle joined the WAC for all of the sports it sponsors at the varsity level except men's soccer and men's swimming and diving. The WAC sponsors both sports for women, but not for men.
Read more about Seattle Redhawks: Teams, Baseball, Fight Song
Famous quotes containing the word seattle:
“I once heard of a murderer who propped his two victims up against a chess board in sporting attitudes and was able to get as far as Seattle before his crime was discovered.”
—Robert Benchley (1889–1945)