Northwestern Oklahoma State Rangers

The Northwestern Oklahoma State Rangers (also known as NWOSU Rangers) are the athletic teams that represent Northwestern Oklahoma State University, located in Alva, Oklahoma, in intercollegiate sports as a member of the Division II level of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), primarily competing in the Great American Conference (GAC) since the 2012–13 academic year. The Rangers previously competed in the Sooner Athletic Conference of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) from 2001–02 to 2011–12; in the Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC) from 1998–99 to 2000–01; as an NAIA Independent during the 1997–98 school year; in the Oklahoma Intercollegiate Conference (OIC) from 1974–75 to 1996–97.

Northwestern Oklahoma State Rangers
Logo
UniversityNorthwestern Oklahoma State University
ConferenceGreat American (primary)
NCAADivision II
Athletic directorBrad Franz
LocationAlva, Oklahoma
Varsity teams16
Football stadiumRanger Field
Basketball arenaPercefull Fieldhouse
Baseball stadiumMyers Stadium
Soccer stadiumAlva Recreational Complex
MascotRowdy Ranger
NicknameRangers
Fight songRide, Rangers, Ride
ColorsBlack and red[1]
   
Websiteriderangersride.com

Move to NCAA Division II

On May 11, 2011, Northwestern Oklahoma State announced that they had accepted an invitation to the Great American Conference for all sports in the 2012–13 academic year and would begin their transition from the NAIA to NCAA Division II. On July 12, 2011, Northwestern Oklahoma State University was denied admittance into the NCAA Division II Membership Process for the 2011–12 cycle; the school was accepted into the membership process one year later.[2]

Schools must complete a membership process, spanning 3 years, before gaining active status and becoming eligible for championship competition. On July 17, 2015 the NCAA announced that effective September 1, 2015, the school had become active Division II members.[3]

Varsity teams

NWOSU competes in 16 intercollegiate varsity sports: Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cheerleading, cross country, football, golf and rodeo; while women's sports include basketball, cheerleading, cross country, golf, rodeo, soccer, softball and volleyball.

Softball

The Ranger softball team appeared in one Women's College World Series in 1976.[4]

Track and field

On January 26, 2018, following a 30-year absence from competition, Northwestern Director of Athletics Brad Franz announced that the school would be adding women's track & field to its varsity sports.[5] The team competed in its first event February 1, 2019, at the Wichita State Invitational under head coach Jill Lancaster.[6]

Alumni

References
  1. Northwestern Rangers Official Style Guide (PDF). July 28, 2015. Retrieved April 18, 2016.
  2. "About the Great American Conference". Great american Conference. Archived from the original on February 11, 2015. Retrieved July 26, 2015.
  3. Stark, Rachel (July 17, 2015). "Seven Schools to join Division II". NCAA. Archived from the original on August 1, 2015. Retrieved August 2, 2015.
  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. "Northwestern to Add Women's Track and Field". Northwestern Oklahoma State Athletics. Retrieved 2019-03-27.
  6. "TRACK ATHLETES FINISH THIRD IN HISTORIC MEET". Northwestern Oklahoma State Athletics. Retrieved 2019-03-27.
  7. "Korey Williams". cfl.ca. Archived from the original on May 2, 2015. Retrieved July 31, 2015.
  8. {{<iframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/5167233/5721c6430428ae20e4bfcc4b' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreen></iframe>}
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