Northern State University Athletics

Northern State University’s athletic teams boast a long and proud tradition of competition in the Upper Midwest. Football began in 1903 and men’s basketball in 1902. The Wolves have garnered national attention throughout the years, including five individual national champions, two national championship teams and numerous All-American athletes.

Sports: Northern State University sponsors 15 intercollegiate sports; seven for men and eight for women. The sports include: men’s and women’s cross country, men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s indoor and outdoor track, women’s soccer, women’s fastpitch softball, women’s swimming, volleyball, baseball, football, and wrestling.

Conference Affiliation: NSU belongs to the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC), which expanded to include 16 institutions beginning in 2012-13.  Fellow NSIC institutions are: Augustana (SD); Bemidji State (MN); Concordia-St. Paul (MN); Minnesota, Crookston; Minnesota-Duluth; Minnesota State; Minnesota State Moorhead; University of Mary (ND); Minot State (ND); Northern State (SD); Sioux Falls (SD); Southwest Minnesota State; St. Cloud State (MN); Upper Iowa; Wayne State (NE) and Winona State (MN). The men’s teams joined the NSIC in 1978 and the women’s teams followed in 1985.

National Affiliation: In the fall of 1995, Northern State and all of the NSIC teams received full membership in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level.

Fan Support: The Aberdeen community and surrounding areas love and support athletics. NSU consistently leads the conference in attendance at football and both men’s and women’s basketball games. The NSU men’s and women’s basketball teams are mainstays in the Division II Top 10 attendance list, and have led the nation in attendance for nearly a decade. Click here for more information on the NSU men and women leading the NCAA in attendance. Several organizations help raise funds to support athletics. The largest organization is the Wolves Club with about 1,000 members.

Social Media Presence: Northern State University Athletics utilizes a variety of social media tools for student-athletes, coaches, administrators, and most importantly fans. Individuals are encouraged to follow and like the Wolves on Twitter and Facebook for in-game updates, post-game recaps, notable athlete awards, and general athletic department information. Missed a game, or interested in some highlights? Fans are able to watch selected archived game footage through the NSIC Network, as well as view post-game interviews and in-game highlights from the department's Youtube Channel. 

The All-Around Student-Athlete: Northern State University athletics values the importance of a well-rounded college education in addition to competitive play. NSU student-athletes have compiled a cumulative GPA above a 3.0 for 22 consecutive semesters. In the spring of 2016, the athletic department as a whole reached a milestone with a record break semester mark of a 3.40 for all 15 intercollegiate programs. In addition each of the 15 athletic programs recorded a team GPA above a 3.0.