Conference MIAA Athletic director Mel Tjeerdsma Varsity teams 14 | NCAA Division II Location Maryville, Missouri | |
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University Northwest Missouri State University | ||
The Northwest Missouri State Bearcats are the athletic teams for Northwest Missouri State University, located in Maryville, Missouri. The Bearcats play in the NCAA Division II. Northwest is a founding member of the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association in 1912 and has remained in the conference ever since. From its founding until 1937 it competed in the Amateur Athletic Union. From 1937 to 1957 it competed in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics. In 1957 it joined NCAA Division II. Northwest has appeared in eight Division II football title games (winning four) since 1998. The men's basketball team appeared in an AAU title game in 1930.
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Programs
Northwest offers the following sports:
Football
The Bearcats have appeared in nine NCAA Division II national title games (and won four) since going 0-11 in Mel Tjeerdsma's first season in 1994.
Men's basketball
Northwest has appeared in one national title and two Elite 8 title games.
Women's basketball
Head coach Michael Smith finished his second season at Northwest Missouri State after the 2014–15 season, with a total record of 18–37. Since 1971, the women's basketball team has a combined record of 667–533.
Softball
The Bearcat softball team appeared in one Women's College World Series in 1975.
Bearcat Stadium
Bearcat Stadium (formerly Memorial Stadium and Rickenbrode Stadium) is the football stadium of the Northwest Missouri State University Bearcats in Maryville, Missouri and is the oldest continuous site for any NCAA Division II school. The Stadium was originally opened in 1917 as Memorial Stadium. It has a capacity of 6,500 and had lights and FieldTurf installed in the summer of 2007.
Bearcat Arena
The Arena is in Lamkin Activity Center, a part of the Ryland Milner Complex and is located between Bearcat Stadium on the west and the Martindale Gymnasium and the Robert P. Foster Aquatic Center on the east.