University University of Winnipeg Conference Canada West Location Winnipeg, Manitoba | Association U Sports Athletic director Dave Crook Varsity teams 10 | |
The Winnipeg Wesmen are the athletic teams that represent the University of Winnipeg in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. As an undergraduate school, the Wesman participate in the sports of basketball, volleyball, wrestling and soccer in both the men's and women's divisions of U Sports. All home games are played at the Duckworth Centre, located on the university's downtown Winnipeg campus. The Wesmen also compete in men's baseball, and are a single-sport member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA).
U Sports Championships
Volleyball has always been a popular sport in Manitoba and the University of Winnipeg Wesmen and University of Manitoba Bisons have frequently battled for the U Sports title. The Wesmen women hold the record with 7 national titles and were the first to win 6 consecutive titles between 1983 and 1988, this was a feat that was only later repeated once by the University of Alberta Pandas.
In recent years the men's volleyball side won the CIS championships for the 2006-07 season, defeating the University of Alberta 3 sets to 2, the following year in a rematch of the same final the Wesmen lost 3 sets to 1 finishing runner-up to Alberta this time.
In women's basketball the ladies made it to the national final against Simon Fraser in 2004-05 losing the final 60-50. The year before in the bronze medal match between the same two schools the Wesmen ladies won 65-62. In the mid 90s, Lady Westmen basketball was a national powerhouse. The team would go on to a 118-1 record in the span from 1992-1995, including 3 CIS national basketball championships and beating several NCAA Women's Division I programs in North American tournaments.