Vision
UNC Asheville Athletics develops “Champions in Athletics and Leaders in Life”.
Mission Statement
UNC Asheville Athletics exists to provide our University with an exemplary NCAA I Athletic Program that champions the University’s Mission and Strategic Plan, which creates an environment where student-athletes can pursue their academic, athletic, and lifelong goals, and that connects our internal and external communities.
Core Values
UNC Asheville leads in life and wins in athletics by:
- Demonstrating Integrity- Bulldogs do what is right.
- Being Servant-leaders-Bulldogs do care about and help others achieve their dreams.
- Being Creative and Working Hard – Bulldogs succeed with less.
- Fostering a Culture of Respect- Bulldogs honor, uphold, and promote sportsmanship, citizenship, equity, and inclusiveness.
History
UNC Asheville’s intercollegiate athletics has participated in NCAA Division I competition since 1986 and has built a wonderful tradition. The school is a member of the Big South Conference and now offers 15 sports. For men, the sports include baseball, basketball, cross-country, indoor and outdoor track, soccer and tennis. Basketball, cross-country, indoor and outdoor track, soccer, swimming, tennis and volleyball are offered for women.
Highlights the past few years have been the men’s basketball team winning back-to-back Big South Conference championships in 2011 and 2012. The Bulldogs won the 2012 title in their beautiful new Kimmel Arena in front of a sell-out crowd and nationally televised audience on ESPN. In 2011, UNC Asheville won its first NCAA Tournament game in the “First Four” and advanced to the second round of the tournament. The men’s basketball team also became the first Big South Conference team to ever be selected to the post-season National Invitational Tournament in 2008 after winning the league’s regular-season title. The women’s basketball team won the 2007 Big South Conference Tournament and advanced to the NCAA Tournament. The volleyball team captured its fifth Big South Conference regular-season championship in the fall of 2009.
Our women’s tennis team has been honored by the ITA for their work in the classroom five straight years. The women’s cross country team and men’s tennis team has been honored for their work away from the playing fields. These efforts are built on earlier successes.
The baseball team won the 2006 Big South Conference championship and advanced to its first ever NCAA Regional competition. Women’s soccer won the Big South title in the fall of 2006 and made the NCAA Tournament for the first time ever. Women’s basketball was the most improved team in the country in 2004. In 1984, the women’s basketball team made history by winning the NAIA National Championship.
Facilities
The UNC Asheville Athletics Department utilizes various on-campus and community facilities for its 15 NCAA Division I programs. The Sherrill Center, which houses the Kimmel Arena, has classrooms, labs, fitness rooms, a wellness café, and a demonstration kitchen. Kimmel Arena seats 3,200 and is the new home for both Men’s and Women’s Bulldog Basketball.
The Justice Center includes administrative offices, a 1,100 seat volleyball arena, locker rooms, sports medicine room, Olympic weight room, and an indoor swimming pool. The Student Recreation Center, located adjacent to the Justice Center has an elevated track and multi-purpose courts.
Outdoor athletic facilities on campus include Greenwood Fields for soccer and baseball and the Karl Straus Track.
The Asheville Racquet Club Downtown, located minutes from campus, is the new home for Men’s and Women’s tennis. The facility includes both indoor and outdoor courts and is one of the best tennis facilities in the Southeast.
Students have free admission to all home regular season athletics events. More information about UNC Asheville athletics, including home competition dates, is available on the Athletics website.
“UNC Asheville’s Equity in Athletics Disclosure Act Gender Equity Survey prepared under 34 C.F.R. 668.48(c) is available during normal business hours at the Intercollegiate Athletics Office, located in the Justice Center. The survey contains information about athletic participation rates, and financial support data for men’s and women’s teams.”