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Athletics
When UAF was established in 1917, the basketball teams were nicknamed the "Polar Bears." After 1963, the Polar Bears and UAF's official mascot became known almost exclusively as "Nanooks," after the Inupiaq Eskimo word for polar bear, "nanuq." Until the mid-70s, the men's basketball team was known as the "Flying Nanooks" because of the regular, and long, airplane rides undertaken in order to compete with other college teams. Now, all UAF sports teams are "Nanooks."
Nanook teams compete on campus and at other locations in Fairbanks. UAF’s basketball, cross country and volleyball teams belong to the Division II Great Northwest Athletic Conference. The Division I hockey team is a member of the Central Collegiate Hockey Association, and the women’s swim team belongs to the Pacific Coast Conference.
The Nanook rifle team continued its collegiate dominance in 2008, winning its 10th national championship in March and its third NCAA title in as many years (1994, 1999 – 2004 and 2006 – 2008). Sophomore Patrik Sartz was crowned the individual champion in air rifle . In March 2007, the Nanooks hosted the first-ever NCAA rifle championship in Fairbanks, setting an attendance record with 919 fans. The rifle team has produced several Olympic athletes, including 2004 gold medalist Matt Emmons and 2004 Paralympic silver medalist (and current head coach) Dan Jordan.
While the men and women have cross country running teams, the Nanooks’ specialty is, unsurprisingly, cross country skiing. In his final collegiate race, Nanook skier Marius Korthauer won the first national championship for the Alaska men, taking the top spot at the NCAA Skiing Championship in March 2008.
The hockey team has defeated four No.1-ranked teams in the last three seasons and advanced to the second round conference playoffs three of the last four years. The Brice Alaska Goal Rush Division I hockey tournament will debut in October 2008.
In November 2002, the men's basketball team won the Division I BP Top of the World Classic, the first Division II school to win a Division I tournament title. The women’s basketball team also hosts a Division I tournament, the North Star Invitational.
In 2007 – 2008, just three years after being reestablished at UAF, the women’s swim team won its first two meets, broke all its previous era’s varsity records, and had four swimmers earn all-conference honors and one garner All-American honors.
Nanook competition is fierce but fun, and there’s more to it than intercollegiate rivalries. Intramural team sports are a great way for those who are slightly less athletically inclined to meet other students, get some exercise and take a break from homework. Join an existing club or get together with a bunch of friends to form a new one. Most sports are coed, and the scheduling works to accommodate classes whenever possible. Grab your shoes and go!