University of Connecticut - Athletics

Athletics

UConn's sports teams, known as the Huskies, participate in the NCAA's Division I-A and in the Big East Conference, except for the men's hockey program, which competes in Atlantic Hockey, and women's hockey, which is a member of Hockey East. Many UConn athletes, including Darin Lewis, Damani Ralph, Ray Allen, Richard Hamilton, Ben Gordon, Emeka Okafor, Rudy Gay, Hilton Armstrong. Caron Butler, Jake Voskuhl, Marcus Williams, Clifford Robinson, Kevin Ollie, Donyell Marshall, Josh Boone, Charlie Villanueva, Rebecca Lobo, Diana Taurasi, Sue Bird, Nykesha Sales, Swin Cash, Tamika Williams, Kara Wolters, Jordan Todman, Kendall Reyes, Anthony Sherman, Donald Brown, Asjha Jones, Svetlana Abrosimova, Jennifer Rizzotti, and Dan Orlovsky, have gone on to success in professional sports.

Approximately 69% of all UConn student-athletes graduate from the university, and almost 50% maintain a 3.0 GPA. The women's lacrosse team had the second-highest team GPA in the country in 2004, and numerous UConn student-athletes, including former basketball star Emeka Okafor, have been named Academic All-Americans. In 2003, the football team was also honored for being one of only seven schools in the U.S. to graduate 80% or better of its members; it was the only public school on the list.

UConn is best known for having its men's and women's basketball teams consistently ranked in or near the top 10 in the nation in their respective divisions. The men's team won NCAA Division I titles in 1999, 2004 and 2011 led to victory by Kemba Walker and the women have won in 1995, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2009, and 2010; between the two programs UConn is a perfect 10-0 in National Championship games played. In 2004, the University of Connecticut became the first and only Division I school to win National Championships in both men's and women's basketball during the same year. The women's basketball team went undefeated in the 1995, 2002, 2009 & 2010 seasons. The Huskies won their 89th consecutive game on December 21, 2010. The team holds the record for consecutive wins with 90.

In addition to its basketball success, UConn is known for its championship soccer teams, which have the highest average attendance in the nation for both men's and women's teams. The men's team has been the national champion three times (1948, 1981, and 2000), while the women's soccer team advanced to the NCAA National Championship title game in 1984, 1990, 1997, and 2003.

UConn also is a national power in Field Hockey, having advanced to the Final Four 9 times and winning the National Championship in 1981 and 1985.

UConn football moved up to Division I-A status in 2000 and became a full Big East member in 2004. The Huskies had their first bowl victory in the 2004 Motor City Bowl. In 2007, the football team recorded their first national ranking, climbing as high as 13th in the BCS standings.

Other intercollegiate sports offered are baseball, men's and women's track and field/cross country, field hockey, men's golf, women's rowing, softball, swimming and diving, tennis, and women's volleyball.

In 2010-2011 UConn became the first school in history to have a football team play in a BCS game and 2 Final Four basketball teams in the same academic year.