Athletics
The athletic teams at West Chester University of Pennsylvania are named the Golden Rams. Students participate in NCAA Division II athletics in the PSAC and the ECAC. West Chester University has won national championships in women's basketball, women's lacrosse, women's swimming (the team was the DGWS champion in 1972), women's field hockey (including four AIAW titles from 1975–78), and men's soccer. West Chester won the first ever women's basketball national championship in 1969 and was on the losing end in the final game each of the following three years.
In 1961, the men's soccer team won the NCAA Championship. Jerry Yeagley was a player on West Chester's championship team before going on to win six NCAA Championships and six National Coach of the Year Awards as the men's soccer coach at Indiana University. In addition, prior to the NCAA instituting a tournament format to decide the champion in 1959, the Golden Rams were voted the National Soccer Champions in 1950 by the Intercollegiate Soccer Football Association.
In 1977, 1979, and 1982 the boxing team won the National Collegiate Boxing Association national championship.
West Chester University's football program has won 20 PSAC East championships (1960, 1961, 1963, 1966, 1967, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1986, 1987, 1989, 1992, 1994, 1999, 2004, 2007, 2008), has appeared in the NCAA Division II playoffs 9 times (5-9 record) (1988, 1989, 1992, 1994, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008), and was the ECAC team of the year in 2006 and 2007.
In 2008, West Chester defeated C.W. Post College 13-12 to win the Division II women's lacrosse title. It was the second national title in the women's program history.
In 2012, The Men's Baseball Team claimed West Chesters First NCAA Division II College Baseball National Championship. The Gold Rams shut-out Delta State 9-0 in Cary, North Carolina. West Chester becomes the first team from the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) to win the national championship and just the third northern school to walk away with the title.
West Chester is also noted for having a women's varsity rugby program.
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