Wright State University athletics began in 1968. Now with 12 operating intercollegiate teams, WSU continues to grow its athletic department.
WSU athletics has been through many different phases and grown over time. Starting as an NCAA Division II program with just a few teams, WSU saw early success, especially in basketball and baseball, earning national titles and finishing second in the College World Series.
Over the years, WSU has succeeded within different sports, ranging from volleyball, baseball, basketball and the newer addition of women’s bowling.
1968 was the official start of WSU athletics with the first intercollegiate men's soccer team. This team started out with the first win against Wilberforce in Fall of 1968, with a winning score for the Raiders of 4 against 2.
15 years down the road the men's basketball team secured a NCAA Division II national title.
In 1987, WSU baseball finished second in the NCAA Division II World Series, showing the variety of teams that progressed since the start of the program. All these teams representing WSU athletics was a way for WSU to become top performers in Division II.
After this success, WSU started competing in Division I competitions in 1987.
Since then, Division I successes include appearances with the first Division I tournament golfer. In 1993, the men's basketball team was able to make another tournament appearance with what was considered an "upset of the Millennium," when the team defeated Michigan State University.
WSU's success continues while also adding teams to grow the program and give more athletes the chance to compete. Recently, a new bowling team was added, which is now in its third season. The team has brought a lot of success to WSU and recently joined Conference USA.
WSU's Athletic Director, Joylynn Brown, was a student athlete for the Raiders, playing volleyball from 1989 to 1992. The first woman athletic director in WSU history, Brown strives to make athletics an inclusive space where every athlete, coach and fan feels at home.
Brown speaks on how she strives to keep the athletic environment welcoming and successful while also staying true to its history.
"I think that just having that confidence in who we are as a university and as a department helps guide decisions," Brown said. “I think it is really important to know who you are and where you want to be, so I feel like the history of [WSU], we are always growing and changing."
With the growth of athletics at WSU, name, image and likeness, or NIL, was introduced and became effective on July 1, 2021. NIL is where any student-athletes may earn compensation as a result of their name, image or likeness being used in promotional material.
This addition for athletics gives athletes a chance to have responsibility in building an image, while also getting their name out as a Raider. It can benefit the athletes and help give WSU a strong image by showing the talent and success of individual players and teams.
Explore the full story behind NIL here.
Brown talked about the importance of this change.
“Obviously the main change just within athletics across the board Division I is name, image, likeness and revenue sharing; that we can now pay our players. So obviously, that is a major change, and it changes the way you look at things," Brown said.
You can find a timeline of the history of WSU athletics here.
WSU athletics has come a long way since the first men’s soccer game in 1968. From a small Division II program to a growing Division I school, the Raiders keep making their mark on and off the field. With new teams, supportive coaches and fans and opportunities like NIL, WSU is giving athletes the chance to compete, succeed and be recognized.
