About UAF
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Athletics
UAF was established in 1917 and 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." Up 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."
The Nanook rifle team continued its collegiate dominance, winning its 10th national championship in March of 2008 and third NCAA title in as many years (1994, 1999-2004 and 2006-2008), while sophomore Patrik Sartz was crowned the individual champion in the air rifle discipline. 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. In November 2002, the UAF men's basketball team won the Division I BP Top of the World Classic, becoming the first Division II school to win a Division I tournament title. A member of that historic team, Brad Oleson, would go on to become the school's all-time leading scorer, scoring 1,883 points for the four-year career with the Nanooks, and was named the 2005 Daktronics West Region Player of the Year. The Division I hockey team has defeated four No.1-ranked teams in the last three seasons and advanced to the second round of the Central Collegiate Hockey Association playoffs in three of the last four years. Defenseman Tyler Eckford was named the CCHA's Best Offensive Defenseman in 2008. In the pool, Kelly Becker cracked the top 10 in the 200-yard butterfly at the 2007 NCAA Swimming Championships to become the first All-American of the swim program's third era. On the trails, Peter Alden became the first Nanook men's All-American in cross country running when he placed 11th at the NCAA Division II Championship race in Edwardsville, Illinois in 1992. Alaska runner Pavla Havlova became the first Nanook to claim the Great Northwest Athletic Association cross country championship as well as becoming the first Nanook women’s cross country All-American by finishing 22nd in the NCAA Division II Cross Country Championships in 2005. 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. Korthauer has now claimed five medals and six All-American honors for his Alaska career. Teammates Vahur Teppan and Anna Coulter also turned in All-American performances in 2008, as the Nanooks qualified a full team for the NCAA races for the second straight season.
Nanook teams compete on campus and at other locations in Fairbanks. Buses are available to give UAF students rides to games and meets.
Intramural team sports are a great way 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 aims to accommodate classes.