The Columbus State Cougars are the athletic teams that represent Columbus State University, located in Columbus, Georgia, in intercollegiate sports at the Division II level of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), primarily competing in the Peach Belt Conference since the 1990–91 academic year.
Columbus State competes in thirteen intercollegiate varsity sports. Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, golf, tennis, and track and field; while women's sports include basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, softball, tennis, and track and field.
Conference affiliations
NCAA
- Peach Belt Conference (1990–present)[3]
Varsity teams
The Cougars competed in women's volleyball from 2013 to 2016, compiling a 54–65 record over four seasons.[4]
| Men's sports | Women's sports |
|---|---|
| Baseball | Basketball |
| Basketball | Cross country |
| Cross country | Golf |
| Golf | Soccer |
| Tennis | Softball |
| Track and field | Tennis |
| Track and field |
Sports
Baseball
The Columbus State baseball team has made eight appearances to the NCAA Division II Baseball Championship, twenty-four NCAA Regional Championship appearances, and is frequently in the NCSWA National Top 30 Poll. The Cougars won the 2002 NCAA Division II World Series and were the national runner-up at the 1986, 2007 and 2018 NCAA Division II World Series.
NCAA Division II Baseball Championship
- 1984
- 1986 – Runner-Up
- 1987
- 1990
- 2002 – Champions
- 2004
- 2007 – Runner-up
- 2018 – Runner-up
NCAA Regional Championship
- 1975
- 1976
- 1977
- 1979
- 1980
- 1981
- 1983
- 1984
- 1986
- 1987
- 1988
- 1990
- 1992
- 1994
- 1996
- 1998
- 2002
- 2004
- 2006
- 2007
- 2008
- 2010
- 2011
Golf
The CSU golf team has won six NCAA National Championships; 1978, 1980, 1989, 1992, 1994 and 1997.[5]
Rifle
In April 2015, the school's co-ed rifle program was discontinued after existing for six seasons. Prior to discontinuation the team competed at the Division I level as members of the Ohio Valley Conference starting in the 2012–13 school year.[6]
Former assistant rifle coach, Jamie Gray, won the gold medal at the 2012 London Olympics in the Women's 50 meter rifle three positions event with a score of 691.9.
Columbus State Athletics Department co-hosted the 2011 Rifle National Championship with Fort Benning. This was the first time a national championship was hosted on CSU's campus.
Women's Soccer
The Lady Cougar soccer team has made 13 consecutive NCAA Tournaments since 2006, just its third season in existence. Columbus State has won or shared 12 of the last 14 Peach Belt Conference regular season championships, making 12 PBC Tournament championship games in that span and winning eight (2006–08, 2010, 2014–16, 2018). Head coach Jay Entlich, a seven-time PBC Coach of the Year (2005, 2008, 2014–18), has guided the Lady Cougars since their 2004 inception.[7]
NCAA Division II Southeast Region Championships (6)
- 2007
- 2008
- 2014
- 2015 – National Runner-Up
- 2016 – National Semifinals
- 2018
National championships
Team
| Association | Division | Sport | Year | Opponent/Runner-Up | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NCAA | Division II | Men's Golf | 1992 | Troy State | 1,144–1,176 |
| 1994 | North Florida | 1,175–1,179 | |||
| 1997 | North Florida | 1,149–1,153 | |||
| Baseball[8] | 2002 | Chico State | 5–3 | ||
| Men's Tennis[9] | 2018 | Barry | 5–4 |
Individual
| Association | Division | Sport | Year | Individual(s) | Event | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NCAA | Division II | Men's Golf | 1991 | Clete Cole | Individual Title | 287 |
| 1992 | Diego Ventureira | 285 | ||||
| 2007 | Christian Ries | 286 |
Notable alumni
Baseball
Men's basketball
Softball
References
- ^ "CSU Brand Guidelines" (PDF). Retrieved January 21, 2023.
- ^ "2022-23 PBC CHAMPIONSHIPS SCHEDULE". Retrieved January 16, 2023.
- ^ "Conference History". Retrieved January 2, 2023.
- ^ "Volleyball History". Retrieved January 21, 2023.
- ^ "Columbus State University: About CSU - Did You Know".
- ^ "Ohio Valley Conference Adds Columbus State as Affiliate Member for Rifle" (Press release). Ohio Valley Conference. April 27, 2012. Retrieved September 15, 2013.
- ^ "Soccer History". Columbus State University Athletics.
- ^ "Division II Baseball Championship Results" (PDF). NCAA. NCAA.org. Retrieved January 17, 2016.
- ^ "2018 Division II Men's Tennis Championship Official Bracket". NCAA. NCAA.org. Retrieved March 9, 2019.
