There is a synergy between athletics and academics at Nebraska Wesleyan, as evinced by our standing as a national leader in Academic All-Americans and NCAA Postgraduate Scholars. In 2016, NWU joined the Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC), positioning us to compete exclusively in NCAA Division III. The move has allowed us to fully embrace our mission by putting us in competition with schools with similar values.

Nebraska Wesleyan is proud of the success of our athletic programs but acknowledges where improvements must be made. In recent years, NWU has made strong investments in the future of NWU Athletics.

Facility renovations and construction:

• New artificial turf in Abel Stadium (partially funded by the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality)
• A new press box in Abel Stadium (funded by the Gardner Foundation)
• Major track renovation (significantly funded by individual donors)
• Upgraded and equipped pool area for intercollegiate swimming competition
• New weight room equipment (partially funded by the Gardner Foundation)
• Construction of a new athletic practice facility, mainly to be used for wrestling
• Roof replaced over Knight Field House

Program investments:

• Shift to NCAA D-III by joining the Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC)
• New wrestling and swimming programs; hired full-time head coaches for each
• Increase in our athletics budget for travel costs
• Increased/consolidated FTEs to create full-time positions for an assistant soccer coach, head baseball coach and head softball coach

Upcoming improvements:

• Replace roof over Weary Center, paint track lines in the field house, repair Snyder Arena floors, put in sod and sprinklers around athletic practice facility, repair field house exhaust fans, tuckpoint exterior brick wall of the swimming pool, repair drain in swimming pool

Ongoing fundraising:

• Three football endowed coaching funds; endowment draw contributing to an assistant coach’s salary
• Athletic coaching a main funding priority in Bold Designs: The Campaign for Nebraska Wesleyan

The outcomes of these investments are substantial. The men’s basketball team won the 2018 NCAA Division III national championship. The men’s soccer team was undefeated at home in 2017. The women's 4x400 relay team won their third straight outdoor title and fifth consecutive overall national title, and the entire team finished 4th place in the nation. A swimmer took 2nd and 5th place in the national NCAA Division III finals in the butterfly. And NWU student-athletes have won 40 Academic All-American Awards and 14 NCAA Postgraduate Scholarships in the last five years.