Athletics
With world-class facilities and a prime location in the Sports and Entertainment Capital of the World, it’s no surprise that 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ long ago set the bar for the fan experience. But our game plan is tied to 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ’s Top Tier 2.0 strategic plan. 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ Athletics is making sure student athletes are supported holistically, both on and off the field. Because we all win with the Rebels!
At the Head of the Class
Linebacker Jackson Woodard was the first player in team history selected as a First-Team Academic All-American. A transfer from the University of Arkansas, Woodard completed his kinesiology degree in May. This fall, he will pursue both his graduate certificate and opposing quarterbacks — the latter as a team captain and a candidate for multiple national honors including the Butkus Award for the nation’s top linebacker.
Welcome to Rebel Immortality
The 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ Athletics Hall of Fame welcomed a diverse class of inductees including athletes Hunkie Cooper (football), Kevin Lofthus (baseball), Christine Parris (softball), and Talance Sawyer (football); the 1991 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ softball team; national championship-winning golf coach Dwaine Knight; and beloved equipment manager Paul Pucciarelli. Longtime 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ athletics supporter Bruce Bayne was inducted as a Distinguished Contributor, while one-time quarterback Steve Stallworth received the Silver Rebel Award.
51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ Wrestling Makes History
The only collegiate wrestling team in the state of Nevada, 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ’s Wrestlin’ Rebels celebrated a historic milestone in 2024: a five-peat of NCWA West Coast Conference Championships (men's team), three national NCWA All-Americans (two from the men's team; one from the women's team), including 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ's first-ever woman wrestler to reach the championships and become an All-American. 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ Wrestling was resurrected in 2017 within the NCWA, perpetuating the tradition established by its NCAA Division-I team from the '70s and '80s.
Skatin' Rebels Play in National Hockey Tournament
For the first time in the 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ hockey program, the 2023-24 Skatin’ Rebels played for a national championship after a 25-6-2 regular season and took second overall. The team earned two First Team All Tournament Awards, two Second Team All Tournament Awards, and two Honorable Mention All Tournament Awards.
Lady Rebels Achieve Three-peat
For the third consecutive season, the 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ Lady Rebels have won the Mountain West Basketball Championship and the automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ is the first Mountain West women’s team to win both titles three seasons in a row. The Lady Rebels are making their 11th NCAA tournament appearance in program history and fourth since joining the Mountain West in 1999.
16 Rebels Named To CSCAA Scholar All-American List
16 student-athletes from the 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ men's and women's swimming and diving program were named to their respective College Swim Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) Scholar All-America lists. To be selected to the CSCAA Scholar All-America First Team, students must have achieved a grade point average of 3.50 or higher and have participated in their respective NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships.
Erick Harper Named the Leadership Playbook’s Administrator of the Year
51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ Director of Athletics Erick Harper has been named The Leadership Playbook’s 2023-24 Administrator of the Year for Public Universities. The award recognizes individuals in leadership positions who strive to develop other leaders, make people and situations better, and provide a positive example for those they influence. Harper, who is in his fourth year as Director of Athletics at 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ, was also recently appointed to the NCAA Division I Football Oversight Committee.
Football Player Becomes 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ's First Thorpe Award Rep in Two Decades
51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ Football senior cornerback Cameron Oliver was one of 42 players named to the Paycom Jim Thorpe Award Preseason Watch List. Oliver is the first Rebel to be part of the honor's preseason list since two-time All-American and 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ Athletics Hall of Fame safety Jamaal Brimmer in 2004. The Jim Thorpe Award is awarded annually to college football's top defensive back and is named after history's greatest all-around athlete, a man who excelled as a running back, passer and kicker on offense, as well as a standout defensive back.