Wright State Athletics has gone through two major phases since its founding.
The first phase was that of an elite division II program, while the second phase is that of moving to division I, and having sustainable success.
The program moved to division I in 1987, a golfer participated in the NCAA national tournament the year following, and men's basketball had their first NCAA tournament appearance five years later. Along with these, in 1999, the men’s basketball team defeated a Michigan State team, who would go on to be the national champions that year.
Wright State also has had their share of alumni that have gone on to do great things in the world of sports.
Brian Anderson and Joe Smith each moved on to becoming pitchers in the majors. Frank Lickliter was a member of the PGA Tour, and Vitaly Potapenko played as a center in the NBA. Along with Potapenko, many star athletes have come from the men’s and women’s basketball teams.
Wright State offers 15 intercollegiate sports, including baseball, softball and basketball. Along with these sports, club sports are also offered. These clubs include football, bowling, and a wide array of other sports with which to get involved.
These teams have achieved multiple levels of success, both on the field and in the classroom. These honors include bids in NCAA tournaments, league championships and academic honors based upon overall GPA status.
The Wright State athletics programs have steadily presented teams that fans can all be proud. Since 1987, the teams have presented great winning percentages. For example, the men’s baseball team has gone 962-748 over the last thirty years.
This record gives them a win rate of 56.3. Other sports, such as men’s basketball and each of the soccer programs, also have win percentages ranging from 52 to 54.2.
