The Pikeville Bears, also the UPike Bears (stylized as "UPIKE"), are the athletic teams that represent the University of Pikeville, located in Pikeville, Kentucky, in intercollegiate sports as a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), primarily competing in the Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) since the 2023–24 academic year. The Bears previously competed in the Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (KIAC; now currently known as the River States Conference (RSC) since the 2016–17 school year) from 1958–59 to 1999–2000. More recently, the Bears competed in the Mid-South Conference from 2000–2001 to 2022–2023.
| Pikeville Bears | |
|---|---|
 | |
| University | University of Pikeville |
| Association | NAIA |
| Conference | AAC (primary) |
| Athletic director | Corey Fipps |
| Location | Pikeville, Kentucky |
| Varsity teams | 25 (11 men's, 10 women's, 4 co-ed) |
| Football stadium | Hambley Athletic Complex |
| Basketball arena | Appalachian Wireless Arena |
| Baseball stadium | Johnnie Lemaster Field |
| Softball stadium | Paul Butcher Field |
| Soccer field | Bob Amos Complex |
| Nickname | Bears |
| Colors | Orange and black[1] |
| Website | upikebears |
Conference affiliations
editNAIA
- Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (1958–2000)
- Mid-South Conference (2000–2023)
- Appalachian Athletic Conference (2023–present)
Varsity teams
editUPike competes in 25 intercollegiate varsity sports: men's sports include baseball, basketball, bowling, cross country, football, golf, soccer, swimming, tennis, track & field and wrestling; while women's sports include basketball, bowling, cross country, golf, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis, track & field and volleyball; and co-ed sports include archery, cheerleading, dance and eSports.[2]
Accomplishments
editPikeville athletics have won numerous conference championships and three national championships: two in women's bowling in 2004 and 2008 and a NAIA Division I men's basketball championship in 2011.[3][4]
References
edit- ^ "UPIKE Athletics Releases Comprehensive Brand Redesign". Retrieved August 3, 2023.
- ^ "About Pikeville Athletics". University of Pikeville. Retrieved February 10, 2012.
- ^ "Athletic Highlights". University of Pikeville. Retrieved February 10, 2012.
- ^ Staff (March 23, 2011). "Unseeded Pikeville wins NAIA championship game in overtime". CBS Sports. Retrieved February 10, 2012.