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Matt Land |
Being a member of the nation's oldest collegiate athletic conference, the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA), seeing more than 1100 student-athletes participate in 27 varsity sports, in addition to nine club sports, and having some of the finest facilities to field exciting NCAA Division III competitive events is what makes Trine athletes know their college experience will be something they will remember the rest of their lives. The recent addition of athletic programs such as men's and women's ice hockey, esports, men's and women's bowling, women's triathlon, synchronized ice skating, figure skating, acrobatics and tumbling and women’s wrestling programs make this an exciting time in the history of our athletic programs. We invite you to be a part of Thunder history.
For more than 135 years, Trine University has prided itself on strong academic programs. The athletic department works closely with and understands the needs of our student-athletes in order for them to meet the demands necessary to achieve the academic excellence needed to prepare for work and future challenges.
Our facilities continue to meet the expansion and growth of our athletic programs with the recent completion of the Thunder Ice Arena and MTI Center. We continue to make improvements to our already existing facilities to make them some of the finest venues in the region and all of NCAA Division III.
The on–campus 18-hole championship golf course and 3500 seat gymnasium have allowed us to host several collegiate tournaments. Zollner Golf Course and Trine athletics also served as the host of the 2012 NCAA Women′s National Golf Championship.
It is with great pride that we invite you to experience Trine athletics and to extend to you an open invitation to contact us. Better yet – come visit us on the campus of Trine University and experience the THUNDER!
- Recruiting Form
- Girls Basketball Camps at Trine (click link, then scroll down page to girls basketball)
- MTI Center
ABOUT THE PROGRAM
The first documented season for women's basketball at Trine was 1923-24 and the first recorded intercollegiate season was the 1974-75 season when they were known as Tri-State College. Throughout its program history, women's basketball has "re-invented" itself and in recent years has made its way back to being one of the top programs not only in the current collegiate conference of the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association, but also in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III.
In its early days, Tri-State began intercollegiate play as members of the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) before joining the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) in 1980-81. The first "breakout" season for women's basketball came during the 1987-88 campaign when the Trojans finished with a 22-8 record and claimed the NAIA District 21 Championship (the first championship of any kind for Tri-State). Also that season, Becky Thatcher became the first player to score 1,000 points in a career and was one of many standout players to play in a Trine uniform.
The women's basketball team continued to shine throughout the 80's and 90's as members of the NAIA that included another NAIA District 21 title in 1988-89 and several apperances in the NAIA National Tournament that included a trip to the national title game in 1988-89. In the mid 1990's, now known as the "Thunder", the team became members of the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference and went on to capture five WHAC Tournament Championships.
In 2002, Trine became members of the MIAA and then in 2004 received membership to the NCAA as members of Division III. After Tri-State changed its name to the current Trine University, the Thunder have won four MIAA Tournament Titles, two regular-season championships, since joining the conference and have made itself into a top team at the regional and national levels. The Thunder have also qualified for the NCAA National Tournament the past three seasons, including advancing to the "Sweet 16" in 2017-18.
All-time, the women's basketball program has seen its players earn eight All-American recognitions with two players earning multiple honors that includes three-time All-American, and three-time MIAA "Most Valuable Player," Brandi Dawson '19 who ended her career as one of the best women's basketball players to wear a Trine/Tri-State uniform. Fellow standout and the program's overall leading scorer Jill Reed '91 was named All-American on two occasions. A total of 14 players have written their names into the program record books as 1,000-point scorers and a combined 37 All-Conference honors (WHAC & MIAA).
In the past three seasons, the Thunder have posted 20 or more victories each year, including back-to-back campaigns of a school-record tying 26 wins and an impressive 45-2 mark in league play. In addition to finishing 26-3 in 2018-19, the Thunder recorded their first undefeated regular season against MIAA opponents (16-0) since joining the conference.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
