Women's Basketball at RPI

Introduction

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute is a research private university with 21 sports teams in intercollegiate athletics representing RPI which include men and women's basketball, cross country, ice hockey, lacrosse, soccer swimming & diving tennis, and track & field. Men's sports include baseball, football, and golf. Women's sports also include field hockey, and softball. These teams compete in the NCAA Division III in the Liberty League of New York for all sports except ice hockey, which competes in NCAA Division I, as a member of ECAC Hockey [3].

History

As a number of women attending RPI in the mid-late 1900s increased, they became more and more involved in student activities and athletics. In 1975, the women's basketball club became a varsity sport. It was the first women's varsity sport at Rensselaer. That same year, the Women's Athletic Association was also established [1].

In the early 1920s Rensselaer's athletic teams began to be called the "Fighting Engineers." However, in 1995 the nickname was officially changed from the Engineers to the Red Hawks. The hockey, football, cross-country, tennis, and track & field teams however, all chose to retain the Engineers name. The name "Red Hawks" was never really accepted by the student body and the Red Hawk mascot was frequently taunted by fans who threw objects at the mascot and chanted things like "Kill the Chicken" [3].

In 2009, the nickname was officially changed by to the Engineers and the official ice hockey mascot, Puckman, has received continued enthusiasm and support since the character's initial appearance in costume in 1998 [3]. Puckman has only shown support at ice hockey games however, leaving other sports like basketball, without mascot presence.