Varsity Athletics
Boston University offers 23 NCAA Division I varsity sports—13 teams for women and 10 for men. We’re a member of America East, Hockey East, Colonial Athletic Association (wrestling), and the Eastern College Athletic Conference.
We have a proud history of nationally known athletic teams. Our Men’s Hockey team has won five NCAA championships (including the 2009 title) and has made 21 Frozen Four appearances. BU has sent more players to the NHL than any other college or university, including standouts like Rick DiPietro of the New York Islanders, Keith Tkachuk of the St. Louis Blues and Chris Drury of the New York Rangers.
Other BU varsity teams are no slouches, either. The Women’s Field Hockey team won their third straight America East Championship in 2007 and made it to the quarterfinals of the NCAA tournament. Our Men’s Basketball team has made six appearances in the NCAA playoffs, with the last showdown in 2002. Women’s Lacrosse ended their season with a loss to a top-ranked team in the NCAA quarterfinals after winning the America East Championship.
In Beijing for the 2008 Olympics were a current student, Meindert Klem, joined by alumnus Jozef Klaassen on the Nethlerlands Crew team. Among their competitors were Florian Mennigen of the German team and Will Daly of Team USA.
The Men’s Soccer team qualified for the NCAA playoffs in 2004, their eighth time since 1990. The Women’s Soccer team has reached the NCAA tournament three times since 2000.
For more about BU varsity teams, visit our Varsity Athletics website.
The Beanpot
You might think an ice hockey tournament with only four teams—and the same four teams year after year—couldn’t possibly bring fans to a frenzy of emotion and excitement. But the annual Beanpot Tournament is Boston’s collegiate athletic event of the year.
The contenders: Boston University, Harvard, Northeastern and Boston College. On two Monday nights in February, the rivals square off against each other in the TD Banknorth Garden, home of the Bruins (hockey) and Celtics (basketball). The winner takes home a silver bowl suitable for those famous Boston baked beans. Not to mention a year’s worth of bragging rights.
In 2009 the Terriers captured their 29th Beanpot victory. It was their 15th of the past 20 trophies, including six of the last eight, and more than the combined winnings of the other three contenders. BU has played in 47 of the tournament’s 57 title games, leading some Terriers fans to nickname the Beanpot the “BU Invitational Tournament.”