The History of Indiana Wesleyan University Basketball

The Indiana Wesleyan Wildcats represent Indiana Wesleyan University in intercollegiate sports. Located in Marion, Indiana, the university is a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), and they primarily compete in the Crossroads League. The Indiana Wesleyan University has earned a national reputation for athletic excellence. In recent years, they have dominated both the Crossroads League and NCCAA.

A Legacy of Athletic Excellence

The Indiana Wesleyan University athletic program has a rich history marked by consistent success across various sports. The university has won 31 national championship titles. IWU won the Commissioners Cup a record eight consecutive years, and placed among the Top 20 in the NAIA United States Sports Academy Directors' Cup Standings nine straight years.

Crossroads League and Conference Dominance

Men's sports began Crossroads League play in 1968 and women's sports began league play in 1986. IWU won the Commissioners Cup a record eight consecutive years. The 2006-2007 school year was a record year for IWU sports, winning conference championships in 10 of the 16 MCC sports, which is a conference record. Both the men's and women's soccer and basketball teams captured MCC championships, the first school to do so.

National Championships

The university has won 31 national championship titles, including 2 NAIA national championships from the record-setting 2006-2007 women's basketball team that went 38-0 and the 2012-2013 women's basketball team. IWU has won an additional 3 NAIA national championships in 2014, 2016 and 2018 in men's basketball. The other 26 titles are NCCAA national championships. In 2023 they won the NAIA Women's Volleyball national title by going undefeated all season with a 38-0 seasonal score.

Women's Basketball: A National Powerhouse

The women's basketball team has etched its name in the annals of NAIA history. The 2006-2007 team achieved a perfect 38-0 record, culminating in the program's first NAIA national championship. They defeated College of the Ozarks in the final. The team won their first NAIA national championship by defeating College of the Ozarks in the final. Another title followed in 2012-2013, solidifying their status as a national powerhouse. The Lady Wildcats ended their season with a 24-10 record and qualified for the NAIA national tournament for an impressive seventh consecutive year. The women advanced to the Sweet Sixteen before being knocked out by College of the Ozarks.

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Men's Basketball: Consistent Contenders

The men's basketball program has also experienced significant success, capturing NAIA national championships in 2014, 2016 and 2018. The men's basketball team qualified for the NAIA national tournament and advanced to the Elite Eight for the first time in program history in 2007. The men advanced to the Elite Eight for the second time in three years before being defeated by tournament host College of the Ozarks. Senior standout Antonio Murrell ended his IWU career with a 23-point performance against Ozarks, which made him the fourth-highest scorer in program history. Murrell also holds the IWU record for most career assists. Murrell and junior Zach Coverstone were named NAIA All-Americans after the season. The men's basketball team won their second MCC regular season championship in three years, sharing it with Bethel College in 2009. With a 25-5 regular season record, the Wildcats secured the second-most wins in program history (after the 2007 season).

Memorable Seasons

2006-2007: A Year to Remember

The 2006-2007 school year was a record year for IWU sports, winning conference championships in 10 of the 16 MCC sports, which is a conference record. Both the men's and women's soccer and basketball teams captured MCC championships, the first school to do so. In addition, the men's golf team captured its second straight NCCAA national championship and the women's tennis team won the NCCAA national championship as well (the program's third overall).

2007-2008: Continued Success

The Wildcats completed one of its finest athletic seasons to date during the 2007-08 season. The year started well, including MCC championships in men's (2nd in a row) and women's soccer (10th in a row), women's tennis (17th in a row), men's (3rd in a row) and women's cross country, women's volleyball (2nd in a row), and men's golf. Both the men's and women's soccer teams and the women's volleyball team (6th in a row) secured MCC Tournament championships as well. The men's soccer team posted a 14-3-1 regular season record, the best in program history, reached #6 in the NAIA national rankings (also a record mark), and won the NCCAA Midwest Regional Championship, as well as being ranked #1 in the NCCAA national poll for most of the season. In December, the women's basketball team broke a 24-year-old NAIA record by winning their 48th consecutive game. Despite losing 4 starters from the previous season, they started 2007-2008 18-0, extending their record mark by winning a staggering 56 consecutive games. On March 20, 2008, IWU avenged their earlier loss to Spring Arbor by defeating them 74-61 in the National Championship. The Wildcats finished the season with an overall record of 23-11. The men's basketball national championship was IWU's third of a record-setting five NCCAA national titles during the 2007-2008 school year. The women's soccer team won their championship in November, the men's indoor track and field team won in February, the men's outdoor track and field team won in May at IWU, and the women's tennis team also won in May at IWU.

2008-2009: Maintaining a High Standard

Like the previous two school years, 2008-09 also began well for the Wildcats. The men's and women's soccer teams started the season well, both ranked in the top-20 NAIA national polls. The men made history in September by defeating the #1 ranked team in the NAIA, Auburn Montgomery, 6-2 in Alabama. It was the highest ranked team the Wildcats defeated in program history. In October, the men's soccer team won their third straight MCC regular season championship. In November, the women's cross country team won the MCC championship and the men's cross country team finished second. In the NCCAA national championships, the men finished second and the women finished third. Both teams qualified for the NAIA national championships. Though finishing a disappointing third in the MCC regular season rankings, the volleyball team won its seventh straight MCC tournament title and advanced to the NAIA national tournament for the first time in program history. In similar fashion, the women's soccer team saved their season by winning the MCC tournament championship and advanced to the NAIA national tournament. The Wildcats were the top seed in the tournament. In the national championship match, the Wildcats defeated 3rd-seeded Roberts Wesleyan College 2-0 to clinch the program's first ever national title in men's soccer.

Other Sports

Katie Wilson and Lucia Solis won the ITA NAIA National Tennis Doubles Title in 2015. The Women's Tennis Team has won the Crossroads League Conference Championship 31 years in a row. They have won more matches than any other tennis team in any division since 2014. The Men's Tennis Team won a record 41 matches in the 2021-22 season.

Football Program

In 2016, IWU announced plans to begin competing in football as a new men's varsity sport. In its inaugural season, Indiana Wesleyan played in the Mideast League of the Mid-States Football Association as an associate member whose games did not count in the conference standings. The historic season began on September 1, 2018. IWU hosted a cross-county rival, the Taylor Trojans.

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