West Virginia College Nicknames Quiz

Answer: Falcons

Fairmont State University was established in 1865 in Marion County. The Falcons nickname applies to the school as a whole, with men's and women's sports teams called Fighting Falcons and Lady Falcons respectively. Fairmont State is a member of the NCAA Division II Mountain East Conference.

Answer: Pioneers

Glenville State University was founded in 1872 in Gilmer County. The school is a member of the Mountain East Conference. In 2022, the Pioneers won their first national crown when their women's basketball squad won the NCAA Division II basketball title.

Answer: Bison

Bethany College was established in 1840 in Brooke County. The Bison nickname is an alliterative one as there aren't many bison found wandering around West Virginia. Bethany is a member of the NCAA Division III Presidents' Athletic Conference.

Answer: Mountaineers

West Virginia University (WVU) was established in 1867 in Morgantown, Monongalia County. The school has been known as The Mountaineers since 1890. WVU joined the Big 12 Conference in 2012, and is best known for its gridrion team, who play home games at Milan Puskar Stadium.

In terms of national titles, their most successful squad has been the rifle team, who've won multiple national crowns e.g. five in the 1980s (they were runners-up in the other five years), eight in the 1990s (runners-up once), five in the 2010s (and runners-up three times).

Answer: Yellow Jackets

West Virginia State University (WVSU) was founded in 1891 in Institute, Kanawha County. Yellow Jackets (a type of wasp) is a fairly common one in US college sports. WVSU is a member of the Mountain East Conference.

Answer: Rams

Shepherd University was established in 1971 in Shepherdstown, Jefferson County. The Rams nickname alludes to the school name. The school is a member of the NCAA Division II Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) and is the only conference member not actually located in Pennsylvania.

Answer: Hilltoppers

West Liberty University was founded in 1837 in Ohio County. The Hilltoppers nickname refers to the school's location in the Appalachian region, and their mascot is Topper the Bear. The school is a member of the Mountain East Conference. Previously an NAIA member, the Hilltoppers won the baseball World Series at that level in 1964.

Answer: Thundering Herd

Marshall University was established in 1837 in Huntington. Originally nicknamed "Big Green", the Thundering Herd moniker was adopted in 1925 when a local sportswriter used the term to describe the school's gridiron team. Marshall has had a number of conference affiliations through the years, and joined the Sun Belt Conference in 2022. Formerly a Division I-AA (FCS) school, their gridiron squads won two national titles at that level, in 1992 and 1996.

Answer: Golden Eagles

The University of Charleston was established in 1888 in the state capital of West Virginia. Eagles is a common nickname in US college sports, and the school's colours are gold and maroon. The school is a member of the Mountain East Conference, and their men's soccer team won their first Division II national crown in 2017.

Answer: Big Blue

Bluefield State University was founded in 1895 in Mercer County. Big Blue refers to the school name and the colour of their uniforms. The school is a member of the NCAA Division II Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA).