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Alaska Nanooks

Fairbanks campus
Photo: RadioKAOS, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Northbound_Thompson_Drive,_Museum_of_the_North_in_background,_University_of_Alaska_Fairbanks_campus.jpg)

In one line

University of Alaska Fairbanks athletic teams.

The Alaska Nanooks are the athletic teams of the University of Alaska Fairbanks. The name comes from the Inupiaq word nanuq, meaning polar bear, and the teams compete mostly in NCAA Division II, with men’s ice hockey in Division I.[1]

Fairbanks campus
Fairbanks campus. Photo: RadioKAOS / CC BY-SA 3.0.
UniversityUniversity of Alaska Fairbanks
Nickname originInupiaq nanuq, polar bear
ColoursBlue and gold
Primary conferenceGreat Northwest Athletic Conference
Varsity teams10
Rifle NCAA titles11

Teams and conferences

Ten varsity teams compete: men’s basketball, cross country, ice hockey and skiing, women’s basketball, cross country, skiing, swimming and volleyball, and a co-ed rifle team. Most teams are in NCAA Division II and the Great Northwest Athletic Conference, rifle in the Patriot Rifle Conference, Nordic skiing in the Rocky Mountain Intercollegiate Ski Association since 2016–17 and men’s ice hockey is independent. The mascot is Nook.[1]

Venues

Basketball is played in the Alaska Airlines Gymnasium at the Patty Center, and ice hockey at the Carlson Center, which seats 4,595 and lies west of downtown Fairbanks.[1]

Notable programmes

Ice hockey began in 1925–26, returned to Division I in 1985–86 and made its first NCAA Division I tournament in 2010, losing 3–1 to Boston College. The rifle team has won 11 NCAA team titles (1994, 1999 to 2004, 2006 to 2008 and 2023) and hosted the 2007 championship. The source lists 19 individual and relay champions in one place and 17 individual rifle titles in another, which may count different things.[1]

FAQs

What does Nanooks mean? It comes from the Inupiaq word for polar bear.

What division do they play in? NCAA Division II, with men’s ice hockey in Division I.

How many NCAA rifle titles? 11 team titles, the latest in 2023.

Sources

  1. Wikipedia: Alaska Nanooks

Key facts

  • 10 varsity teams
  • Rifle titles through 2023
Quick checkWhat does Nanooks mean?Show answer

Polar bear, from Inupiaq nanuq

Sources

  1. Wikipedia. Alaska Nanooks. 2026 (accessed 2026-11-14)

Editorially reviewed by Specialty Digest Editorial TeamLast reviewed November 14, 2026Researched and drafted with AI assistanceReport an issue