| Utah Utes | |
|---|---|
 | |
| University | University of Utah |
| Conference | Big 12 (primary) ASUN (men's lacrosse) MPSF (women's indoor track & field) RMISA (skiing) |
| NCAA | Division I (FBS) |
| Athletic director | Mark Harlan |
| Location | Salt Lake City, Utah |
| Varsity teams | 19 (7 men's, 11 women's, and 1 co-ed) |
| Football stadium | Rice-Eccles Stadium |
| Basketball arena | Jon M. Huntsman Center |
| Baseball stadium | Smith's Ballpark |
| Mascot | Swoop |
| Nickname | Utes |
| Fight song | Utah Man |
| Colors | Red and white[1] |
| Website | utahutes |
 | |
The Utah Utes are the intercollegiate athletics teams that represent the University of Utah, located in Salt Lake City. The athletic department is named after the Ute tribe of Native Americans. The men's basketball team is known as the Runnin' Utes; the women's gymnastics team is known as the Red Rocks.[2]
On August 4, 2023, Utah accepted an invite to join the Big 12 Conference effective August 2, 2024.[3][4]
Formerly Utah competed in the Pac-12 Conference, after it was announced on June 17, 2010, that the Utes would join the conference in all sports, beginning in the 2011–2012 academic year.[5][6] They are the third Pac-12 member to have previously spent time in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC), joining old conference rivals Arizona and Arizona State. They are also the first school to leave the Mountain West Conference (MW) since it was formed in 1999.
Utah offers a total of 19 varsity sports—seven for men, 11 for women, and one coeducational. Baseball, football, golf, and lacrosse are sponsored for men only. Beach volleyball, cross country, gymnastics, indoor track & field, indoor volleyball, outdoor track & field, soccer, and softball are sponsored for women only. Basketball, swimming & diving, and tennis are sponsored for both sexes. The coeducational sport is skiing; while schools have separate men's and women's squads, the NCAA awards a single national team championship. Utah's newest varsity sport is men's lacrosse, which played its first season in 2019 (2018–19 school year).[7]
- ^ University of Utah Athletics Brand Guide (PDF). August 23, 2023. Retrieved August 29, 2023.
- ^ "Utah Athletics History". UtahUtes.com. June 10, 2016. Retrieved September 7, 2022.
- ^ Salerno, Cameron (July 1, 2024). "Historic summer of realignment kicks off July 1 as Texas, Oklahoma officially join SEC; ACC adds SMU". CBS Sports. Retrieved July 16, 2024.
- ^ "Arizona, Arizona State, Utah join Big 12: Programs follow Colorado departing Pac-12 before 2024 season". CBSSports.com. August 5, 2023. Retrieved August 5, 2023.
- ^ "Utah and Colorado Officially Join the Pac-12 Conference, Pac-12 Football Championship Game Set to Debut This Year" (Press release). University of Utah. July 1, 2011. Retrieved September 3, 2015.
- ^ "Utah Utes excited by Pac-10 acceptance". ESPN. Associated Press. June 22, 2010. Retrieved September 3, 2015.
- ^ "Utah Adds Men's Lacrosse as an NCAA Sport" (Press release). Utah Utes. June 15, 2017. Retrieved July 11, 2017.