The Department of Athletics and Campus Recreation operates under a set of core values based on a commitment to providing the best possible undergraduate experience for its student-athletes, competing for league and national championships and remaining faithful to the belief that athletics exist as an extension of the overall educational mission of the University. These values are known as “Education Through Athletics,” and the departmental goal is to guide the athletes as they “Achieve, Serve, Lead.”
Who We Are
Historically, Princeton has won a league-high 503 Ivy League championships, nearly one quarter of all championships won in Ivy history and nearly 30 percent of the league championships won in the last 20 years. Princeton has finished as the top Ivy League team in the Directors’ Cup, which attempts to rank the top athletic programs in the country through NCAA championship participation and success, in 24 of the 27 years it has been awarded, including in 2019-20, when Princeton was 28th in Division I after the fall. By combining that success with the highest ethical and moral standards, with an emphasis on performance science to promote student-athlete wellness and experience, and with its place as a highly visible window into the University for the local community and alumni all over the world, the Department of Athletics gives Princeton a source of great pride while serving as a national model for intercollegiate athletics.
Our Impact
- Princeton won six Ivy League championships during the abbreviated 2019-20 academic year, in field hockey, women’s volleyball, wrestling, women’s basketball, men’s indoor track and field and women’s swimming and diving. The wrestling championship was the 500th in Princeton’s history, making Princeton by far the first Ivy school to reach the milestone.
- Princeton was ranked 28th in Division I in the Learfield IMG College Directors’ Cup, which measures the best overall athletic programs based on NCAA championship participation and success, after the fall season. Princeton was poised to have a huge point-total in both the winter and spring, with 18 nationally ranked teams at the time events were postponed due to COVID-19.
- Princeton fields 37 varsity teams (33 varsity teams that compete for official Ivy League championships and four other varsity teams that compete for championships of other organizations) with nearly 1,000 varsity athletes, or approximately 20 percent of the undergraduate student body.
- Princeton athletes perform more than 4,000 hours of community service each year.
What We Do
Intercollegiate Athletics/Sport Clubs
- During the 2019–20 academic year, Princeton fielded 37 intercollegiate varsity teams and 37 club teams, involving over 2,000 students (approximately 40 percent of the undergraduate student body).
Campus Recreation
- Campus Recreation offers around 15 Intramural leagues/tournaments and 20+ special event programs throughout the year, engaging an average of about 9,600 participants per year. Popular Intramural programs include: volleyball, broomball, basketball, handball, ultimate frisbee, etc. A highlighted special event is the annual Dodgeball Tournament, held each April in Dillon Gym, which consistently draws more than 2,000 student participants.
- Group Fitness and Premium Instructional Programs serve the needs of faculty, staff, alumni, undergraduate, and graduate students and their families. Over 1,300 classes are offered annually, in 43 different class formats. Classes include: BodyPump, Zumba, TRX, yoga, Pilates, cycling, martial arts, racquet sports, and more.
- Informal recreation is also very popular on campus. On average, over 250,000 patron usages are tallied in the Stephens Fitness Center and an over 300,000 guests enter Dillon Gym with their Tiger Cards annually.