NYU doesn’t usually make the headlines for its athletics. Unlike other levels, Division III schools receive less funding and cannot offer athletic scholarships. But the Violets — competing in the UAA, one of the toughest D-III conferences — have turned themselves into an athletic powerhouse. With teams and athletes sent to the national stage each season, NYU students have something to cheer for. Take a look back at one of the Violets’ most successful years for athletics yet.

Sept. 9, 2025: Women’s golf wins UAA championship

The Violets opened the season with a victory at the UAA Championship across two days of competition. On the first day, NYU toppled the top-ranked D-III team in the nation, Emory University, 5.5-0.5. The team then doubled-up Washington University in St. Louis in match play. 

The final day saw the Violets tie 3-3 against Carnegie Mellon University, which was all NYU needed to stand at the top of the conference. Senior Tiya Chowdary was crowned Tournament MVP, and first-year Jiayi Fu and senior Srishti Dhurandhar made the All-Tournament Team. This victory marked the program’s fifth time capturing the UAA conference title since its first season in spring 2008.

Oct. 16, 2025: Tennis sends one to ITA Cup 

The women’s tennis team kicked off its season with sophomore Victoria Wang qualifying for the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Cup after earning runner-up at the ITA Northeast Regional Championships in late September. She fell 6-4, 6-2 to Skidmore College in the regional finals.

Wang started the ITA Cup slowly with a 6-2, 6-3 loss to Babson College on her first day. She then rallied to a 5-7, 7-5, 6-3 win against Trinity University before having to withdraw during her first set on the final day of competition due to an injury. She finished her first ITA Cup tied for 11th place.

Nov. 1, 2025: Men’s soccer upsets No. 2 WashU

After a tough season of trying to find their footing, men’s soccer players shut out the No. 2-ranked WashU in a conference game on Nov. 1. Going into the game with nine losses, one tie and just three wins, the upset gave the Violets a big win before closing out the season. 

The offense was led by senior midfielder Terra Nagai, who scored the only goal of the game in the 20th minute, assisted by junior forward Keyon Namdar. Holding strong throughout the entire game, the defense only allowed five shots on goal. The Violets carried that energy into its last game against Brandeis University, which ended in a tie.

Nov. 10, 2025: Women’s soccer earns third straight NCAA tournament bid

Women’s soccer earned an at-large bid into the 2025 NCAA Tournament despite a trying conference stretch that was capped off with a 1-0 loss on Senior Day. Head coach Scott Waddell, who started in July 2023, has led NYU to a tournament berth in all three years of his tenure. 

Ending the regular season with nine wins, six losses and three ties, the Violets kept the pressure on in the first round of the tournament against Wesleyan University, taking the Cardinals to penalty kicks after finishing 110 minutes of regulation tied. While ultimately falling 4-3 in the shootout, NYU’s resilience was a defining trait of the year.

Nov. 16, 2025: Women’s volleyball defeats UChicago in UAA tournament

The NYU women’s volleyball team claimed third place at the UAA Championship with a hard-fought victory over the University of Chicago on Nov. 16. The Violets entered the match after having been swept by the No. 2 seed WashU in the semifinal, but quickly rebounded against the tournament’s top-ranked Maroons, helping them earn a tournament bid and boosting their regular season record.

NYU dropped the first set, but came back strong in the second, edging out a narrow win. UChicago reclaimed momentum in the third, but the Violets responded again in the fourth to even the match. In the decisive fifth set, NYU broke a 7-7 tie with a three-point run and did not relinquish the lead, closing out the victory 3-2.

Nov. 22, 2025: Women’s cross country wins first-ever national championship

The women’s cross country team secured its first national title in program history, dominating the competition over the course of its three weeks, ultimately finishing first out of 32 teams. The national meet was one of the first times that the whole squad got to race together following a series of injuries that held some of NYU’s runners back during the regular season. Sophomores Ashlyn Pallotta and Stella Kuttner, juniors Grace Rowley and Josephine Dziedzic, and senior Janie Cooper all achieved All-American honors for their top-40 finishes across their respective races. 

The Violets finished the year as UAA Champions, NCAA Niagara Regional Champions and NCAA D-III National Champions. 

Jan. 30, 2026: Women’s fencing upsets the status quo 

NYU’s women’s fencing team defeated No. 4-ranked Harvard University for the first time in program history with a narrow 14-13 victory in January. Since the two teams first took to the piste against one another in 1993, the Crimsons had a 30-0 record against the Violets. 

The matchup started with the foil teams facing off, and Harvard took the win, 6-3. The saber teams stepped up to fence next, with the Crimsons taking another 6-3 win. The Violets’ épée team pulled off an 8-1 comeback, with sophomores Katherine Chen and Azniv Basralian taking 3-0 victories.

Feb. 7, 2026: Women’s basketball breaks D-III streak record

With over 1,000 days of momentum stacked up, the women’s basketball team rewrote the record books with its 82nd straight win on Feb. 7. The 69-58 triumph over Carnegie Mellon brought NYU to the longest undefeated streak in D-III history, taking the crown from conference rival WashU, who secured the prior 81-game record from 1998-2001. 

With the monumental conclusion of the 2025-26 season in the Final Four, NYU’s 91 wins in a row earned two national titles, three UAA championships and three deep tournament runs, a testament to the program’s ability to outlast through roster changes.

March 8, 2026: Baseball secures first win of the season

In a doubleheader on March 8, the NYU baseball team won for the first time this year when facing the top 25-ranked State University of New York, Cortland. In the back-and-forth game, the bats were alive for both the Violets and the Red Dragons, coming down to a double-play ninth inning that claimed the win for NYU. 

Following a series of delays and cancellations to start the year, and a tough loss against Swarthmore College in the season opener, the win confirmed the Violets’ ability to compete at a high level, setting the tone for the rest of the year. Since then, the team has racked up five conference wins.

March 14, 2026: Wrestler takes individual national title

On the tails of a UAA three-peat, NYU’s wrestling program secured its second-ever individual national title and finished in a program-high fourth place as a team. Sophomore Mo Talebi won the individual gold nine years after current wrestling assistant coach and then-senior Nathan Pike came out on top in the 133-lb class. For Talebi, who competed in the 197-lb class, it also marked his first NCAA championship win.

Entering the tournament on March 13 as the ninth seed, Talebi picked up a close 6-5 win over Baldwin Wallace University. His second contest of the day ended in a standout 10-8 victory over The College of New Jersey which allowed him to remain in the bracket and earn All-America honors. The following day, Talebi secured a 10-5 decision against the York College of Pennsylvania to bring home an individual title.

March 18, 2026: Softball ties program record for runs in a single game

The softball team’s staggering 25-1 victory over State University of New York, Brockport during spring break tied the program’s all-time record for most runs in a game. 

In the opening inning, every member of NYU’s lineup went up to the plate. Between senior pitcher Jessie Werthman and sophomore pitcher Olyvia Rutter, Brockport was held to just five hits. Sophomore Siena Kiefer led the Violets with four runs earned from three at-bats, and first-year Emma Sung batted five runs in. All but one of NYU’s runners made it home to score through five innings, a high point during a difficult season.

March 21, 2026: Women’s swimming & diving wins first-ever national championship

From March 18-21, the Violets dominated at the nationals championships, ranking top from the first day of competition to the last. With 517 points after four days, NYU grasped the title for the first time in program history. Head coach Trevor Miele was named the College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association Women’s Coach of the Year and senior Kaley McIntyre, who has won 15 national events, closed out her collegiate career as CSCAA Women’s Swimmer of the Year for the third consecutive season. The Violets also earned All-America honors in 23 events.

Mere weeks prior, the team also won its first-ever UAA Championship, dethroning Emory University’s 26-year hold on the crown.

April 2, 2026: NYU Athletics finishes first in Directors’ Cup standings 

NYU closed out the winter season as the No. 1 university in the 2026 Learfield Directors’ Cup D-III standings. Backed by the overwhelming success of its programs in the preceding months, the Violets’ 812.25 points — 582.25 of which were earned during the winter — snagged them the top spot in the division. 

NYU’s swimming and diving teams’ success led the charge, with strong contributions from wrestling and women’s basketball sealing the deal. The milestone season ushered in a new era of success for NYU’s athletics.