Northwest Nazarene Nighthawks
Intercollegiate sports teams
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Northwest Nazarene Nighthawks (formerly the Crusaders)[2] are the athletic teams that represent Northwest Nazarene University, located in Nampa, Idaho, in intercollegiate sports as a member of the Division II level of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), primarily competing in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) since the 2001–02 academic year.
| Northwest Nazarene Nighthawks | |
|---|---|
 | |
| University | Northwest Nazarene University |
| NCAA | Division II |
| Conference | Great Northwest Athletic Conference |
| Athletic director | Paul Rush |
| Location | Nampa, Idaho |
| Varsity teams | 16 (7 men’s and 9 women’s) (17 (8 men's and 9 women's in 2025-26)) |
| Basketball arena | Johnson Sports Center |
| Baseball stadium | Elmore W. Vail Baseball Field |
| Softball stadium | Bobby Welch Halle Softball Field |
| Soccer field | NNU Soccer Field |
| Nickname | Nighthawks |
| Colors | Red, white, black, and gray[1] |
| Mascot | Howard the Elk |
| Website | nnusports |
 | |
The Nighthawks previously competed in the D-II Pacific West Conference (PacWest) during the 2000–01 school year; and in the Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) from 1993–94 to 1999–2000.
Sports sponsored
| Men's sports | Women's sports |
|---|---|
| Baseball | Basketball |
| Basketball | Cross country |
| Cross country | Golf |
| Golf | Lacrosse1 |
| Lacrosse1 | Soccer |
| Soccer | Softball |
| Track and field | Track and field |
| 1 – club teams | |
Rivalries
The school's main rival is the NAIA's College of Idaho, located a short distance to the west in Caldwell, Idaho.
Notable people
A prominent former member of the school's athletic department is Scott Flemming, who coached India’s national basketball team for several years.[3]
