Cougar Athletics
A Powerhouse
Whether you have come to play or to watch, the powerful Cougar athletic program will impress you. Our nationally recognized NAIA Division I athletic teams compete in five sports.
Many Cougar players have been selected as NAIA All-American and All-American Scholar-Athletes as well as Conference Players of the year. The coaching staff is committed to helping student-athletes stay focused on academic excellence while striving for athletic success.
Women's Basketball
Columbia College reinstated women's basketball as a varsity sport on July 6, 2000. Competition will begin in the 2001-02 season with coach Mike Davis at the helm.
Men's Basketball
The Cougar men's basketball team is one of the most successful in the country. Coach Bob Burchard has turned the Cougars into a perennial contender for a berth in the NAIA Men's Basketball National Championship Tournament.
Burchard has compiled a 301-112 record in 12 seasons at the helm and is the winningest coach in program history. The Cougars have averaged 25 victories per season under his guidance.
Thirty student-athletes have earned Academic All-Conference honors since Burchard's first season. In addition, he has coached eight NAIA All-America selections and three NAIA All-America Scholar-Athletes.
Men's Soccer
The 2000 Columbia Cougar men's soccer program was under the direction of first-year head coach, John Klein. The Cougars are coming off a record-setting year. The 1999 squad finished the season ranked #6 in the final NAIA national rating and recorded a school-record 20 wins.
Women's Softball
Wendy Spratt enters her sixth season as head coach of the softball Cougars. The team finished with a 46-16 record in 2000, winning AMC regular-season and post-season titles. For her efforts, Spratt was named Coach of the Year by AMC, NAIA Region V and National Fastpitch Coaches Association Midwest Region.
Spratt has coached seven NAIA All-Americans, two All-American Scholar-Athletes and 43 Academic All-Conference players. Her career mark stands at 229-114 entering the 2001 season.
Women's Volleyball
The Cougar women's volleyball program captured its second consecutive
NAIA national championship in 1999 with a perfect 40-0 record. The
undefeated season came on the heels of 1998's 45-0 record to give the
Cougars two consecutive NAIA national championships.
As the 2000 season closed they finished second in the nation, winning an NAIA record 85 consecutive matches. The squad also held NAIA marks with 78 consecutive home match wins and 227 consecutive game victories.
The Cougars are under the direction of head coach, Melinda Wrye-Washington.