The 1937 football team in uniform

Athletics centenary: 100 years of competitive sport

Century of Champions | 100 years. One legacy.

For 100 years, Saint Martin's Athletics has been shaped by people who believed in something bigger than themselves. Student-athletes, coaches, alumni, and supporters have built a legacy grounded in competition, character, and community.

The Centenary of Saint Martin's Athletics honors that legacy—celebrating the champions who came before us while investing in the champions still to come.

Century of Champions

"Century of Champions" recognizes champions in every sense—on the field, in the classroom, and in life. The Saints legacy is not just measured in wins, but in the impact our student-athletes have made and will continue to make.

Honoring the Past

As we celebrate 100 years of Saints Athletics, we invite our community to be part of what comes next. Together, we can ensure that Saint Martin's Athletics continues to inspire, compete, and lead for the next century.

100 Years, 100 Stories 

In celebration of a century of competitive sport at Saint Martin's, Saints Athletics will be celebrating our history with "100 Years, 100 Stories," a history of notable moments and memories from the past 100 years. Through feature stories and photo snapshots, Saints Athletics is excited to revisit our past successes, monumental moments and unique history!

If you have photographs or videos you would like to share as we celebrate the past 100 years, please submit them here!

Century of Saints Athletics

1910s

1910 - A "handsome, modern" ninety by forty-eight feet gymnasium is built on the flats on the east side of campus after 1909 fire. It boasts a full-sized handball court and can be used for basketball and indoor baseball.  

1919 - On Oct. 6, a tragic fire destroys the new gymnasium.  

1930s

1930 - Golf course and tennis courts are built. High School basketball team wins "State junior college crown with comparative ease."  

1938 - Saint Martin's becomes a four-year, accredited, baccalaureate-granting institution. Father Martin Toner becomes dean of men. Saint Martin's athletic teams become part of the Washington Intercollegiate Conference.  

1940s

1940 - Saint Martin's first graduates receive degrees. The first men's college basketball team is formed. 

1942 - Head coach Jimmy Ennis leads the football team to a conference championship. 

1946 - The first men's basketball team is established again after World War II 

1947 - The First Invitational collegiate track and field event is held ("Saint Martin's Relays). 

1949 - Saint Martin's joins the Evergreen Conference. 

1960s

1966 - Saint Martin's athletic teams become the Saint Martin's Saints. Previously called the Rangers. 

1968 - Saint Martin's much-needed and long-awaited health and physical education building, initially called the Capital Pavilion, is completed and dedicated in January. The men's basketball team makes its first ever berth to the NAIA District-One Championship.  

1970s

1979 - The first official women's basketball team (Lady Saints) is formed. 

1980s

1983 - The first annual SMAF golf tournament is held. 

1985 - The Saint Martin's Athletic Foundation is established "to encourage and enhance the quality" of Saint Martin's intercollegiate and intramural athletic programs.  

1988 - The first official volleyball team is formed.  

1990s

1990 - The Saint Martin's Athletic Foundation (SMAF) inaugurates a Saint Martin's Athletic Hall of Fame and begins inducting former campus sports stand-outs at the College's Homecoming celebration.  

1992 – Women's Basketball qualified for the NCAA Division II tournament 

1994 - The Lady Saints win the PNWAC League.

1995 – Women's Basketball qualifies for the NAIA Division I Tournament, advancing to the second round 

1996 - First year for Cross Country teams. 

1998 - Saint Martin's joins NCAA, adds softball (Women's Fastpitch), and volleyball places second in the NAIA Conference. 

2000s

2001 – The Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) was founded, with Saint Martin's one of its 10 charter members 

2005 – The women's basketball team makes its first NCAA Regional appearance.   

2008 – The first official men's and women's soccer teams are formed. The women's golf team makes its first NCAA Regional appearance. 

2009 - The Charneski Recreation Center and new track and field facility opens. The men's golf team makes its first NCAA Regional appearance. The men's soccer team wins the Conference Championship. 

2010s

2013 - The softball team wins the GNAC Tournament Championship and makes its first NCAA Regional appearance. 

2015 - The softball regular season team wins the GNAC Championship. Saint Martin's builds the Charneski Recreation Center. 

2016 - Mikel Smith wins the Outdoor Track and Field National Championship. 

2017 - Mikel Smith wins the Indoor Track and Field National Championship. 

2018 -  The men's basketball regular season team wins the GNAC Championship and makes its first regional appearance. 

2019 - Tyler Cronk earns Track and Field All-American honors. Brandon Madsen earns Men's Soccer All-American honors.  

2020s

2021 - Saints Men's Golf wins GNAC Championship and ties program record for highest team finish at NCAA Regionals.

2022 - Saints Men's Basketball earns GNAC Regular Season Championship.

2023 - Saints Men's Basketball repeats as GNAC Regular Season champions.

2026 - Saints Men's Basketball wins GNAC Regular Season Championship, GNAC Tournament Championship, and advances to NCAA West Regionals Second Round. With a 26-6 record, the Saints tied a program record for most Division II wins in a season.

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Athletics

SMU Athletics is a member of the NCAA Division II and the Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) that sponsors 13 varsity sports with over 240 student athletes.