Niche.com ratings ranked Linfield University #1 for athletic programs for Oregon private colleges and #8 for Division III’s “Best College Athletics In America.” Athletics are a large part of Linfield’s identity, making the rankings an important honor for the university.

These ratings were released on Niche.com, a college information and rating website intended to help students to find the best college for them. 

A large portion of Linfield’s student body comes to the university to play one of the 21 sports offered. Sophomore Nick Halverson, a cornerback for the football team, said, “I really love the athletic experience I’ve had so far at Linfield because of the culture that has been set in place, by both the coaches as well as the seniors.”

With an athletic program over a century old, Linfield still continues to have the goal to “provide equal opportunities for participation in intercollegiate athletics for men and women while fostering the educational achievements of our student-athletes and academic integrity.”

“Linfield has put a lot of effort towards its athletic programs and has cultivated success by doing so,” track and field sprinter Parker Sanford said. “Linfield athletics is important to the culture here at Linfield, and there is a strong presence of rallying behind our student athletes here.”

The coronavirus pandemic has set back collegiate athletic programs all over the country, but Linfield is making a concerted effort to keep their athletes engaged until competitions begin next year. To achieve this, practices and inner-team scrimmages have continued with safety protocols in place. 

“Being a student-athlete definitely isn’t an easy thing to do, but it’s such a rewarding experience,” football’s Halverson said.