Badminton

Badminton started in the early 1930s at Western as a club, but transitioned to a varsity sport once recognized in the OUA. The team consistently places in the top 3 during OUA championships, and has won 10 OUA championships, with the last one being in 2014.^[15]

During the 1970s, the team saw much acclaim. Jamie Paulson attended Western at this time and dominated in both singles and doubles at OUAA tournaments in the 1970–71 season, winning 33 out of 36 matches.^[16] This streak continued even after Paulson's departure, and Western won the OUAA badminton championships in 1970–71, 1972–73, 1975–76, 1976–77, and 1977–78 seasons. More recently, former alumni Alex Bruce competed in the 2012 Summer Olympics as well as win a gold medal at the 2011 Pan American Games.

Baseball

The OUA adopted baseball into the conference in 2001 and since then, the men's baseball team have won 6 total OUA championships in 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2015 and 2016.^[17][18] The current head coach is Mike Lumley, a former Detroit Tigers fifth round draft pick. Lumley has been named OUA Coach of the Year in 2001, 2004, 2005, and 2009.

Basketball

Football

The Western Mustangs football team first started in 1929 and has become one of the most successful football teams in Canadian university sports. The team has won 8 Vanier Cup national titles and appeared 15 times at the championship, with the last win being in 2021.^[23] The Mustangs have also won 33 provincial Yates Cup titles,^[24] with 49 appearances.

Notable former players include: Joe Krol, Frank Cosentino, Andy Fantuz, Dick Suderman, Bob McFarlane, Frank Turville, Vaughn Martin, Daryl Waud and Tim Tindale.

The current coach is Greg Marshall and has been with the team since 2007.^[25] As of recent years, the team has been posting a 76-11 regular season record between 2008 and 2018.

Ice hockey

Rowing

Both the men's and women's team compete in the OUA provincial league as well as a part of the national Canadian University Rowing Association. These teams have become dominating powers in Canadian university rowing, achieving 56 provincial OUA titles and 14 national titles combined.^[26] The program has also included over 45 Canadian Olympic team members as athletes, coaching staff and trainers.^[27]

The teams are based out of the Doug Wells Rowing Centre on Fanshawe Lake.^[28]

In 2019, it was announced that Western will be the hosting university for the 2022 International University Sports Federation (FISU) World University Rowing Championship.^[29][30] The competition will be based out of Fanshawe Lake in London, Ontario.

Volleyball

TD Stadium

The TD Stadium was built in 2000 and has a capacity of 8,000. It is the home of the Western Mustangs football team. The field size abides by CFL regulations and features an infill turf playing surface with a 2" rubberized e-layer. Surrounding the field is an eight-lane, 400m outdoor track and long-jump pit.^[42]

Mustangs Field

Mustangs Field was opened in 2013 and acts as the playing surface for the soccer and lacrosse teams.^[43] The field can seat up to 600 people in the stand-alone bleachers.

Alumni Field

Alumni Field was opened in 2013 and is the primary field for the men's and women's rugby teams. It is one of a few fields in Canada that is certified through the International Rugby Board.^[43] The field can seat up to 600 people in stand-alone bleachers.

Alumni Hall

Alumni Hall is a multi-sport auditorium and gym. It is currently has the playing court for the Western basketball and volleyball teams. It was originally opened in 1968 and is where the John P Metras Sports Museum is located. In addition to the main gymnasium, the lower floors of the building house the gym for the wrestling teams as well as a dance studio. There are several classroom facilities within the building. The Western Mustang Band is also housed in Alumni Hall.

In addition to the gym, the main auditorium has a large stage and is used as the primary location for convocation and other official University ceremonies. The auditorium can seat 1,200 in the mezzanine seats, and 2,274 total if additional chairs are set up on the court.^[44]

Thompson Arena and Indoor Track

The Thompson Arena was built in 1971 and has an NHL-sized ice rink as well as an indoor track around the rink. The men's and women's ice hockey teams use the arena alongside the ringette and figure skating teams, while the track and field team use the 200m Mondo indoor track surface. The arena seating capacity is 3,615.

The indoor track is used primarily by sprinters, distance runners, throwers, and jumpers. During indoor track and field meets, the ice surface is covered and the inner rink becomes a field surface for activities such as pole vault and high jump. As of September 2019, the track was re-surfaced and updated.^[45] This update was following criticism on the previous track's degrading condition and overuse.^[46][47]

The annual Don Wright track meet is hosted in the Thompson Arena.^[48]

Western Student Recreation Centre

The Western Student Recreation Centre (known as the Rec Centre or Western Rec) is a multi-level gymnasium facility and aquatic centre. It houses multiple basketball courts, volleyball courts, and squash courts, as well as a large fitness area with two floors of weight training equipment, treadmills, and fitness studios. The facility was opened in February 2009.^[49] It is directly attached to the Thompson Arena.

The Western varsity swim team and water polo team uses the 8-lane, 50m pool for training as well as hosting swim meets and competitions.

The Athletic Department offices and administration is housed within the Rec Centre.

This large facility comes as a result of a student-led initiative in 2006.^[49] Western students held a referendum to fund a majority of the building's $35.7-million cost.^[50] From this, the undergraduate and graduate students pledged to donate a total of $101-million over 30 years for the initial purchase, building maintenance and support, with $14.8-million specifically funding undergraduate and graduate student bursaries. This was announced as the largest contribution ever from a student body to a Canadian university.^[51]

Thames Hall

Thames Hall was completed in 1949, led by planning and fundraising efforts of J. Howard Crocker, the director of the university's physical education department.^[52][53]

Before the Western Rec Centre was completed in 2009, Thames Hall was the facility used for athletic department and had a pool, gymnasium, and athletic training facilities. After completion, Thames Hall was refurbished to convert the pool into classrooms. As of 2019, Thames Hall is undergoing major renovations and they are set to be complete June 2021.^[54] The newly renovated building will house Student Health and Psychological Services, Sports and Recreation, and Student Learning and Engagement, as well as house the Kinesiology department.^[55]

Athletes of the Year