Western Michigan Broncos The Western Michigan Broncos are a NCAA Division I FBS team representing Western Michigan University . They compete in the Mid - American Conference in men ' s baseball , basketball , football , soccer and tennis ; and women ' s basketball , cross - country , golf , gymnastics , soccer , softball , track and field , and volleyball . The men ' s hockey team competes in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association . The facilities include Waldo Stadium ( football ) , University Arena ( men ' s and women ' s basketball , volleyball ) , Lawson Arena ( hockey ) , Hyames Field ( baseball ) , Ebert Field ( softball ) , Sorensen Courts / West Hills Athletic Club ( men ' s and women ' s tennis ) , and Kanley Track ( women ' s track and field ) . The soccer teams compete at the WMU Soccer Complex located near the Parkview Campus . The school ' s primary intrastate rival is Central Michigan University . WMU athletic teams were once known as the Hilltoppers , a reference to the school ' s location on top of Prospect Hill , but changed their nickname in 1939 to the Broncos to avoid confusion with teams of other schools such as the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers . John Gill , an assistant coach on the football team who later served as head coach , coined the new athletic nickname after approval for the name change was granted by the school ' s athletic board . In 2011 , WMU commissioned artist Revere La Noue to create a 6 , 500 - square - foot building wrap representing the Broncos for the 2011 ArtPrize competition . WMU president John Dunn has said that the work , " Epic Broncos " , captures the " history and pride of being a Bronco " . Sports . Baseball . The baseball team has represented WMU since its first season in 1911 , compiling an overall record of 1 , 822 – 1349 – 23 ( ) through 2012 . They have appeared in the College World Series six times , most recently in 1963 . In the 1955 College World Series , WMU finished as the NCAA runner - up , losing to Wake Forest 7 – 6 in the championship game . The Broncos had a 6 – 3 lead in the fifth inning of that game . WMU has won 14 Mid - American Conference championships , including 13 of 19 from 1949 to 1967 . The Broncos are currently coached by Billy Gernon in his second season as WMU manager . They most recently had a 26 – 29 ( ) record in 2012 . Gymnastics . Women ' s Gymnastics team won a MAC championship and a MAC tournament championship in 2006 Ice hockey . Former professional hockey player Keith Jones played four years for the Broncos , from 1988 - 89 to 1991 - 92 . He made the CCHA First All - Star Team his senior year . Western Michigan also has a div111 team the stalions Soccer ( men ' s ) . The men ' s soccer team won the MAC tournament championship in 2003 . They are currently are coached by Stu Riddle . A famous former player is Rob Friend , who transferred to the University of California , Santa Barbara ' s Men ' s Soccer program . He currently plays in Germany for 1860 München , on loan from Eintracht Frankfurt , of the 2 . Fußball - Bundesliga as well as the Canadian National Team . Track and field . The Broncos sprint medley relay team is currently ranked # 1 in the NCAA . Volleyball . The volleyball team has been competing at Western Michigan University since 1965 . In that span , the team has won 7 MAC regular season championships ( 1983 , 1984 , 1985 , 1986 , 1987 , 1988 , 2000 ) and 4 MAC tournament championships ( 1987 , 1988 , 1989 , 2000 ) . WMU ' s all - time overall record is 705 - 482 - 9 ( . 593 ) and all - time conference record is 261 - 122 ( . 681 ) . The Broncos are coached by Colleen Munson . In her two years at WMU , she has compiled a 41 - 24 ( . 631 ) record . Awards . For the 2010 – 11 season , WMU was awarded the Cartwright Award , given to one MAC program each season for excellence in academics , athletics and citizenship . For the season , WMU won the Jacoby Trophy ( most successful women ' s program ) and finished second for the Reese Trophy ( most successful men ' s program ) . Non - varsity sports . Synchronized Skating . Although the sport of synchronized skating is not yet an official NCAA sport Western Michigan is home to an internationally competitive synchronized skating team , who have medalled at competitions around the world . The Bronco ' s synchronized skating program consists of a senior team , which competes internationally as well as a collegiate level team which is competitive among the top university and collegiate teams from around the United States . The team lost their athletic funding and Varsity status along with Men ' s Cross Country and Track & Field in the 2003 - 2004 competitive season , and became a Club sport .