The University of Alaska Fairbanks’ hockey team ended the 2025-26 season winning the first edition of the United Collegiate Hockey Cup 4-3 against Lindenwood. The Nanooks took home the tournament trophy after a tight final game ending in overtime on March 7. This is their second title of 2026 after the Alaska Airlines Governor’s Cup win against Anchorage.

In February UAF’s Nordic skier Rosie Fordham competed at the XXV Winter Olympics in Milano-Cortina. She took part in 5 out of the 6 events dedicated to nordic skiing for the Australian team. Fordham sat down with The Sun Star to reflect on her training process, Fairbanks’ upsides and downsides, and offered insights on ways UAF could support the development of its endurance athletes. 

The University of Alaska Fairbanks basketball teams celebrated their seniors during the last home game held Feb. 28 at the Alaska Airlines Gymnasium. The women's team fell 73-58 to Western Oregon while the men's team won 82-74 against Western Oregon. Before the games began, each senior was honored in a celebratory ceremony, surrounded by their families, friends and loved ones. Names, stats, a brief bio and heartfelt words from the coaches were shared with the crowd.

The Nanooks secured a 6-2 victory against the UAA Seawolves last Saturday in Anchorage, winning the team the Governor’s Cup title for the 15th consecutive year. With UAF already having the title secured, the teams faced off in two final homecourt games in the Carlson Center this Friday and Saturday.

Junior Dorka Dancsok set a new program record for the University of Alaska Fairbanks. On Thursday, Feb. 12, winning the 400-yard individual medley at the Pacific Collegiate Swim Conference, or PCSC, Championships. Dancsok, a junior, finished in 4 minutes and 23.31 seconds, the fastest time ever recorded by a UAF swimmer in the event; she improved on her own record from December by more than a second.

Will you be my Valentine, Nook? Over Valentine’s weekend UAF women’s basketball hosted Simon Fraser University and Western Washington University on February 12 and 14. With the season coming to a close at the end of the month, the Nanooks are hungry for a win in their remaining six games. The Nanooks lost 54-92 to Simon Fraser; they lost 28-60 against Western Washington.

Five current or former athletes from the University of Alaska Fairbanks will represent their home countries at the Winter Olympics starting next week in Milano, Italy. 

The University of Alaska Fairbanks women’s and men’s basketball teams hosted the Montana State University Billings Yellowjackets and the Seattle Pacific University Falcons for a pair of GNAC matchups on January 22 and 24. 

The Alaska Nanooks competed at home for the last time this season, hosting Westmont College on Friday and Saturday, January 16 and 17, for a two day heated rivalry. The Nanooks secured a 100-86 victory over the Westmont Warriors on Friday, but fell short 91-95 in a close battle on Saturday. 

The Nanooks women’s volleyball team dominated the Seattle Pacific Falcons 3–0 Thursday night at the Alaska Airlines Gymnasium during Military Appreciation Night.

The team will face off against the University of Alaska Anchorage Volleyball team during the NCAA Division II women’s volleyball championships December 11-13 in South Dakota.

On Halloween, the University of Alaska Fairbanks women’s swim team had their third meet of the season, this time against Simon Fraser University. They competed against Simon Fraser again on Saturday, but lost both days, despite a great effort. The score on Halloween was 108 to 59, and the next day was 100 to 48.

On October 25 the Nanooks kicked off the basketball season by playing a scrimmage against alumni. The bleachers were packed with fans eager to get a first glimpse of the upcoming season and to watch former players return to the spotlight.

The University of Alaska Fairbanks’ rifle team started the season off with a bang on October 17 for their first match of the season. They competed against Ohio State at the E.F. Hortion rifle range in the Patty Center on the first day of the matchup, and at the Tanana Valley Sports Association for the second day.

The Equinox Marathon is the last major running event of the season in Fairbanks while the trails are still snow-free.

The University of Alaska Fairbanks held their annual “Blue and Gold” cross country meet this weekend. Although both the women’s and men’s teams fell to the University of Alaska Anchorage’s teams, there were still feats from UAF. The UAA men's team won with 23 points over UAF’s 33 points. The UAA women's team won with 22 points over UAF’s 35 points.

The University of Alaska Fairbanks women’s volleyball team earned a hard-fought victory in the Denali State Bank Ice Block Classic tournament, taking home their ninth victory with seven wins in a row.

After 2024’s historic season where the Alaska Nanooks volleyball team tied the program record for wins and posted its best winning percentage in school history, expectations are high heading into the 2025 season.

In preparation for fall athletics, University of Alaska Fairbank’s Assistant Cross Country Coach Conrad Haber sat down with The Sun Star to recap the previous season’s highlights and a look at what is to come with this season. 

The Nanook den had an intense atmosphere during the men's basketball game on February 20. The University of Alaska Fairbanks Nanooks faced the Seattle Pacific University Falcons, who were up with a 10 to 8 score at the start of the game.