Many students are fans of Oakland University sports — we love to be in the bleachers at OU games. But few, like OU track and field athlete Niklas Rippon, might be better recognized as “Super Fans.”

Although he’s a full-time student and an athlete with competitions of his own, Rippon almost never misses an OU home game. That’s not limited to basketball.

Rippon attempts to attend every soccer, swimming and diving, volleyball and cross-country event for both the men’s and women’s teams.

This school year, he has already attended 60 sporting events.

“I’ve only missed eight events not counting the ones that fell on days I had track meets,” Rippon, a junior majoring in history, said. “(I’ve only missed) one swimming (meet), one men’s soccer, one women’s soccer, three women’s basketball and two men’s basketball games.”

But he doesn’t go to the games just to be able to say that he went, he goes to support his fellow athletes, classmates and friends.

“Being an athlete and in college, I know some of the athletes and it makes it so much more fun to watch them play,”  he said.

Of all the sports here at Oakland, his two favorite to watch are soccer and volleyball, one of which he didn’t like before beginning this goal. He said he likes them because the level at which they perform is so intense to him. He even claims the volleyball team has performed better these past two years because of him.

“I would always sit in the exact same seat at every game and they would win,” Rippon said. “If they started to lose I would scoot over a seat and return when they started to win again.”

So far this year, he’s had the opportunity to witness the men’s soccer team win the Summit League Championship Tournament and was there when they beat Drake.

“That was a huge deal since Drake was like the ninth-ranked team in the nation,” he said.

He also ranks swimming and diving

beating Michigan State as a highlight as well, proudly saying they dominated.

His support of his fellow teammates hasn’t gone unrecognized.

“The school spirit and support to the programs that Niklas has given at Oakland University is tremendous,” said Holly Kerstner, Assistant Athletic Director. “Not only can we commend him for this support of the athletic programs, we can learn from him about the importance of community.”

For Rippon, time is the only thing hindering his support of OU, but he couldn’t care less.

He’s got another game to attend.