First established as a challenge between the varsity soccer teams of two Northern Ontario universities (Laurentian vs. Nipissing), in which the winning team was awarded the Riley Gallo Cup, the rivalry expanded. Introducing the 705 Challenge Cup in 2016, the results of all regular season games between the Lakers and the Voyageurs varsity teams for men's and women's basketball, ice hockey, and soccer, comprised the overall won-loss record in determining the annual Cup winner. The Lakers would win their first 705 Challenge Cup during the 2019-20 athletics season.
Men's Basketball
The Lakers men's basketball team debuted in U Sports and OUA play in the 2014–15 season. The Lakers made their first and lone playoff appearance in the 2016–2017 season, making it to the quarterfinals of the OUA playoffs, when they were eventually eliminated by the Ryerson Rams. The head coach of the team is Thomas Cory, who was hired to replace Chris Cheng in June 2020. The Lakers play their home games at the Robert J. Surtees Athletic Centre on the campus of Nipissing University.
Women's and Men's Nordic Skiing
The Lakers Nordic team competes in the OUA circuit and the Nordiq Canada race circuit. The team has regularly sent athletes to world junior trials, as well as sending athletes to the World University Games almost every year. The team trains on campus, with over 5 kilometers of groomed trails as well as waxing facilities.
The Lakers University ringette team competes annually in the University Challenge Cup, an annual national competition reserved exclusively for Canadian university and college ringette teams. University ringette is organized by Canadian University & College Ringette Association, commonly known by the abbreviation, "CUR" due to the organization's original name, "Canadian University Ringette". The sport of ringette was invented in North Bay, Ontario (specifically West Ferris) and Espanola, Ontario in 1963.
