Graceland Yellowjackets | |
---|---|
University | Graceland University |
Association | NAIA |
Conference | Heart of America Athletic Conference |
Athletic director | Joe Worlund |
Location | Lamoni, Iowa |
Varsity teams | 22 |
Football stadium | Huntsman Field |
Basketball arena | Closson Center |
Baseball stadium | Chase Stadium |
Softball stadium | HMP Stadium |
Soccer stadium | John Rasmussen Soccer Complex |
Mascot | Sting |
Nickname | Yellowjackets |
Fight song | Graceland Forever |
Colors | Blue and black [1] |
Website | www |
The Graceland Yellowjackets are the athletic teams that represent Graceland University, located in Lamoni, Iowa, in intercollegiate sports as a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), primarily competing in the Heart of America Athletic Conference (HAAC) since the 1971–72 academic year. [2]
Over 50% of the students on Graceland's Lamoni campus are student athletes. [3]
Graceland competes in 22 intercollegiate varsity sports: Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, soccer, track & field (indoor and outdoor), volleyball and wrestling; while women's sports include basketball, cross country, flag football, golf, soccer, softball, track & field (indoor and outdoor) and volleyball; and co-ed sports include cheerleading, dance and rodeo.
Men's sports | Women's sports | Co-ed sports |
---|---|---|
Baseball | Basketball | Cheerleading |
Basketball | Cross country | Dance |
Cross country | Flag football | Rodeo |
Football | Golf | |
Golf | Soccer | |
Soccer | Softball | |
Track and field† | Track and field† | |
Volleyball | Volleyball | |
Wrestling | ||
† – Track and field includes both indoor and outdoor |
A member of the Heart of America Athletic Conference, Graceland University sponsors teams in ten men's and eight women's varsity sports.
In 2005, just four years after completing a season of 0–10, the Yellowjackets won their first HAAC championship title since 1975 and qualified for the NAIA national championships for the first time in the school's history. [4] Herbert Goodman (1998-1999), and Jeff Criswell (1983-1986) went on to play in the NFL. Jerome Messam (2007-2009) as of 2018 plays in the CFL. The coach as of 2017 for the Yellowjackets was Marc Kolb. [5]
In 2018 the men's basketball team won the NAIA Division I National Championship. This was the Yellowjackets first appearance in the tournament.
The school's fight song, Graceland Forever, was written by Warren McElwain in 1925. [6] The school's alma mater was written by Roy A. Cheville in 1926. [6]
The Heart of America Athletic Conference is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). Member institutions are located in Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska in the United States.
Graceland University is a private university with campuses in Lamoni, Iowa, and Independence, Missouri. The university offers degree completion and master's degree programs at satellite campuses in Centerville and Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and Trenton, Missouri. It also offers undergraduate and graduate programs online. The university was founded in 1895. Graceland was established by, and is affiliated with, the Community of Christ, formerly the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
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