Athletics
Rockhurst University is home to the Hawks, the university's athletic program. After a generation in the NAIA, Rockhurst University joined NCAA Division II in 1999, as a founder of the Heartland Conference. In 2005 it moved to the Great Lakes Valley Conference. In July 2009 the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Association rejected a proposal for Rockhurst to join the conference to compete with geographically closer teams. The MIAA said it currently did not want to expand beyond 12 teams.
Rockhurst has eleven varsity athletic teams, including men's and women's basketball, soccer, golf, and tennis, men's baseball, women's softball, and women's volleyball. The school also offers three club sports: tennis, lacrosse, and the Spirit Squad, composed of the Dance Team and the co-ed cheerleading squad. It is a popular joke around campus that the Rockhurst University football team has remained undefeated since 1949 (the year that the team was dissolved).
The Rockhurst Men's Soccer team competed in the NAIA from 1973–1997, Rockhurst played in 17 national tournaments, advanced to the Final Four 10 times, and finished national runner-up four times in 1973, 1976, 1979, and 1997. Since joining the NCAA in 1998, the soccer team has posted a 118-48-21 record and advanced to the national tournament in 2002, 2003, 2005, and 2008.
There is also an intramurals program on campus, with many students participating in a 30-event program throughout the school year.
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