Kennesaw State University Athletics: A Tradition of Excellence

Kennesaw State University (KSU) has established itself as a dynamic institution of higher education, paralleled by the remarkable achievements of its athletic teams. Now competing in Conference USA, Kennesaw State Athletics sponsors 18 intercollegiate sports and supports nearly 250 student-athletes. Since transitioning to NCAA Division I in 2005, the Owls have secured 45 ASUN Conference titles and two Big South Conference football championships.

The Rise of KSU Athletics

The Kennesaw State athletic department was founded in 1983. Initially, it featured nine sports: women's basketball, men's soccer, men's and women's cross country, and men's and women's track and field. The program began its competitive journey in the Georgia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GIAC), a part of the NAIA.

Early Years and NAIA Success

Kennesaw State's baseball team started in 1984 as an NAIA program. Jim Nash served as the team's first head coach. In 1985, John Barrett led the team to the NAIA District 25 Tournament. Chip Reese coached for five seasons (1986-1990), with the Owls competing in the NAIA District 25 Tournament four times. Steve Givens coached in 1991, leading the team to another NAIA District 25 Tournament appearance.

Transition to NCAA Division II and National Championships

In 1992, Mike Sansing became the head coach, which brought immediate improvement. In 1994, the Owls achieved a school-high record of 48 wins and went undefeated in the postseason, winning the NAIA World Series against Southeastern Oklahoma State University.

The following year, the Owls moved to Division II and joined the Peach Belt Conference. They won their conference with a 19-4 record (43-14 overall) and advanced to the NCAA South Atlantic Regional after winning the Peach Belt Tournament. In 1996, the Owls defeated Columbus State and moved on to the NCAA Division II World Series in Montgomery, Alabama, where they defeated St. Joseph's 4-0 in the championship game.

From 1997 to 1999, Kennesaw made three straight appearances in the Division II World Series, losing each time in the finals or semi-finals.

Move to Division I

Kennesaw State began its transition to Division I in 2006. The university fully transitioned to Division I status in the National Collegiate Athletic Association at the beginning of the 2009-10 season, after spending ten years in Division II's Peach Belt Conference. All of Kennesaw State's sports teams competed in the Atlantic Sun Conference through the 2023-24 school year, except that football competed as an FCS independent in the 2023 season only. In July 2023, KSU started a transition to the Football Bowl Subdivision in advance of its move to Conference USA, which happened in 2024. Of its 18 varsity sports, only women's lacrosse is not sponsored by CUSA.

Sports Programs

Kennesaw State University offers a diverse range of sports programs for both men and women.

Women's Sports

The Owls boast 10 women’s sports:

Basketball
Cross Country
Golf
Lacrosse
Soccer
Softball
Tennis
Indoor Track and Field
Outdoor Track and Field
Volleyball

Men's Sports

The Department of Athletics sponsors eight men’s sports:

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Baseball
Basketball
Cross Country
Football
Golf
Tennis
Indoor Track and Field
Outdoor Track and Field

Achievements in Various Sports

Kennesaw State has achieved significant success in various sports, marking its presence in collegiate athletics.

Baseball

In 2011, the Owls defeated No. 8 Georgia Tech at Stillwell Stadium. The 2012 season saw the Owls reach the A-Sun Championship game against Belmont. In 2014, the Owls won their first A-Sun Championship by beating Lipscomb 7-1 and proceeded to their first NCAA Regional, winning in Tallahassee. In their short history, the Owls have had 32 players who have been drafted by MLB teams. In 2009, six Kennesaw State players were selected in the MLB draft. Chad Jenkins was selected by the Toronto Blue Jays with their first round pick (20th overall). Kyle Heckathorn was selected by the Milwaukee Brewers with their supplemental first round pick at 47th overall.

Basketball

Beginning in the 1985-86 season, the Kennesaw State Owls basketball teams began play as an NAIA team, competing in the GIAC conference. The Kennesaw State Owls basketball teams currently play NCAA Division I basketball in the Atlantic Sun Conference. The team was formed in the Convocation Center on the campus of KSU.

Cross Country

Kennesaw State's men's cross country team is currently coached by David Poteet. In the 2009 season, the Owls finished first in five of their eight meets, including a first-place finish in their conference at the A-Sun Cross Country Championship. The men ended the 2009 season finishing eighth at the NCAA South Region Championship. The women's team finished first in four of their seven meets in the 2009 season and finished second in their conference at the A-Sun Cross Country Championship.

Women's Soccer

Kennesaw State started women's soccer in 2002. In their first year of competition the school finished 18-0-1 and earned a trip to the national tournament. The following year Kennesaw State won the Division II National Championship. During the 2006 season, the Owls won the Atlantic Sun Conference regular season title. On November 5, 2009, the KSU Owls defeated Jacksonville in overtime. This win put the Owls in the finals versus Belmont on November 7, 2009. In the finals, Jade Dempster found the net with a penalty-kick goal in the 87th minute lifting Kennesaw State to its second Atlantic Sun Women's Soccer Championship in three seasons with a 2-1 victory against Belmont.

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Softball

The softball program was founded in the fall of 1983 by Gary Wiseman. In 1987, Scott Whitlock began coaching the Lady Owls. In his first year, Whitlock guided the team to a 36-5 record and captured the Georgia Conference Championship. Following the 1990 season, the Owls made a seamless transition from competing in slowpitch to fastpitch. In 1995, the Lady Owls jumped from NAIA to NCAA Division II, where they competed in the Peach Belt Conference. In their first year of competition at the Division II level, the Owls posted a 53-5 record, en route to winning the National Championship. In their first year of Division I play, the Owls went 38-17 and tied for second in the Atlantic Sun.

Track and Field

The Kennesaw State men's track team won the Indoor & Outdoor Conference Championships in 2008 and 2010. Individually, Daniel Haugh of track and field won the national championship in the hammer throw.

Volleyball

In the 2010 season, the volleyball team won nine out of ten Atlantic Sun Conference matches, finished in second in the A-Sun, and had four student-athletes receive All-Conference Honors. Head Coach Karen Weatherington was named A-Sun Coach of the Year. The women’s volleyball program was able to celebrate after claiming its second ASUN Conference Tournament championship.

Women's Lacrosse

The Kennesaw State Owls women's lacrosse program competes in the Atlantic Sun Conference. The addition of women's lacrosse at KSU fulfills a commitment made to the Atlantic Sun Conference when Kennesaw State joined the A-Sun in 2005, at which time KSU officials agreed to add a new sport to the Athletic Department's offerings.

Football

Kennesaw State has considered adding a football team at various points in its history. On November 9, 2007, a survey was administered by Student Government with 77.6 percent of respondents voting in favor of starting a football program. Kennesaw State convened a football committee in late 2009. The Program began playing games in the fall of 2015, with a 56-16 win against East Tennessee State.

In the program's fourth year of existence, the Owls won the 2017 Big South Championship, going 5-0 in conference play. Kennesaw State received the conference's automatic bid to the FCS playoffs in both those seasons. The 2018 season saw The Owls open at fifth in both polls, the highest in program history. Kennesaw lost its third straight season opener, a tough road loss to nearby Georgia State. After the hiccup the Owls did not look back, winning 11 games in a row. Kennesaw finished 5-0 in the Big South winning a second consecutive conference championship. The regular season was completed with an instant classic against Jacksonville State at SunTrust Park. Holding a 10-1 regular season record, Kennesaw received a first round bye as the fourth seed in the FCS playoffs. At the conclusion of the 2019 season that saw Kennesaw go 11-3, the Owls tallied a 48-15 total record from the start of the program. Kennesaw State football just completed the most successful five-year start-up program in college football history, posting 48 victories and surpassing Georgia Southern (47) and Old Dominion (46) during the final two weeks of last season. KSU finished with a final ranking of #8 and has been in the Top 25 for 33 consecutive weeks. KSU is the only start-up program in college football history to post three consecutive 11-win seasons during its first five years of competition, and the Owls are joined by North Dakota State as the only FCS programs to post 11-plus wins in each of the last three years.

Academics and Community Engagement

Kennesaw State student-athletes have demonstrated a strong commitment to academics, posting at least a 3.03 grade-point average in the fall 2019 semester. Of the Owls’ 18 sports, 12 had a 3.0 or better GPA last fall, and 46 student-athletes achieved a perfect 4.0. KSU student-athletes also maintain a rich tradition of community service, with 100 percent of KSU athletic programs volunteering in the community.

Facilities

The Convocation Center houses the NCAA Division I men's and women's basketball programs. The facility supports academic classes, lectures, concerts, theatrical performances, athletic events, graduations, and convocation ceremonies. It includes locker rooms, training rooms, and offices for the athletic department.

KSU and the Atlanta Beat of Women's Professional Soccer entered into a public-private partnership to build the new Kennesaw State University Soccer Stadium, now known as Fifth Third Bank Stadium, near the KSU campus. The facility, which opened on May 2, 2010, has been home to the Owls ever since.

KSU: A Brief History

Kennesaw State University was chartered on October 9, 1963. In December 1964, Horace Sturgis was designated as the future college's first president. In 1976, Kennesaw Junior College became a four-year college and was redesignated Kennesaw College. By 1985, KSU had initiated its first graduate degree programs and began building residential housing. Kennesaw State achieved University status in 1996.

In the summer of 2006, Daniel S. On November 1, 2013, the University System of Georgia announced that Kennesaw State University would merge with nearby Southern Polytechnic State University in 2015. Kennesaw State would be the surviving institution, with President Papp serving as president of the merged university. On January 6, 2015, the Georgia Board of Regents approved the consolidation of Southern Polytechnic State and Kennesaw State. Pamela Whitten was KSU's president, serving until 2021.

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