Kennesaw State Owls

Kennesaw State Owls
Logo
UniversityKennesaw State University
ConferenceConference USA
NCAADivision I (FBS)
Athletic directorMilton Overton
LocationKennesaw, Georgia
Varsity teams18 (8 men's, 10 women's)
Football stadiumFifth Third Bank Stadium
Basketball arenaKSU Convocation Center
Baseball stadiumStillwell Baseball Stadium
Softball stadiumBailey Park
Soccer stadiumFifth Third Bank Stadium
Lacrosse stadiumFifth Third Bank Stadium
Tennis venueBetty Siegel Courts
MascotScrappy the Owl
NicknameOwls
Fight songThe KSU Fight Song
ColorsBlack and gold[1]
   
Websitewww.ksuowls.com
Team NCAA championships
5[2]
Conference USA logo in Kennesaw State's colors

The Kennesaw State Owls fields 16 varsity athletics teams, competing for Kennesaw State University. After spending ten years in Division II's Peach Belt Conference, the university fully transitioned to Division I status in the National Collegiate Athletic Association at the beginning of the 2009–10 season. 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[3] in advance of its move to Conference USA, which happened in 2024.[4] Of its 18 varsity sports, only women's lacrosse is not sponsored by CUSA. The school mascot is Scrappy the Owl.

Kennesaw State's athletic department was founded in 1983, and initially offered nine sports: women's basketball, men's soccer, men's & women's cross country, and men's & women's track and field. The program first began competition in the Georgia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, part of the NAIA. In just 23 years, the school has transitioned to a full NCAA Division I program.

  1. ^ Kennesaw State University Athletics Style Guide (PDF). December 9, 2022. Retrieved July 9, 2023.
  2. ^ "CHAMPIONSHIPS SUMMARY" (PDF). NCAA.org. NCAA. Retrieved 19 July 2024.
  3. ^ "Kennesaw State to Join Conference USA in 2024-25" (Press release). Kennesaw State Owls. October 14, 2022. Retrieved October 14, 2022.
  4. ^ "C-USA Adds Kennesaw State, Owls to Join in 2024" (Press release). Conference USA. October 14, 2022. Retrieved October 14, 2022.