Kennesaw State Owls

Kennesaw State University fields 15 varsity athletics teams called the Owls, with men the "Fighting Owls" and women the "Lady Owls". After spending 10 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 2009-2010 season. All teams compete in the Atlantic Sun Conference. The school mascot is Scrappy the Owl.

Athletics Director

In April 2011 President Dr. Daniel S. Papp named University of Connecticut Associate Athletic Director Vaughn Williams as the university’s new athletic director. Williams brings more than 17 years of NCAA Division I senior athletic administrative experience to KSU. Williams served as Associate Athletic Director during UConn's men’s basketball team national NCAA Division I championship season.

Sports

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. 2004 was the start of the transition to Division I and during the 2006 season, the Owls won the Atlantic Sun Conference regular season title. After winning their second straight A-Sun title in 2007, the Owls made their first appearance in the NCAA Women's Soccer Championships, falling to Florida State, 3-0, in the first round. 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 the last three seasons with a 2-1 victory against Belmont. The Owls earn the conference’s automatic bid to the 2009 NCAA tournament and they will find out where they will be headed during the NCAA Women’s Soccer selection show November 9, 2009.

The Owls opened a new home in 2010. 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 near the KSU campus. Both the Owls and the Beat play all their home games in the facility, which opened on May 2, 2010.^[1]

Basketball

The Kennesaw State Fighting Owl and Lady Owl basketball teams play Division I basketball in the Convocation Center on the campus of KSU. The teams previously played in the Spec Landrum Center, which served as the home floor when the men won the NCAA Division II National Championship in 2004. The current women's head coach is Colby Tilley. There is a search nationwide search underway to find a new Mens Basketball Head Coach

Baseball

Kennesaw State's baseball team is currently coached by Mike Sansing. The Owls play at Stillwell Stadium on the south section of the campus adjacent to the University Place housing community. Owl Alumni in Major League Baseball include Jason Jones of the Texas Rangers and Willie Harris, who earned a World Series ring with the Chicago White Sox in 2005, of the Washington Nationals. In 2009 Several Major League Baseball teams drafted several KSU players. Chad Jenkins was a first round pick and the 20th selection overall when he was taken by professional team Toronto Blue Jays while right-hander Kyle Heckathorn was selected by the Milwaukee Brewers as the 47th overall pick. Jace Whitmer, Kenny Faulk, Tyler Stubblefield, and Justin Edwards were also selected by MLB teams.

Cross Country

Kennesaw State's men's cross country team is currently coached by Stan Sims. 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. The women finished second in their conference at the A-Sun Cross Country Championship. The Cross Country team was also featured in an article of the September, 2010 issue of Running Times magazine.

Softball

Kennesaw State's softball team is led by Hall of Fame coach Scott Whitlock. The Lady Owls play at Jones Park just south of the intersection of Kennesaw State University Road and Paulding Avenue in the center of campus. The facility added a new Daktronics scoreboard in left field in the spring of 2006.

Indoor/Outdoor Track and Field

The Kennesaw State track men's track team won the Indoor & Outdoor Conference Championships in 2008 and 2010.

Football

Kennesaw State has considered adding a football team at various points in its history. Future plans for the school include a football stadium. The school has concluded a feasibility survey which affirmed it would be possible to have Division I football. 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. Participation in the survey was supposed to be restricted to enrolled students only; however, due to a design flaw, anyone could take the survey an unlimited number of times.^[2]

Kennesaw State convened a football committee in late 2009, consisting of students, faculty, staff, alumni, business and community leaders, as well as friends and benefactors of KSU. The group, led by former University of Georgia football coach and athletic director Vince Dooley,^[3] provided a final report of its recommendations to KSU President Daniel Papp in September 2010.^[4]

The results of the report were released in a September 15, 2010 press conference, featuring Papp and Dooley, at the KSU Convocation Center.^[5] It was announced that the school would plan to launch a football program at the FCS level in 2014, with the team playing home games at KSU Soccer Stadium.^[3]

Championships

As a Division II school, Kennesaw State won five national championships in four sports: Baseball (1996), Men's Basketball (2004), Women's Soccer (2003), and Softball (1995, 1996).

Club sports

Scrappy "retired" athletic logo.

Kennesaw State also offers club sports in ultimate frisbee, cycling, lacrosse, roller hockey, wrestling, rugby, competitive cheer, and fastpitch softball. KSU lacrosse fields a competitive team each year that participates in the SELC (SouthEastern Lacrosse Conference).

Cheerleading

Kennesaw State's Cheerleading Spirit Squad cheers for all the home Men's and Women's Basketball games. The Competitive Cheerleading team was recently moved to club sports and has been taken over by Head Coach A.J. Lawrence. Lawrence is a former Kennesaw Cheerleader 2002-2006. The Competitive Cheerleading Team has won two National Cheerleading Association Collegiate National Championships in Division II in 2004 and 2005. The squad moved to Division I in 2006 and is now competing against top schools such as University of Maryland, University of Louisville, and Ohio State University and has continued to be ranked in the top five spots in the nation.

Ice Hockey

The Kennesaw State University Ice Hockey team garners the most attention of any club sports. The Owls are members of the ACHA and participate at the Division II level. Prior to their move to Division II, KSU won the 2007 ACHA Division III National Championship in Ft. Wayne, Indiana.

Ultimate Frisbee

The Kennesaw State Ultimate Frisbee team is in the AC region and GSC section. In 2010, the KSU Ultimate team placed 4th at sectionals, earning their first trip to Regionals, where they finished tied for 7th in the region. Notable players include Taylor "Tree" Goforth, who was selected for 1st team - All Region in the AC region for 2010.

References