Sports and Recreation
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Jump, run, shoot, score
You'll do that–and more–when you get involved with K-State's recreation and sports programs. You can pull together a basketball team on your residence hall floor, prepare to make your first-ever parachute jump, sweat to the beat during an aerobics session, or swim speed laps in a three-pool complex.
K-State's sports and fitness programs cater to everyone–from state champions to the last-picked team members.
Approximately 88 percent of our students participate in some activity through Rec Services. Just consider the options:
- An expanded and renovated recreation complex offering great facilities and fitness programs.
- An intramural program featuring competitions in more than 40 sports.
- Club teams that compete with other universities in more than 20 sports.
- Sixteen varsity sports that offer excitement whether you're on the team or on the sidelines.
Rec Complex
As many as 4,800 people per day use the Chester E. Peters Recreation Complex, and a $21-million expansion will feature a new gymnasium anda longer track and will expand the cardio/weight area to 20,000 square feet, twice the existing size. A rock climbing wall and other enhancements are part of the expansion effort.
The complex has 14 racquetball and handball courts; two squash courts; gyms with 10 basketball courts; a weight/fitness area with weight machines and free weights, Stairmasters, rowing machines, exercycles, and climbers; locker rooms and saunas; two indoor running tracks; a combatives area; and a circuit machine/stretching area.
Outdoors you'll find 20 acres of field space, which is lighted for night play; 10 tennis courts; a basketball court; horseshoe pits; and a fitness cluster with walking and running trails. Canoes, kayaks, tents, sleeping bags, and other outdoor equipment can be rented.
The natatorium, located next to Ahearn Field House on campus, features a pool for lap swimming, a recreation pool, and a diving well. More than 45,000 people swim in the natatorium each year.
Rec Services provides many jobs for students. You might work as a building manager, lifeguard, sports official, or group fitness leader.
Your semester fees help pay for recreational activities. By showing your K-State ID you'll be admitted free to both the Rec Complex and the natatorium.
Intramural sports
Thousands of students and faculty members compete each year on K-State's intramural teams.
Intramural teams compete with other campus teams. Most of these groups are organized just for fun, but if your team turns out to be good, you might win a coveted championship T-shirt.
Many people who played varsity sports in high school enjoy intramurals. You can play sports you enjoy without the pressures and time commitments of varsity competition.
K-State's intramural program hosts more than 40 individual, dual, and team sports. Competition is divided into men's, women's, co-rec, and living group divisions.
Basketball, softball, and volleyball–with approximately 300 teams competing–are K-State's most popular intramural sports. You have many sports to choose from:
- Badminton
- Basketball
- Bowling
- Cross country
- Flag football
- Golf
- Handball
- Horseshoes
- Inner tube water polo
- Soccer
- Softball
- Swimming
- Table tennis
- Tennis
- Volleyball
- Wrestling
- And more
Club sports
Club sports give K-Staters a chance to compete with teams from other universities in sports they enjoy. These nonvarsity clubs practice several times per week and compete with universities across the country.
K-State's club sports run the gamut from lacrosse to paintball. If you don't find what you're looking for, see if there's enough interest to start your own team. Here's a sample of sports available:
- Crew (rowing)
- Cycling
- Dodgeball
- Fishing
- Rodeo
- Roller hockey
- Rugby
- Soccer
- Softball
- Ultimate
- Volleyball
- Water polo
- Water skiing
- Wrestling
- And more
You can also get involved in sports-related groups that do not compete against other colleges. Attend the Activities Carnival, held each fall, to learn about the karate club, aikido club, horseman's association, and other groups.
Varsity athletics
Whether you're on the court or the sidelines, you'll love the excitement of K-State's varsity sports.
K-State’s football teams have played in three Big 12 title games and 13 bowl games, including 11 appearances in the last 15 years. Since 1999, the Cats have had 66 football players drafted by the NFL, with Terence Newman going No. 5 overall to the Dallas Cowboys in 2003 and Jordy Nelson going in the second round to the Green Bay Packers in 2008. Twelve former K-Staters have played in the Super Bowl.
The 2009 men’s basketball team won 22 games, tying for fourth in the Big 12. The 2008 team advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament, becoming the 23rd K-State men’s team to reach the tournament. The team has been to four Final Fours, made 16 Sweet 16 appearances, and won 19 conference championships. More than 40 Wildcats have been drafted by NBA teams, topped by 1988-89 NBA Rookie of the Year Mitch Richmond and Michael Beasley, drafted second overall by the Miami Heat in 2008.
The women’s basketball team advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament in 2008 and 2009, just two of its 11 NCAA appearances. The Wildcats won the 2008 Big 12 regular season championship with a 13-3 mark and won the WNIT in 2005. The Cats have won at least 20 games in seven of the last eight seasons, including a 25-8 record in 2009. Eight former Cats have been drafted into the WNBA.
K-State baseball rocked the athletics world in 2009 with a school-record 43 wins and the team’s first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance. The 2009 team included the Big 12 and Midwest Region Coach of the Year and the Big 12 Pitcher of the Year. Six players were drafted, adding to the more than 60 other Wildcats who have spent time in the major leagues.
Scott Sellers solidified K-State’s track and field reputation in 2009 after winning his second national high jump championship. K-State has also produced current women’s decathlon record-holder Austra Skujyte and competitors in nine sports in 13 Olympiads. Former Wildcats Thane Baker and Kenny Harrison have claimed Olympic gold medals.
K-State competes at the NCAA Division I level in the following sports:
- Football
- Basketball: men and women
- Baseball
- Volleyball
- Golf: men and women
- Outdoor track: men and women
- Indoor track: men and women
- Cross country: men and women
- Tennis: women
- Rowing: women
- Equestrian
Get more info about varsity athletics
Request information about joining a team
Tickets
You can buy discount tickets and support the varsity teams of your choice.