| Graceland Yellowjackets | |
| University: | Graceland University |
| Association: | NAIA |
| Conference: | Heart of America Athletic Conference |
| Director: | Joe Worlund |
| Location: | Lamoni, Iowa |
| Teams: | 22 (10 men’s, 9 women’s, 3 co-ed) |
| Stadium: | Huntsman Field |
| Basketballarena: | Closson Center |
| Baseballfield: | Chase Stadium |
| Softballstadium: | HMP Stadium |
| Soccerstadium: | John Rasmussen Soccer Complex |
| Mascot: | Sting |
| Nickname: | Yellowjackets |
| Fightsong: | Graceland Forever |
| Pageurl: | www.gujackets.com |
The Graceland Yellowjackets are the athletic teams that represent Graceland University, located in Lamoni, Iowa, in intercollegiate sports as a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), primarily competing in the Heart of America Athletic Conference (HAAC) since the 1971–72 academic year.[1]
Over 50% of the students on Graceland's Lamoni campus are student athletes.[2]
Graceland competes in 22 intercollegiate varsity sports: Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, soccer, track & field (indoor and outdoor), volleyball and wrestling; while women's sports include basketball, cross country, flag football, golf, soccer, softball, track & field (indoor and outdoor) and volleyball; and co-ed sports include cheerleading, dance and rodeo.
| Baseball | Basketball | Cheerleading | |
| Basketball | Cross country | Dance | |
| Cross country | Flag football | Rodeo | |
| Football | Golf | ||
| Golf | Soccer | ||
| Soccer | Softball | ||
| Track and field† | Track and field† | ||
| Volleyball | Volleyball | ||
| Wrestling | |||
A member of the Heart of America Athletic Conference, Graceland University sponsors teams in ten men's and eight women's varsity sports.
In 2005, just four years after completing a season of 0–10, the Yellowjackets won their first HAAC championship title since 1975 and qualified for the NAIA national championships for the first time in the school's history.[3] Herbert Goodman (1998-1999), and Jeff Criswell (1983-1986) went on to play in the NFL. Jerome Messam (2007-2009) as of 2018 plays in the CFL. The coach as of 2017 for the Yellowjackets was Marc Kolb.[4]
In 2018 the men's basketball team won the NAIA Division I National Championship. This was the Yellowjackets first appearance in the tournament.
The school's fight song, Graceland Forever, was written by Warren McElwain in 1925.[5] The school's alma mater was written by Roy A. Cheville in 1926.[5]