| Warner Royals | |
| University: | Warner University |
| Association: | NAIA |
| Conference: | The Sun (primary) Mid-South (men's volleyball) |
| Director: | Chrissy Moskovits |
| Location: | Lake Wales, Florida |
| First Season: | 1973 |
| Teams: | 20 |
| Mens Teams: | 8 |
| Womens Teams: | 11 |
| Coed Teams: | 1 |
| Stadium: | Tye Athletic Field |
| Basketballarena: | Turner Athletic Center |
| Baseballfield: | Royals Baseball Field |
| Softballstadium: | Daly Field |
| Soccerstadium: | Royals Soccer Field |
| Lacrossestadium: | Tye Athletic Field |
| Nickname: | Royals |
| Color1: | Blue |
| Color2: | Gold |
| Hex1: | 0000ff |
| Hex2: | CC9900 |
| Pageurl: | https://warnerroyals.com/index.aspx |
The Warner Royals are the athletic teams for Warner University in Lake Wales, Florida, in intercollegiate sports as a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA),[1] primarily competing in the Sun Conference (formerly known as the Florida Sun Conference (FSC) until after the 2007–08 school year) for most of its sports since the 1990–91 academic year;[2] [3] while its men's volleyball team competes in the Mid-South Conference (MSC). They are also a member of the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA), primarily competing as an independent in the South Region of the Division I level. Their rivals are the Webber Warriors.
Warner competes in 21 intercollegiate varsity sports: Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, football, soccer, tennis, track & field and volleyball; women's sports include basketball, beach volleyball, cheerleading, cross country, dance, flag football,[4] lacrosse, soccer, softball, tennis, track & field and volleyball; and co-ed sports include clay target. Former sports included men's & women's golf.
The university added football for the 2013 season.[5] The team initially played as an NAIA Independent program with a mixed schedule of NAIA, NCAA Division II and NCAA Division I FCS competition.[6] The Royals left independent status after the inaugural season when The Sun Conference announced football as a conference sport starting in the 2014 season.[7] After two seasons, the conference announced a football merger with the Mid-South Conference in 2016.[8] Warner and the other conference rivals became affiliate members in the Mid-South, participating in the Sun Division for football.[9] Their football team gained national recognition after losing 98-0 to Stephen F. Austin on September 24, 2022.
Warner University was the first college/university to offer a varsity men's volleyball program in the state of Florida. The men's volleyball program participates in the Mid-South Conference.[10] The program initially competed in the Mid-America Men's Volleyball Intercollegiate Conference (MAMVIC). The program made back-to-back appearances in the NAIA Men's Volleyball National Invitational Tournament in 2011 and 2012.