| 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]