Roosevelt Lakers Explained

Roosevelt Lakers
University:Roosevelt University
Association:NCAA
Conference:GLIAC (primary)
GLVC (affiliate, 2025)
Division:Division II (transitionary)
Location:Chicago, Illinois
Teams:20
Basketballarena:Goodman Center
Icehockeyarena:Edge Ice Arena
Baseballfield:Ozinga Field
Softballstadium:Ballpark at Rosemont
Soccerstadium:Morris Field
Tenniscourt:XS Tennis
Golfcourse:Flossmoor Golf Club
Arena2:Diversey River Bowl (bowling)
Nickname:Lakers
Pageurl:https://rooseveltlakers.com/

The Roosevelt Lakers are the athletic teams that represent Roosevelt University, located in Chicago, Illinois, in NCAA Division II intercollegiate sports. As of the 2024–25 school year, Roosevelt are transitionary NCAA members as they move athletic teams from the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics to Division II.[1]

The Lakers are members of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) for 15 of 17 sports. The other two programs, men's volleyball and women's bowling, are currently independents (the former will join the Great Lakes Valley Conference in 2025).

The Lakers previously competed in the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC) of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) between 2010 (when the school revived its athletics program and joined the NAIA) and 23.

History

Roosevelt University revived its athletic program after a 20-year absence in 2010. Roosevelt added women's volleyball for the 2011–12 academic year, followed by men's golf, men's and women's soccer, and softball for the 2012–13 academic year.[2]

The Lakers announced in April 2020 their addition of football and men's/women's ice hockey for the 2020–21 academic year, having been acquired from Robert Morris (when they competed as the Eagles); this merged expanded the university's offering of athletics programs from the initial seven to fourteen.

The ice hockey teams joined the American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) and inherited the Eagles' former ACHA affiliation.[3] [4] [5]

On August 1, 2022, Roosevelt announced that it would move to the NCAA Division II and join the GLIAC, starting in the 2023–24 school year as a provisional member, before competing in full GLIAC membership in 2024–25.[6]

Varsity sports

Teams

Men's sports (11)

Women's sports (9)

Facilities

The 20,000-capacity SeatGeek Stadium was previously the home of the Roosevelt Lakers soccer teams.[2] The team currently plays at Morris Field in Arlington Heights.[7]

The Lillian and Larry Goodman Center is located at 501 S. Wabash Avenue, which is the southeast corner of the intersection known as Ida B. Wells Drive and Wabash Avenue. The Goodman Center is a two-story, 27,834-gross-square-foot field house featuring a multi-purpose gymnasium on the second floor and first-floor space containing offices, meeting rooms, a team lounge, locker rooms, an athletic training room, and a strength and conditioning center.[8]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: ROOSEVELT JOINS NCAA DIVISION II . roosevelt.edu . Roosevelt University . 12 September 2024.
  2. News: The New York Times. A Rebuilding Program at Chicago's Roosevelt University. July 11, 2009. April 24, 2011.
  3. News: Football Is Coming to Roosevelt University This Fall . May 6, 2020 . Roosevelt Lakers . April 3, 2020.
  4. News: Men's Hockey Is Coming to Roosevelt University This Fall . May 6, 2020 . Roosevelt Lakers . April 6, 2020.
  5. News: Women's Hockey is Coming to Roosevelt University This Fall . May 6, 2020 . Roosevelt University Athletics . April 6, 2020.
  6. https://www.gliac.org/general_news/2021-22/Roosevelt Roosevelt University approved as provisional member of the GLIAC - GLIAC
  7. Web site: Roosevelt Athletic Facilities . 17 March 2024 . en.
  8. Web site: Lillian and Larry Goodman Center. Roosevelt.edu. April 24, 2020.