Hesston College women’s volleyball team 1972-73 – the first women’s varsity team

For nearly 70 years, Hesston College athletics has built a rich legacy at the junior college level, consistently competing on conference, regional and national stages.
In 1955, founder of Hesston College athletics Evan Oswald ’48 started the first varsity sports team on campus — men’s basketball. Baseball followed in 1958, with men’s soccer added in 1963. Over the years, the program expanded to include golf, tennis, cross country and track. In 1972, volleyball became the first women’s intercollegiate sport, soon followed by basketball.

Oswald helped form the Prairie Christian College Conference (PCCC) in 1963, later renamed to Prairie Junior College Conference (PJCC), which originally consisted of five member schools. In the first three seasons of its existence, Hesston won PCCC championships in all seven men’s sports — soccer, basketball, baseball, tennis, golf, cross country and track.Over the next several decades, Hesston’s teams continued to achieve significant success. From 1963 to 1990, men’s soccer claimed nine PCCC/PJCC championships, 10 Region VI titles and produced 16 National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) All-Americans. Baseball experienced two standout eras securing three league championships, six region titles and twice placing at the National Small College Athletics Association Tournament, finishing as runners-up in 1992.

Men’s basketball had a dominant run in the late ’80s, winning four straight region titles and making three national tournament appearances. Volleyball quickly found success as well, posting a perfect 30-0 regular-season record in its second year (1974) and finishing third at the first-ever NJCAA national championship. The program returned to the national stage in 1997, finishing as NJCAA Division III runners-up. Women’s basketball won five region titles and made its first national tournament appearance in 1997. Lark softball had a strong run in the 2000s, securing back-to-back region championships in 2003 and 2004.

More recently, Hesston added to its championship history with baseball and men’s basketball claiming regional titles, softball earning a conference title, women’s flag football named back-to-back NJCAA runners-up in their first two seasons and men’s golf achieving its first-ever team berth to the national tournament.

Now, after nearly seven decades of two-year athletics, the program is preparing for a new chapter. Beginning in fall 2025, Hesston will transition to a four-year athletic model. The college has been accepted as a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA). While the two-year era is coming to an end, its legacy will always remain a vital part of Hesston’s history.