Hesston College joins NAIA and NCCAA for 2025-26 athletic season

After a year and a half of applications and site visits, Hesston College is now a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and the National Christian College Athletics Association (NCCAA) for the 2025-26 school year. Membership in each organization begins on July 1, 2025.

“We are excited that all of our preparation has led us to membership in the NAIA and the NCCAA,” says Athletic Director Bryan Kehr. “The NAIA’s Champions of Character and the NCCAA’s #Kingchasing programs resonate strongly with our institutional goals.”

A member of the Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference since 2019, Hesston College announced in November 2023 it would begin the transition to a four-year athletic model parallel to a shift in its academic focus toward bachelor’s degree offerings.

“Hesston College sought membership in the NAIA by joining the NAIA Pathways program,” explains Kehr. “NAIA Vice President Nick Davidson came on campus for a visit and helped us prepare for the Membership Evaluation Team visit this February.”

In its first year as a member of the NAIA, Hesston will compete in the Continental Athletic Conference (CAC), a non-traditional conference that allows schools that are considered independents a clear path to postseason play. Hesston will join Haskell Indian Nations University (Lawrence, Kan.) as the second CAC member institution in the state of Kansas.

Hesston also joins the NCCAA as a Division I member as an institution that offers athletic scholarships. Central Christian College (McPherson, Kan.) and Sterling (Kan.) College are the only other NCCAA DI members in Kansas and are also members of the NAIA. They are joined by DII members Manhattan (Kan.) Christian College, Barclay College (Haviland, Kan.) and Kansas Christian College (Overland Park, Kan.).

“This partnership with the NCCAA is a true blessing for Hesston College,” shares Hesston College Interim President Ross Peterson-Veatch. “It is a wonderful opportunity for our community, and we are excited to align ourselves with this organization that shares many of our same values including competitive excellence and cultivating a Christ-centered experience for student-athletes.”

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