The Quincy Hawks are the athletic teams that represent Quincy University, located in Quincy, Illinois, in intercollegiate athletics. Quincy is a member of NCAA Division II and has been a member of the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) since 1994. The Hawks compete in the GLVC in all but two sports. Sprint football, a weight-restricted form of American football governed outside the NCAA structure, competes in the Midwest Sprint Football League, while men's bowling competes as an independent.
Men's volleyball competed in the Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (MIVA) for more than 30 seasons before joining the GLVC when the conference began sponsoring men's volleyball during the 2025–26 academic year. The NCAA does not currently sponsor a separate Division II championship in men's volleyball; Division I and Division II programs instead compete for the NCAA National Collegiate Men's Volleyball Championship.
Quincy currently sponsors 28 varsity sports. Women's lacrosse was added in 2017 and men's lacrosse in 2018, bringing the university to 23 varsity programs. Sprint football became Quincy's 24th varsity sport in 2022, with the Hawks becoming a charter member of the Midwest Sprint Football League. Men's and women's wrestling also began competition during the 2022–23 academic year. STUNT was added as the university's 27th varsity sport and began competition in 2025.
In May 2026, Quincy announced that women's flag football would be added beginning with the 2027–28 academic year. The program will become the university's 29th varsity sport and 15th women's sport.
Varsity teams
Men's sports Women's sports Baseball Basketball Basketball Bowling Bowling Competitive dance Cross country Cross country Football Golf Golf Lacrosse Lacrosse Soccer Soccer Softball Sprint football STUNT Swimming Swimming Tennis Tennis Track and field Track and field Volleyball Volleyball Wrestling Wrestling
Quincy University announced in May 2026 that it would add women's flag football as its 29th varsity sport, with competition scheduled to begin during the 2027–28 academic year.
National championships Team Men's Soccer (11) NAIA (11) Single (11) 1966 Trenton State 6–1 1967 Rockhurst 3–1 1971 Davis & Elkins 1–0 1973 Rockhurst 3–0 1974 Davis & Elkins 6–0 1975 Simon Fraser 1–0 1977 Keene State 3–0 1978 Alabama–Huntsville 2–0 1979 Rockhurst 1–0 1980 Simon Fraser 1–0 1981 Alderson Broaddus 4–1 Softball (1) NAIA (1) Single (1) 1985 Washburn 4–2
Individual Jalon White Men's track and field NCAA Division II Indoor 400 meters 2021 Xochitl Mota-Pettis Women's wrestling NCAA 124 pounds 2026
Individual sports
Baseball
Baseball has been played at Quincy since at least the 1940s. Independent baseball records date the Quincy College program to 1945, and future Major League Baseball player and coach El Tappe played baseball at Quincy College during the decade. Quincy's current season-by-season athletic records date back to 1958.
Quincy began competing in the Great Lakes Valley Conference in 1996 and earned its first NCAA Division II Tournament berth the following season. The Hawks have won five GLVC Tournament championships, capturing titles in 2000, 2011, 2017, 2018 and 2023. The 2000 championship was the first GLVC championship won by Quincy in any sport.
The Hawks won the NCAA Midwest Regional and advanced to the NCAA Division II Baseball Championship finals for the first time in 2017. Quincy went 0–2 at the eight-team championship in Grand Prairie, Texas, finishing the season 37–23.
Quincy advanced to NCAA Super Regional play in both 2022 and 2023. The 2023 Hawks finished 47–11, won both the GLVC regular-season and tournament championships and made the program's 12th NCAA Tournament appearance. The team hit 131 home runs during the season, tying the NCAA Division II single-season record.
Five former Quincy baseball players have reached Major League Baseball: El Tappe, Jim Finigan, Josh Kinney, Josh Rabe and Riley Martin. Tappe was the first former Hawk to reach the majors, debuting in 1954, while Martin became the fifth when he made his MLB debut in 2026.
Basketball
Men's Basketball
The Quincy men's basketball program began competition during the 1940–41 season. The Hawks made their first national tournament appearance in 1955 under head coach Harry Forrester. Quincy defeated St. Francis (N.Y.) 84–82 in the opening round of the NAIA national tournament before falling to Alderson-Broaddus 88–84 in the second round. The 1954–55 team finished 17–9 and was the first athletic team in Quincy history to qualify for a national competition. Quincy later returned to the NAIA national tournament in 1958, 1964 and 1967.
Quincy made its first NCAA Division II Tournament appearance in 1994 and returned in 1995 and 1997. The Hawks later made five NCAA Tournament appearances under head coach Marty Bell, in 2005, 2006, 2007, 2010 and 2017.
The program's deepest NCAA Tournament run came in 2010, when Quincy advanced to the Midwest Regional championship game and the NCAA Sweet Sixteen. The Hawks fell to Saint Joseph's College in triple overtime, narrowly missing the program's first NCAA Elite Eight appearance. Quincy has also won GLVC divisional regular-season championships, including the West Division title in 2017, when the Hawks finished 25–7 and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Women's Basketball
The Quincy women's basketball program began competition during the 1965–66 season. The program became a consistent NCAA Division II postseason participant during the 2000s, making its first NCAA Tournament appearance in 2003 and advancing to the Sweet Sixteen.
The Hawks produced their most successful NCAA postseason run in 2004. Quincy finished 29–5, won both the GLVC regular-season and tournament championships and captured the NCAA Great Lakes Regional championship to advance to the NCAA Division II Elite Eight. The Hawks were eliminated by Henderson State by one point in the national quarterfinals. Quincy repeated as both GLVC regular-season and tournament champion in 2005 and again advanced to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen.
Quincy returned to the NCAA Tournament several times over the following decade, including appearances in 2006, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2014 and 2016.
In 2025, Quincy won its third GLVC Tournament championship and its first since 2005, defeating Maryville 64–60 in the championship game. The victory gave the Hawks an automatic berth in the NCAA Division II Tournament, marking the program's 11th NCAA Tournament appearance and its first since 2016.
Bowling
Men's Bowling
Quincy previously sponsored men's bowling during its NAIA era. The 1966 team finished as the national runner-up at the NAIA National Bowling Tournament in Kansas City, Missouri. Quincy finished the tournament with a 10–5 record and 15,589 total pins, while John Kolodziej finished as the tournament's second-highest individual scorer.
Quincy reinstated men's bowling beginning with the 2020–21 academic year after announcing the return of the sport in 2019. Unlike women's bowling, men's collegiate bowling is not sponsored by the NCAA, and Quincy competes in events sanctioned through the United States Bowling Congress collegiate system.
The modern men's program recorded its most successful season to date in 2025–26. Quincy won the Mid-States Championship for the first tournament title in program history and earned its first ranking in the National Collegiate Bowling Coaches Association poll, reaching No. 16 nationally. The Hawks later finished fifth at the 2026 USBC sectional qualifier, their best finish in program history, narrowly missing qualification for the Intercollegiate Team Championships.
Women's Bowling
Quincy announced the addition of women's bowling in 2019, with competition beginning during the 2020–21 academic year. The program joined the Great Lakes Valley Conference for women's bowling in its inaugural season.
Women's bowling is an NCAA championship sport in which programs from all three NCAA divisions compete for a single national championship. Quincy has competed in each GLVC Women's Bowling Championship since beginning varsity competition and hosted the conference championship at Casino Lanes in Quincy in 2025.
Competitive Dance
The Quincy dance team, known as the Hawkettes, existed as a campus performance team before competitive dance was established as a varsity program. The Hawkettes entered their first competitive event in April 2024, competing at the Dance Team Union College Classic National Championships in Orlando, Florida, in preparation for Quincy's inaugural competitive dance season during the 2024–25 academic year.
At the 2024 College Classic, Quincy competed in the Division II pom, jazz and hip-hop divisions, placing 14th in pom, ninth in jazz and fourth in hip-hop. The Hawkettes returned to the College Classic National Championships in 2025, again competing in Division II pom, jazz and hip-hop.
Cross Country
Men's Cross Country
Quincy restored its men's and women's cross country programs in 2010 after a period in which the university did not sponsor varsity cross country. The men's team earned its first meet victory following the restoration of the program in 2013, winning the Sauk Valley Invitational. Mike Crotteau won the individual race with a time of 29:23.
Women's Cross Country
The women's cross country program was also restored in 2010. The Hawks earned their first meet championship since the program's restoration in 2013, winning the Scarlet and Blue Scramble hosted by Hannibal–LaGrange University.
In 2025, Quincy placed ninth at the Great Lakes Valley Conference Championship, the highest team finish in program history. The Hawks went on to compete at the NCAA Division II Midwest Regional, placing 25th among 27 scoring teams.
Football
Quincy's football program first competed in 1916. The program competed intermittently during its early history before being discontinued following the 1953 season. Football was reinstated at Quincy in 1986.
The Hawks joined the Illini–Badger Football Conference in 1993 and went 9–0 under first-year head coach Ron Taylor, winning the conference championship and completing the program's first undefeated season since football was reinstated. Quincy was ranked No. 1 in the final NCAA Division II Non-Scholarship Football Poll released by Don Hansen's National College Football Weekly Gazette. The Hawks repeated as Illini–Badger champions in 1994, finishing 8–1 and defeating Eureka 34–33 in the conference championship game.
Quincy began competing in the Mid-States Football Association in 2003 and remained in the league through the 2011 season. The Hawks became a football member of the Great Lakes Valley Conference in 2012, the first season in which the GLVC sponsored football.
Golf
Men's Golf
The Quincy men's golf program competes in NCAA Division II as a member of the Great Lakes Valley Conference. Quincy finished third at the 1999–2000 GLVC Championship, recording a three-round team score of 911. Dan Citro led the Hawks with a score of 227.
In 2026, freshman David Gartrell became the first Quincy men's golfer to be named GLVC Player of the Week. Gartrell earned the honor after finishing third at the Las Vegas Warrior Invitational with a three-round score of 214, two under par.
Women's Golf
The Quincy women's golf program also competes in NCAA Division II and the Great Lakes Valley Conference. GLVC championship records document Quincy competing in the conference championship by at least the 1998–99 season.
In 2026, Lily Vardaman became the first women's golfer in Quincy program history to qualify for an NCAA regional as an individual. Vardaman was selected as one of six individual competitors for the NCAA Division II East Regional at Findlay Country Club in Findlay, Ohio. She completed the three-round regional with scores of 78, 81 and 83.
Lacrosse
Men's lacrosse