The Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference is officially losing a member, as the Hesston College Larks have been officially approved to join the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletes (NAIA).

 

Hesston had been a member of the KJCCC since 2019, and announced late in 2023 that it would begin the transition to a four-year athletic model, also shifting academic focus to bachelor's degree offerings.

 

In the inaugural season in NAIA, Hesston will compete in the Continental Athletic Conference (CAC), a non-traditional conference that allows schools considered independent a path to postseason play. Hesston will join Haskell Indian Nations University as the second Kansas school in the CAC.

 

Hesston also joins the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) as a Division 1 member institution that offers athletic scholarships. Central Christian and Sterling College are the only other NCCAA D1 schools in Kansas.