The Oklahoma Baptist Bison are the athletic teams that represent
Oklahoma Baptist University
Oklahoma Baptist University (OBU) is a private Baptist university in Shawnee, Oklahoma. It was established in 1910 under the original name of The Baptist University of Oklahoma. OBU is owned and was founded by the Baptist General Convention of ...
, located in
Shawnee, Oklahoma
Shawnee () is a city in and the county seat of Pottawatomie County, Oklahoma, Pottawatomie County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 29,857 in 2010, a 4.9 percent increase from the figure of 28,692 in 2000. The city is part of the Oklah ...
, in intercollegiate athletics as a member of the
NCAA Division II
NCAA Division II (D-II) is the intermediate-level division of competition in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). It offers an alternative to both the larger and better-funded Division I and to the scholarship-free environment ...
ranks, primarily competing in the
Great American Conference
The Great American Conference (GAC) is a List of NCAA conferences, college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the NCAA Division II, Division II level, with headquarters located in Russellvil ...
(GAC) since the 2015–16 academic year.
They were also a member of the
National Christian College Athletic Association
The National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) is an association of Christian universities, colleges, and Bible colleges in the United States and Canada whose mission is "the promotion and enhancement of intercollegiate athletic c ...
(NCCAA), primarily competing as an independent in the Central Region of the Division I level.
Prior joining the NCAA, the Bison previously competed in the
National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics
The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) established in 1940, is a college athletics association for higher education, colleges and universities in North America. Most colleges and universities in the NAIA offer athletic schola ...
(NAIA), primarily competing in the
Sooner Athletic Conference
The Sooner Athletic Conference (SAC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). Originally developed as a five-team conference of Oklahoma-based schools, the SAC now boasts 13 ...
(SAC) from 1978–79 to 2014–15; and in the
Texoma Athletic Conference from 1973–74 to 1977–78.
Varsity teams
OBU competes in 13 intercollegiate varsity sports: Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, football and track and field; while women's sports include basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, softball, stunt, track & field and volleyball. Former sports included men's golf, women's lacrosse, men's soccer, men's & women's swimming, men's & women's tennis and women's cheerleading.
Move to NCAA Division II
As of July 11, 2014, the NCAA Division II Membership Committee recommended the membership application for the institution to set up the move from the NAIA to
NCAA Division II
NCAA Division II (D-II) is the intermediate-level division of competition in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). It offers an alternative to both the larger and better-funded Division I and to the scholarship-free environment ...
, competing in the
Great American Conference
The Great American Conference (GAC) is a List of NCAA conferences, college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the NCAA Division II, Division II level, with headquarters located in Russellvil ...
, effectively the 2015–16 season.
National championships
Team
Individual programs
Baseball

Oklahoma Baptist has had 15
Major League Baseball Draft
The Major League Baseball draft (officially the Rule 4 Draft; also known as the first-year player draft or amateur draft) is the primary mechanism by which Major League Baseball (MLB) assigns amateur baseball players from high schools, colleg ...
selections since the draft began in 1965.
Swimming
OBU has won NAIA championships in men's swimming and diving (2012 and 2013) and women's swimming and diving (2013).
On March 9, 2012, swim team member Ivan Maciuniak, age 22, drowned in the pool. A native of
Las Palmas
Las Palmas (, ; ), officially Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, is a Spanish city and capital of Gran Canaria, in the Canary Islands, in the Atlantic Ocean.
It is the capital city of the Canary Islands (jointly with Santa Cruz de Tenerife) and the m ...
,
Canary Islands
The Canary Islands (; ) or Canaries are an archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean and the southernmost Autonomous communities of Spain, Autonomous Community of Spain. They are located in the northwest of Africa, with the closest point to the cont ...
, Spain, Maciuniak had joined his brother, Mateo, at OBU in January 2012. The Maciuniak brothers were on the four-man 400-meter relay team which won the final event of the meet to claim the national championship in OBU's first year of intercollegiate swimming.
"Ivan Maciuniak, 22, dies after swim"
Associated Press
The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City.
Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...
at ESPN.com
ESPN.com is the official website of ESPN. It is owned by ESPN Internet Ventures, a division of ESPN Inc.
History
Since launching in April 1995 as ESPNET.SportsZone.com (ESPNET SportsZone), the website has developed numerous sections including ...
, March 12, 2012.
References
External links
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