Missouri State Bears and Lady Bears
The Missouri State Bears and Lady Bears are the athletic teams representing Missouri State University (formerly Southwest Missouri State University). Missouri State's athletics programs date back to 1908. Missouri State competes in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision, and most teams compete in the Missouri Valley Conference. Missouri State football competes in the Missouri Valley Football Conference, while Men's Swimming and Diving competes in the Mid-American Conference, and the beach volleyball team is a member of the Coastal Collegiate Sports Association. Missouri State athletics are frequently abbreviated as "MOST" when  televised. Sports sponsored. A member of the Missouri Valley Conference, Missouri State University sponsors six men's and 11 women's teams in NCAA sanctioned sports. Women's basketball NCAA Tournament results. WNIT appearances. 2002, 2005 (Champions), 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2017, 2018 AIAW tournament appearances. Missouri AIAW state tournament: 1970–1982 (won 1971, 1973, 1974, 1975 and 1981 tournaments) AIAW Region VI tournament: 1974, 1975, 1981 AIAW Division II national tournament: 1981 Conference championships. Gateway Conference (1983–1992) 2 1991, 1992 Missouri Valley Conference (1992–present) 12 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1999, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2012, 2020, 2021 Club sports . The university also sponsors several club sports teams, including ice hockey (ACHA), lacrosse (MCLA), and roller hockey (NCRHA). Men's ice hockey. Missouri State men's ice hockey, known as the Ice Bears, began in 2001 and despite not being a varsity NCAA sport receives much attention on and off-campus. The Ice Bears currently compete at the Division I level of the American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) in the Western Collegiate Hockey League (WCHL). The teams play off-campus at the 2,000-seat Mediacom Ice Park. Men's varsity ice hockey finished the 2009–2010 season ranked 2nd in the  MACHA DII with a record of 12–4–0 in 16 league games, the team lost in the MACHA Championship 1–5 to Southern Illinois University- Edwardsville. In addition to the ACHA DII team the University also fields a JV teams playing at the ACHA DIII level. The team won the MACHA DIII championship with a 5–3 win over Robert Morris University- Peoria. Men's lacrosse. Missouri State also fields a highly successful club Lacrosse Team. Founded in 2003, it competes in the Men's Collegiate Lacrosse Association (MCLA) Division II and was a member of the Great Rivers Lacrosse Conference (GRLC) through  2017 before it moved to Division II of the Lone Star Alliance (LSA) in 2018. The Bears have been conference champions five times in their history (2004, 2009, 2010, 2017, and 2018) and have qualified for the MCLA National Championships on four occasions (2009, 2010, 2017, and 2018). The Bears finished the 2018 season with a record of 12-3, including a perfect 6-0 conference record and victories over Creighton, Baylor, and in-state rival University of Missouri. Since 2003, Missouri State has fielded 11 All-Americans, over 80 All-Conference players, 3 GRLC Tournament MVP's, and 4  GRLC Division II Coach's of the Year.