Ave Maria Gyrenes

The Ave Maria Gyrenes are the athletic teams that represent Ave Maria University, located in Ave Maria, Florida, in intercollegiate sports as a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA),^[2] primarily competing in the Sun Conference (formerly known as the Florida Sun Conference (FSC) until after the 2007–08 school year) since the 2009–10 academic year.^[3] They are also a member of the United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA).^[4]

Ave Maria Gyrenes
University	Ave Maria University
Association	NAIA
Conference	The Sun (primary)
Athletic director	Joe Patterson
Location	Ave Maria, Florida
Varsity teams	24 (12 men's, 12 women's)
Football stadium	Gyrene Field
Basketball arena	Tom Golisano Field House
Baseball stadium	Bowie's Ballpark
Softball stadium	Ave Maria Softball Field
Soccer stadium	Gyrene Field
Aquatics center	Immokalee Sports Complex
Lacrosse stadium	Gyrene Field
Tennis venue	AMU Tennis Facility
Mascot	Jax the Gyrene
Nickname	Gyrenes
Colors	Blue and green[1]
Website	avemariagyrenes.com

Varsity teams

Ave Maria competes in 24 intercollegiate varsity sports:

Men's sports	Women's sports
Baseball	Basketball
Basketball	Beach volleyball
Cross country	Cross country
Football	Golf
Golf	Lacrosse
Pickleball	Pickleball
Rugby	Soccer
Soccer	Softball
Swimming	Swimming
Tennis	Tennis
Track and field	Track and field
Ultimate frisbee	Volleyball

Football

In 2011, Ave Maria became the first college in southwestern Florida to field a football team.^[5] In the spring of 2016, the Gyrenes football team joined the Mid-South Conference (MSC) as an affiliate member.^[6]

Lacrosse

The women's lacrosse team competed in the National Women's Lacrosse League (NWLL) in their first varsity season in the spring of 2015.^[7]