Mars Hill Lions

The Mars Hill Lions are the athletic teams that represent Mars Hill University, located in Mars Hill, North Carolina, in NCAA Division II intercollegiate sports.^[3]

Mars Hill Lions
University	Mars Hill University
Conference	South Atlantic (primary)
NCAA	Division II
Athletic director	Rick Baker[1]
Location	Mars Hill, North Carolina
Varsity teams	22 (10 men's, 11 women's, 1 co-ed)
Football stadium	Meares Stadium
Basketball arena	Stanford Arena
Baseball stadium	Henderson Field
Soccer stadium	Belk Field
Aquatics center	Harrell Pool
Other venues	Chambers Gymnasium
Nickname	Lions
Colors	Royal blue and gold[2]
Website	marshilllions.com/landing/index

The Lions are full members of the South Atlantic Conference, home to 18 of its 21 athletics programs. The men's and women's swimming programs are members of the single-sport Appalachian Swimming Conference, and the acrobatics and tumbling team is an associate member of Conference Carolinas.

Mars Hill have been members of the SAC since its founding in 1975.

Varsity teams

Men's sports	Women's sports
Baseball	Acrobatics and tumbling
Basketball	Basketball
Cross Country	Cross Country
Esports	Esports
Football	Flag football
Golf	Golf
Lacrosse	Lacrosse
Soccer	Soccer
Swimming	Softball
Tennis	Swimming
Track and field	Tennis
Weightlifting	Track and field
	Volleyball
	Weightlifting

Individual teams

Cross country

The men's cross country team have been highly successful over the last two decades; from 1997 to 2014 they won 18 straight conference championships; in 2016 they won their 19th conference championship. In 2014 the men's cross country team won the NCAA Division II Southeast Regional championship and advanced to the Division II national championship meet, and in 2015 they finished in second place in the Division II Southeast Regional championship and advanced to the Division II national meet.^[4][5] In June 2017, Nathan Jones, a member of the Mars Hill cross country team, won the South Atlantic Conference Man of the Year Award, and in 2018 Mars Hill baseball player Zac Brown won the SAC Man of the Year Award.^[6][7]

Football

In December 2011, Mars Hill running back Jonas Randolph won the prestigious Harlon Hill Trophy, which is given annually to the most valuable player in NCAA Division II football.^[8]

Club sports

Cycling

In May 2011 the cycling team won the USA Cycling Collegiate Division II national championship.^[9] In 2012 they finished in second place nationally, and in May 2015 the Mars Hill cycling team finished the season ranked in first place nationally among Division II teams.

Weightlifting

In March 2025 the Mars Hill Women's Weightlifting Team won the USA Weightlifting Women's National Championship. They scored 230 points, over 45 points more than the second-place finishers, the University of Florida and Lindenwood University. The 45-point differential was the largest point difference by a female team in USA Weightlifting championship history.^[10][11] In the coed division, Mars Hill lost the national title by a single point, to Lindenwood University.^[12]