Sports and Recreation

Discover the vibrant athletic life at Drake

Athletics at Drake is about more than sports. It’s about being healthy and feeling good. From intramurals to workout classes to D1 sports, you’ll find a way to manage your fitness that makes sense for you and your goals.

A Drake University rec center with treadmills

Two students running together wearing Drake Bulldogs sweatshirts

Inside an on-campus rec center with a student on an elyptical machine

Wellness and Fitness

Whether you're a lifting pro or first-time gym goer, the diverse programs, activities and recreational facilities at Drake will help you stay healthy throughout your academic career.

Bell Center – run the track, do some laps in the pool, or play a game of racquetball. You can even join free Group Exercise classes—anything from yoga to cardio kickboxing.

Wellness Center – stop in for your free Fitness Assessment, Exercise Prescription, Weight Training Clinic or Nutrition Analysis.

Underground Fitness – hit the weights or take your choice of cardio machines at this students-only rec center.

Two Drake University students playing volleyball on campus

Club Sports

If your game of choice is Ultimate Frisbee, rugby or something in between, consider joining one of Drake’s Sport Clubs. You’ll compete at a high level while representing Drake University throughout the state, region, and nation.

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Intramural Sports

The thrill of the last-minute goal and the come-from-behind-win aren’t just for varsity athletes. Drake offers more than 20 intramural sports for students that want to have a bit of good clean competition right on campus.

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Drake University basketball player on the court dribbling a basketball during a game

Division 1 Sports

Drake competes in 16 Division I sports—that’s the highest level of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the NCAA. So put on your blue, paint your face, and grab your free student ticket to watch the Bulldogs hit the court or take the field.

Visit godrakebulldogs.com for more information on Drake sports.


Drake Relays

As a student, you’ll have free access to the Drake Relays, a world-class track and field competition that brings top collegiate athletes and Olympians to campus every year. Major records are routinely broken on Drake’s legendary “Blue Oval.”

But ask any Drake student, and they’ll tell you the Relays is much more than a track meet. It’s one of the greatest weeks of the year.

A crowd sitting in the bleachers of the blue oval track cheering during a Drake Relays event

A student wearing sunglasses and a t-shirt covered in paint during the Drake Relays street painting event

With palpable excitement, campus transforms each Relays week through the most memorable event, Street Painting. This tradition has students painting squares of concrete along a street that runs in front of Cowles Library. And the paint never stays confined to buckets and brushes, as students inevitably turn one another into works of art.