Rockhurst News

The excitement is palpable in the Kansas City community as World Cup matches kick off here. Students, faculty and alumni are among them.

Senior Sofia Valdespino was introduced to tennis at a young age. It was love at first sight.

Rockhurst University has received the NCAA Presidents' Award for Academic Excellence for achieving four-year Academic Success Rates of 90% or higher for the 15th consecutive year.

As the fall semester ended, so too did senior Molly Morris’ competitive cross country career.

It’s been a storybook season for Rockhurst University’s women’s tennis team, and like a lot of good stories, one of redemption. In 2024, the squad fell to the University of Indianapolis in the Great Lakes Valley Conference tournament and narrowly missed out on a NCAA tournament bid. Jamie McDonald, head coach for the team, said that loss helped motivate the team coming into its next season.

Hoping to offer another unique opportunity for students and further enhance the gameday experience for spectators, Rockhurst University athletics today announced the addition of pep band to its slate of offerings starting in fall 2026.

Denny Thum, a 1974 graduate of Rockhurst University who spent 36 years with the Kansas City Chiefs during one of the franchise’s most successful periods, will be honored by his alma mater with the Rashford-Lyon Award for Leadership and Ethics as part of the Rockhurst University Leadership Series on Wednesday, April 2.

Rockhurst University has received the NCAA Presidents' Award for Academic Excellence for achieving four-year Academic Success Rates of 90% or higher for the 14th consecutive year.

Senior Caroline Knopke said she grew up diving — “it's the only sport I've really ever known,” she said — and competed through high school. When it came time to choose a college, she found herself drawn to Rockhurst University. But that meant the end of her competitive diving career (though she would still coach a local girls’ team). Until this year.

For student-athletes, finding a balance between their sport and everything else on their college plate is a skill that’s in constant development. But what about doing two college sports?

That’s a mountain that incoming star Women’s Lacrosse and cross country freshman Kharis Perona is willing to climb. She’s used to putting in work to meet challenges.