Clayton State competes in eleven intercollegiate varsity sports. Men's sports include basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, and track and field (both indoor and outdoor); while women's sports include basketball, cross country, soccer, and track and field (both indoor and outdoor). Women's tennis was discontinued at the end of the 2016–17 academic year.[5]
Clayton State University won its first national championship in school history when the Lakers won the NCAA Division II women's basketball national title in 2011. It is still the only women's basketball championship won by a team from the Southeast Region.[7]