The first athletic team at Carleton, dating back to 1887. The Knights have four conference titles to their credit, including the 1991 MIAC title. The 1991 team holds the school record for most wins in a season with 24, while the 2009 Knights tallied 21 wins to earn their first MIAC playoff berth. Carleton plays its games at Knights Field, a new facility near the Recreation Center.

Carleton has qualified for the MIAC Playoffs 15 times in the last 20 years. the Knights won the 2005-06 MIAC title and advanced to the 2006 NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history. In 2010 Carleton won its first ever MIAC Playoffs title and advanced to the NCAA tournament, where the Knights fell to the eventual national champion by one point on the road. Head coach Guy Kalland is the all-time wins leader in Carleton history.

The women's basketball team is 196-127 over the last dozen seasons, making the Knights one of the most dominant programs in the conference. Carleton has collected three MIAC regular-season titles and four MIAC Playoff titles during that time span. Their four straight MIAC Playoff titles marked the first time in conference history one program has won four consecutive conference tournament titles in any sport.

The men's cross country team has accrued an impressive record since its beginning as a club sport in the early 1930s, and it has been particularly formidable over the past two decades. Carleton harriers won every Midwest Conference championship from 1974-82, placed in the top 10 at the national championships seven times during that span, and won a national title in 1980. The Knights won MIAC crowns in 1994, 1995, and 2002. Carleton runners have earned 21 All-America citations, paced by four-time honoree Dale Kramer '78, who also captured two individual national titles.

The Knights have enjoyed great success in the conference, winning back-to-back titles in 2004, 2005 before posting runner-up finishes in 2006 and 2007. Carleton returned to the top spot in 2009 and captured their fifth crown in 2011 when Simone Childs-Walker '12, Alison Smyth '12, and Rachel Kelhm '13 finished 1-2-3. The Knights have been nationally ranked the last seven seasons and earned team berth to the NCAA Championships eight times (1981, 1989, 1995, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2011, and 2012). Carleton has received the All-Academic Team Award every year since the program began in 1993.

Carleton is the highest-ranked school in America that offers a full 10-game schedule and is eligible for the NCAA Division III Football Playoffs. The Knights have 61 winning seasons and more than 450 wins in the history of the program. In 2008 the Knights posted a 7-3 mark, the second-highest win total over the previous 50 season, they played for the MIAC title and earned their first national ranking in 15 years. Over the last six seasons Carleton has established school records for passing, receiving, forced turnovers, sacks and tackling and has also had an All-American on both offense and defense.

Men's golf has one of the longest and most storied histories of any athletic program at Carleton. The Knights sport an individual national champion in Wally Ulrich '47, who captured the national title against Division I competition. The team won 12 Midwest Conference titles before moving to the MIAC in 1983. The Knights best finish is 6th in the MIAC (1986, 2002).

Women's golf has been a varsity sport at Carleton since 1998-99. The Knights have been nationally ranked the last five seasons, posting their best finish at the MIAC Championships in 2012, finishing second and setting a new 18-hole team record with a second-round 315. They also broke the 54-hole school scoring mark, posting a 977.shooting a school record for the 54-hole event. The Knights have posted the five lowest season stroke averages in program history over the past five years. They play a split fall-spring schedule with their home course located at Northfield Golf Club mere blocks from campus.

Winners of five MIAC regular-season titles over the last six seasons (2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, and 2012) the Knights have posted 12 winning seasons in the past 13 years in one of the most competitive men's soccer conferences in the country. Carleton owns a 46-8-6 record (.767) in conference games over the last five seasons. Branden McGarrity '16 and defender Neil Bartholomay '14 were named All-Americans for their performances during the 2012 season, while head coach Bob Carlson was named MIAC Coach-of-the-Year. The squad has also received 16 straight team academic awards and its 2011-2012 GPA was eighth among Division III NCAA men's soccer programs.

The Carleton women's soccer team won back-to-back MIAC regular-season crowns in 2010 and 2011. They claimed the conference playoff title in 2008 and 2009 and made three consecutive trips to the NCAA Championships from 2008-10. In 2011 the squad earned the highest national ranking in program history at No. 11. Three members of the 2012 team earned All-MIAC honors, with Marlena Hartman-Filson '13 receiving her second career All-Region recognition. The squad has also won 12 straight team academic awards and its 2011-2012 GPA was third among NCAA Division III programs.

2011 saw the Knights' best season in four years with several strong performances. Newcomer Jenny Ramey '14 became the first player in program history to be named the conference's Rookie-of-the-Year, while Jocelyn Friedman '13 and Kelsey Parsons '13 earned spots on the Honorable Mention All-Conference Team. In 2012, Chelsea Yost '13 earned All-Conference honors. Carleton improved its record in each of head coach Amy Erickson's first three seasons and won a school-record 21 games in 2000. Erickson is the school's all-time winningest coach.

Since 1995 the Knights have produced 121 all-conference performances (top-three finishes), 34 individual conference titles, 15 All-Americans, 12 Honorable Mention All-Americans and have placed in forth or better in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Championships (MIAC) Championships 14 times, highlighted by a third place finish in 2008.

Carleton captured MIAC Championships in 2000, 2001, and 2009. The Knights were runners-up at the conference meet from 199-2003, 2005, 2006, and 2010. The team finished in the Top 10 at the NCAA Championships three times over the last 10 years, including sixth-place finishes in 2003 and 2005, highlighted by Marie Marsman's two indvidual national titles and the team's two relay national titles. Since 1995 the Knights have produced 189 individual All-MIAC performances, 70 All-MIAC relay performances, 84 individual conference titles, 28 All-America performances, and 29 All-America Honorable Mention swims.

The Knights are one of the strongest programs in the MIAC, finishing among the top two in the standings from 2003-2011. Carleton won the 2010 MIAC Playoffs and has made three NCAA Championships appearances (1985, 2004, and 2010). The 2010 squad finished the year ranked 29th in the nation and the program has regularly been ranked among the regions top 15 teams. In 2012, the squad finished the regular season with a record-tying 21 victories and had three members awarded All-Conference honors. The team has also enjoyed success in the classroom, annually being named an ITA All-Academic Team.

The Knights earned their fourth MIAC title in 2012 defeating 20-time defending champion Gustavus Adolphus College. In the same year, Carleton claimed the postseason MIAC title and won an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Championships. Carleton has been nationally-ranked throughout the 2009-10 and 2010-11 seasons and regionally-ranked for the past 12 years. The squad has finished in the top three in the MIAC 19 times since joining the conference in 1983 and qualified for the NCAA Championships four times (1995, 1996, 2005, and 2012). The Knights have also been named an ITA All-Academic Team every year since the award began.

Men's track and field has been one of the most successful programs at Carleton, sporting three individual national titles and a total of 69 All-American performances of the last 35 years. The Knights produced four All-Americans over the last decade with the group responsible for several MIAC titles. In 2003 Matt Hooley '04 placed sixth in the 1,500-meter run at the NCAA Indoor Championships, and Dan Bucy '05 placed sixth in the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. Steve Harris '06 finished third in the 5,000-meter run at the 2006 NCAA indoor meet and Tome Ballinger '09 earned All-America honors for three straight years in the 400-meter hurdles.

In the past 16 years, head coach Donna Ricks has guided the Knights to strong MIAC finishes, coached three national champions and numerous All-Americans. Aminah Ricks '94 captured the 100-meter national title in 1994 and Sandra Helquist '00 raced to victory in the 400-meter hurdles at the 1999 NCAA Division Championships. Kelly Lovett '11 turned in the program's seventh national title performance winning the crown for the javelin in 2011. Five Carleton athletes have earned 17 All-American honors over the past 10 seasons, with Lovett collecting three All-America honors and Simone Childs-Walker '12 accumulating 10 All-America citations on the track.

The volleyball team finished in the top four of the conference standings each season from 2003-07 and won the 2004 regular-season title. In 2012, led by All-Region pick Jessa Youso '13 and All-MIAC honoree Sarah Nielsen '13, the Knights advanced to the conference semifinals where they lost a five-set thriller to eventual national champion University of St. Thomas. Under head coach Heidi Jaynes, the team has enjoyed unparalleled success, qualifying for the MIAC Playoffs six times and advancing to the 2005 and 2007 NCAA Tournaments. They were ranked in the national Top 25 AVCA poll from 2004 through 2007.