college is a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), primarily competing in the American Midwest Conference (AMC) since the 2022–23 academic year. When intercollegiate athletics were re-introduced to the college in the 1998–99 academic year, the Comets competed in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA). The Comets also previously competed as an NAIA Independent within the Continental Athletic Conference from 2018–19 to 2021–22.
Cottey competes in nine intercollegiate varsity sports: basketball, cross country, eSports, flag football (added in 2020), golf, softball, track and field (indoor and outdoor) and volleyball.
== Notable alumnae ==
Jetta Carleton '33 – writer of The Moonflower Vine (1962), a New York Times Bestseller
Dora Dougherty Strother '41 – Women Airforce Service Pilot, one of the first two women to pilot a B-29
Mary Edelen '65 – former member of the South Dakota House of Representatives
Marilyn Harris Springer '51 – best-selling writer of the Eden …
