The Summit League

The Summit League
Established	1982
Association	NCAA
Division	Division I non-football
Members	9
Sports fielded	19 (men's: 9; women's: 10)
Region	Midwestern United States
Former names	Association of Mid-Continent Universities (1982–1989) Mid-Continent Conference (1989–2007)
Headquarters	Elmhurst, Illinois
Commissioner	Tom Douple (since 2005)
Website	thesummitleague.org
Locations

The Summit League (or The Summit) is an NCAA Division I college athletic conference which operates in the Midwestern United States. On June 1, 2007, the conference changed its name from the Mid-Continent Conference.

Member schools

Current members

Institution	Location (Population)	Founded	Type	Enrollment	Joined	Nickname
Indiana University – Purdue University Fort Wayne	Fort Wayne, Indiana (253,610)	1917	Public	14,326	2007	Mastodons
Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis	Indianapolis, Indiana (829,718)	1969	Public	27,184	1998	Jaguars
University of Missouri–Kansas City	Kansas City, Missouri (463,202)	1933	Public	14,499	1994	Kangaroos
University of Nebraska at Omaha	Omaha, Nebraska (408,958)	1908	Public	15,448	2012	Mavericks
North Dakota State University	Fargo, North Dakota (105,549)	1890	Public	14,186	2007	Bison
Oakland University	Rochester, Michigan (30,836)	1957	Public	17,737	1998	Golden Grizzlies
University of South Dakota	Vermillion, South Dakota (10,571)	1862	Public	10,151	2011	Coyotes
South Dakota State University	Brookings, South Dakota (22,056)	1881	Public	12,851	2007	Jackrabbits
Western Illinois University	Macomb, Illinois (22,086)	1899	Public	13,602	1982	Leathernecks

• On February 7, 2013, UMKC notified The Summit League that it had accepted an invitation to join the Western Athletic Conference on July 1, 2013.
  
• On May 7, 2013, Oakland University notified The Summit League that it had accepted an invitation to join the Horizon League on July 1, 2013.

Future members

Institution	Location (Population)	Founded	Type	Enrollment	Joining	Nickname
University of Denver	Denver, Colorado (619,968)	1864	Private	11,476	2013	Pioneers

Associate members

Institution	Location	Founded	Type	Enrollment	Joined	Nickname	Primary Conference	Summit Sport
Eastern Illinois University	Charleston, Illinois	1895	Public	11,651	2010-11	Panthers	OVC	swimming and diving, men's soccer
Oral Roberts University	Tulsa, Oklahoma	1963	Private	3,335	2012-13	Golden Eagles	Southland	men's soccer

Former members

Institution	Location	Joined	Left	Nickname	New Conference	Current Conference
University of Akron	Akron, Ohio	1990	1992	Zips	Mid-American (MAC)
University at Buffalo	Buffalo, New York	1994	1998	Bulls	Mid-American (MAC)
Centenary College of Louisiana	Shreveport, Louisiana	2003	2011	Gentlemen (men's) Ladies (women's)	American Southwest	SCAC (Div. III)
Central Connecticut State University	New Britain, Connecticut	1994	1997	Blue Devils	Northeast (NEC)
Chicago State University	Chicago, Illinois	1994	2006	Cougars	NCAA D-I Independent	Great West, WAC in 2013
Cleveland State University	Cleveland, Ohio	1982	1994	Vikings	Horizon
Eastern Illinois University	Charleston, Illinois	1982	1996	Panthers	OVC
University of Illinois at Chicago	Chicago, Illinois	1982	1994	Flames	Horizon
Northeastern Illinois University	Chicago, Illinois	1994	1998	Golden Eagles	Discontinued intercollegiate athletics
Northern Illinois University	DeKalb, Illinois	1990	1994	Huskies	Horizon	Mid-American (MAC)
University of Northern Iowa	Cedar Falls, Iowa	1982	1991	Panthers	Missouri Valley
Oral Roberts University	Tulsa, Oklahoma	1997	2012	Golden Eagles	Southland
Southern Utah University	Cedar City, Utah	1997	2012	Thunderbirds	Big Sky
Southwest Missouri State University	Springfield, Missouri	1982	1990	Bears (men's) Lady Bears (women's)	Missouri Valley
Troy State University	Troy, Alabama	1994	1997	Trojans	TAAC	Sun Belt
University of Wisconsin–Green Bay	Green Bay, Wisconsin	1982	1994	Phoenix	Horizon
University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee	Milwaukee, Wisconsin	1993	1994	Panthers	Horizon
Valparaiso University	Valparaiso, Indiana	1982	2007	Crusaders	Horizon
Wright State University	Fairborn, Ohio	1991	1994	Raiders	Horizon
Youngstown State University	Youngstown, Ohio	1992	2001	Penguins	Horizon

• NOTE 1: The then-Mid-Continent Conference did not sponsor women's sports until the 1992–93 school year. Cleveland State, UIC, Northern Illinois, Valparaiso, Green Bay, and Wright State were all members of the women's-only North Star Conference until the MCC began sponsoring women's sports, effectively absorbing the NSC.
• NOTE 2: As noted before, the Mid-Con did not sponsor women's sports until 1992–93. Before that time, Eastern Illinois had been a member of the Gateway Collegiate Athletic Conference, which began as a women's-only conference and added football in 1985; EIU was a member of both sides of the conference. When the Gateway merged its women's side into the Missouri Valley Conference, EIU moved its women's sports into the Mid-Con, but kept its football team in the Gateway until it moved its entire athletic program into the Ohio Valley Conference in 1996.

History

Locations of current Summit League full member institutions.

Foundation

The conference was created in 1982 as the Association of Mid-Continent Universities (or AMCU or AMCU-8, pronounced Am-cue), which it was known as until 1989. The conference sponsored football from 1982 until 1984 at the Division I-AA level (now Division I FCS), and current members North Dakota State, South Dakota, South Dakota State, and Western Illinois have FCS football programs.

Mid-Continent Conference logo, 1982–2007

Further growth and addition of women's sports

In the early 1990s, the conference continued to expand. The University of Akron and Northern Illinois University joined in 1990, followed by Wright State University in 1991. Major change came to the conference in 1992. First, Akron left for the Mid-American Conference (MAC) and was replaced by another Ohio school, Youngstown State University. More significantly, the MCC added women's sports by absorbing the North Star Conference (NSC), a women's-only league whose final seven members had all been in the MCC. All of the final NSC members except for Akron moved their women's sports into the MCC. At the same time, Eastern Illinois and Western Illinois moved their women's sports into the MCC when their former women's sports home, the Gateway Conference, merged into the Missouri Valley Conference. A year later, the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee joined the MCC.

Horizon and ECC transitions

In 1994, charter members Cleveland State University, the University of Illinois at Chicago, and the University of Wisconsin–Green Bay, as well as newer members Wisconsin–Milwaukee, Northern Illinois, and Wright State left the conference to join the Midwestern Collegiate Conference, now known as the Horizon League.

In response, the Mid-Continent absorbed Central Connecticut State University, Chicago State University, the University at Buffalo, Troy State University (now Troy University), and Northeastern Illinois University from the collapsed East Coast Conference. None of these institutions remain in the league.

Missouri-Kansas City, formerly an independent, also joined the Mid-Continent Conference in 1994.

Declining membership

Eastern Illinois moved to the Ohio Valley Conference in 1996, reducing membership to nine programs. Troy State departed for the Trans America Athletic Conference while Central Connecticut went to the Northeast Conference in 1997. Buffalo joined the MAC in 1998 while Northeastern Illinois ceased athletic operations at that time. Oral Roberts University and Southern Utah University replaced the former pair while Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) and Oakland University moved into the latter duo's spots a year later.

Youngstown State switched to the Horizon League in 2001, followed by founding member Valparaiso University in 2007; seven of the nine current Horizon League programs are former Summit League members. Centenary College stepped into Youngstown State's place in 2003, but Chicago State University announced in the spring of 2006 that it would withdraw from the conference to compete as an independent starting in the 2006-07 school year, dropping membership to seven programs.

Renewed expansion

At the Mid-Continent Conference annual Presidents Council meeting in 2006, conference expansion was discussed at length, and Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne (IPFW), North Dakota State, and South Dakota State were approved for site visits. On August 30, 2006, IPFW accepted an invitation to join the Mid-Continent Conference as a full member starting July 1, 2007. The following day, North Dakota State and South Dakota State also accepted invitations to join the conference.

The Summit League has continued its renewed expansion push with the admission of the University of South Dakota. The Coyotes began conference play in the 2011–12 academic year and become eligible for all championships the following season. Centenary College subsequently announced that it would leave the Summit League following the 2010–2011 campaign.

The University of North Dakota had also been openly rumored to have been courted by the Summit League, but uncertainty over the Fighting Sioux nickname in all likelihood prevented UND's admission. Expectations that UND would join the Summit League came to an end on November 1, 2010, as North Dakota instead accepted an invitation to join the Big Sky Conference, along with now-former Summit League member Southern Utah. The University of South Dakota entered into very brief negotiations to join the Big Sky as well, rather than continuing their plans to join the Summit. However, South Dakota chose instead to remain with the more compact Summit League (along with other Dakota schools, NDSU and SDSU). The University of Nebraska at Omaha transitioned to Division I athletics and joined the Summit League on July 1, 2012. With the departures of Centenary to Division III at the end of the 2010-11 athletic year, and Southern Utah and Oral Roberts for other Division I conferences at the end of the 2011-12 athletic year, the Summit League continues with nine institutions, all within the Midwest geographical region. At that time, The Summit League had not publicly announced its intentions to expand or to remain at 9 schools.

The conference unveiled the University of Denver (DU) as its 10th member on November 27, 2012; the Pioneers will join in July 2013. DU is a member of the WAC for the 2012–13 season, but that will be the case for only one year. Prior to that, the school played in the Sun Belt Conference from 1999–2012. While Denver is slightly outside The Summit's current Midwestern base, travel issues for the other members are minimized by the city's status as a major air hub. Then, with Denver among the eight of ten WAC members leaving for other conferences, that league was searching for new members. On February 7, 2013, it was announced that UMKC would be one of six schools joining the WAC for the 2013-14 season, dropping the Summit league back to nine member schools.

Membership timeline

Full members Associate member(men's soccer, swimming, and diving)

• Southwest Missouri State adopted its current name of Missouri State University in 2005.
• The two former members that are part of the University of Wisconsin System, namely UW–Green Bay and UW–Milwaukee, now brand themselves for athletic purposes as "Green Bay" and "Milwaukee".
• Troy State adopted its current name of Troy University in 2004.

Sponsored sports

The Summit League sponsors championship competition in nine men's and ten women's NCAA sanctioned sports. Former full member Eastern Illinois is an Associate member for men's and women's swimming and diving and men's soccer.

Teams in Summit League competition

Sport	Men's	Women's
Baseball	6	-
Basketball	9	9
Cross Country	8	9
Golf	9	9
Soccer	8	9
Softball	-	9
Swimming & Diving	6	7
Tennis	6	8
Track and Field (Indoor)	6	8
Track and Field (Outdoor)	8	9
Volleyball	-	9

Football

Main article: Association of Mid-Continent Universities football

Men's basketball

Men's basketball in the NCAA tournament

See also: The Summit League Men's Basketball Tournament

Year	Team	Seed	Results
1983	none
1984	none
1985	none
1986	Cleveland State	14*	defeated Indiana defeated Saint Joseph's lost to Navy
1987	Southwest Missouri State	13	defeated Clemson lost to Kansas
1988	Southwest Missouri State	13	lost to UNLV
1989	Southwest Missouri State	14	lost to Seton Hall
1990	Southwest Missouri State	9*	lost to North Carolina
	Northern Iowa	14	defeated Missouri lost to Minnesota
1991	Green Bay	12	lost to Michigan State
	Northern Illinois	13*	lost to St. John's
1992	Eastern Illinois	15	lost to Indiana
1993	Wright State	16	lost to Indiana
1994	Green Bay	12	defeated California lost to Syracuse
1995	none
1996	Valparaiso	14	lost to Arizona
1997	Valparaiso	12	lost to Boston College
1998	Valparaiso	13	defeated Ole Miss defeated Florida State lost to Rhode Island
1999	Valparaiso	15	lost to Maryland
2000	Valparaiso	16	lost to Michigan State
2001	Southern Utah	14	lost to Boston College
2002	Valparaiso	13	lost to Kentucky
2003	IUPUI	16	lost to Kentucky
2004	Valparaiso	15	lost to Gonzaga
2005	Oakland	16	defeated Alabama A&M** Lost to North Carolina
2006	Oral Roberts	16	lost to Memphis
2007	Oral Roberts	14	lost to Washington State
2008	Oral Roberts	13	lost to Pittsburgh
2009	North Dakota State	14	lost to Kansas
2010	Oakland	14	lost to Pittsburgh
2011	Oakland	13	lost to Texas
2012	South Dakota State	14	lost to Baylor
2013	South Dakota State	13	lost to Michigan

* At-large bid
** Opening round game

Facilities

School	Basketball arena	Capacity	Baseball field	Capacity	Soccer stadium	Capacity
Denver	Magness Arena	7,200	Non-baseball school		University of Denver Soccer Stadium	2,000
IPFW	Allen County War Memorial Coliseum (men) Hilliard Gates Sports Center (women)	13,000 2,800	Mastodon Field	1,000	Hefner Soccer Complex	2,000
IUPUI	IUPUI Gymnasium	2,215	Non-baseball school		Carrol Stadium	12,100
North Dakota State	Bison Sports Arena	6,000	Newman Outdoor Field	4,600	Ellig Sports Complex	3,500
Oakland	Athletics Center O'rena	4,005	Oakland University Baseball Field	500	Oakland University Soccer Field	1,000
Omaha	Ralston Arena (men) Lee & Helene Sapp Fieldhouse (women)	3,500 2,500	Ballpark at Boys Town	N/A	UNO Soccer Field	N/A
South Dakota	DakotaDome	10,000	Non-baseball school		USD Soccer Field	N/A
South Dakota State	Frost Arena	6,500	Erv Huether Field	500	Fishback Soccer Park	1,500
UMKC	Municipal Auditorium Swinney Recreation Center	10,721 2,000	Non-baseball school		Stanley H. Durwood Soccer Stadium	850
Western Illinois	Western Hall	5,139	Alfred D. Boyer Stadium	500	MacKenzie Alumni Field	1,000

Future members in gray. Departing members in pink.

See also

• List of The Summit League championships
• The Summit League Men's Basketball Tournament
• The Summit League Women's Basketball Tournament
• Association of Mid-Continent Universities football

External links

• Official website