Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

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Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
(WIAC)
Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference logo
Established 1913
Association NCAA
Division Division III
Members 9
Sports fielded 21 (men's: 10; women's: 11)
Region Wisconsin
Former names Wisconsin State Normal Conference (1913-1926)
Wisconsin State Teachers College Conference (1926-1951)
Wisconsin State College Conference (1951-1964)
Wisconsin State University Athletic Conference (1964-1997)
Headquarters Madison, Wisconsin
Commissioner Dr. Gary Karner (since July, 1996)
Website wiacsports.com
Locations
Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference locations

The Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) is a college athletic conference that competes in the NCAA's Division III. As the name implies, member teams are located in the state of Wisconsin, although there are three associate members from Minnesota and one from Michigan. All full members are part of the University of Wisconsin System.

Contents

History [edit]

In 1913, representatives from Wisconsin's eight normal schools—Superior Normal School (now the University of Wisconsin-Superior), River Falls State Normal School (now the University of Wisconsin-River Falls), Stevens Point Normal School (now the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point), La Crosse State Normal School (now the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse), Oshkosh State Normal School (now the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh), Whitewater Normal School (now the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater), Milwaukee State Normal School (now the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee) and Platteville Normal School (now the University of Wisconsin-Platteville)--met in Madison to organize the Wisconsin State Normal Conference. The Stout Institute (now the University of Wisconsin-Stout) joined in 1914, followed by Eau Claire State Normal School (now the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire) in 1917.

The conference evolved with the growing educational mission of its member schools. It changed its name to the Wisconsin State Teachers College Conference in 1926, and the Wisconsin State College Conference in 1951. Finally, in 1964, it became the Wisconsin State University Conference. The conference remained unusually stable over the years; the only change in membership being UW-Milwaukee's departure in 1964.

In 1971, the member schools of the WSUC joined with the University of Wisconsin-Madison, University of Wisconsin-Parkside and Carthage College to form the Wisconsin Women's Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. By 1975, UW-Milwaukee, Carroll College, the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay and Marquette University had also joined. With the dissolution of the Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women in 1982, the member schools joined their male counterparts in either the NCAA or NAIA. By 1993, the non-NCAA Division III members had all dropped out, resulting in the WWIAC having the same membership as the WSUC. Under the circumstances, a merger was inevitable. In 1996, Gary Karner was named commissioner of both the WSUC and the WWIAC. The two conferences formally merged in 1997 to form the current WIAC.

Centennial Celebration [edit]

The ninth oldest conference in the nation, the WIAC will celebrate its Centennial year during the 2012-13 academic year [1]. Additionally, the WIAC is the most successful NCAA Division III conference in history, boasting NCAA National Championships in 15 different sports [2]. At the beginning of the 2011-12 academic year, the conference had claimed a nation-leading 92 NCAA National Championships [3].

To celebrate its Centennial, the conference will be naming All-Time Teams in each sport that is currently or was previously recognized as a "championship" sport within the conference [4]. Furthermore, the WIAC commissioned a commemorative work of art, created by Tim Cortes [5], and has also created a 2-year calendar in celebration of its Centennial [6].

The Centennial Celebration is headlined by its Centennial Banquet to be held on August 4, 2012 at the Alliant Energy Center in Madison, Wis. Among the honorees at this event will be the All-Time Team members and the inaugural class to the WIAC Hall of Fame.

Member schools [edit]

Current members [edit]

Institution Nickname Location
(Population)		 Founded Type Undergraduate
Enrollment		 Joined
University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire Blugolds Eau Claire, Wisconsin
(65,883)		 1916 Public 9,799[1] 1917-18
University of Wisconsin–La Crosse Eagles La Crosse, Wisconsin
(52,485)		 1909 Public 8,324[1] 1913-14
University of Wisconsin–Oshkosh Titans Oshkosh, Wisconsin
(66,083)		 1871 Public 9,386[1] 1913-14
University of Wisconsin–Platteville Pioneers Platteville, Wisconsin
(11,224)		 1866 Public 6,498[1] 1913-14
University of Wisconsin–River Falls Falcons River Falls, Wisconsin
(15,000)		 1874 Public 5,801[1] 1913-14
University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point Pointers Stevens Point, Wisconsin
(26,717)		 1894 Public 8,481[1] 1913-14
University of Wisconsin–Stout Blue Devils Menomonie, Wisconsin
(16,264)		 1891 Public 6,874[1] 1914-15
University of Wisconsin–Superior Yellowjackets Superior, Wisconsin
(26,960)		 1893 Public 2,114[1] 1913-14
University of Wisconsin–Whitewater Warhawks Whitewater, Wisconsin
(13,437)		 1868 Public 9,323[1] 1913-14

Affiliate members [edit]

Institution Nickname Location
(Population)		 Current Conference WIAC Sport
Finlandia University Lions Hancock, Michigan
(4,634)		 NCAA D-III Independent men's soccer
Gustavus Adolphus College Golden Gusties St. Peter, Minnesota
(11,196)		 MIAC gymnastics
Hamline University Pipers Saint Paul, Minnesota
(285,068)		 MIAC gymnastics
Winona State University Warriors Winona, Minnesota
(27,592)		 NSIC
(NCAA Division II)		 gymnastics

Former members [edit]

Institution Nickname Location
(Population)		 Joined Left Current Conference
University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee Panthers Milwaukee, Wisconsin
(594,833)		 1913-14 1963-64 Horizon
(NCAA Division I)

Membership timeline [edit]

Finlandia University Winona State University Hamline University Gustavus Adolphus College University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire University of Wisconsin–Stout University of Wisconsin–Whitewater University of Wisconsin–Superior University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point University of Wisconsin–River Falls University of Wisconsin–Platteville University of Wisconsin–Oshkosh University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee University of Wisconsin–La Crosse

Sports [edit]

Member institutions field men's and women's teams in cross country, basketball, track and field, swimming and diving, and soccer. Men's teams are fielded for baseball, football, ice hockey, and wrestling. Women's teams are fielded for golf, gymnastics, softball, tennis and volleyball.

Conference facilities [edit]

School Football stadium Capacity Basketball arena Capacity
UW–Eau Claire Carson Park 6,500 W. L. Zorn Arena 2,450
UW–La Crosse Veterans Memorial Stadium 10,000 Mitchell Hall 2,880
UW–Oshkosh Titan Stadium 9,800 Kolf Sports Center 5,800
UW–Platteville Ralph E. Davis Pioneer Stadium 10,000 Williams Fieldhouse 2,300
UW–River Falls Ramer Field 4,800 Karges Center 2,000
UW–Stevens Point Goerke Field 4,000 Quandt Fieldhouse 3,281
UW–Stout Don and Nona Williams Stadium 5,000 Johnson Fieldhouse 1,800
UW–Superior Non-Football School N/A Mertz Morterelli Memorial Fieldhouse 2,500
UW–Whitewater Forrest Perkins Stadium 13,200 Williams Center 3,000

References [edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i "The Equity in Athletics Data Analysis Cutting Tool". Office of Postsecondary Education. Retrieved November 30, 2012. 

External links [edit]

Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
Full members
Gymnastics-only members
Men's Soccer-only members
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