Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

Great Lakes Intercollegiate
Athletic Conference
Association	NCAA
Commissioner	Kris Dunbar (since 2018)
Sports fielded	21 men's: 10; women's: 11; ;
Division	Division II
Region	Great Lakes
Official website	www.gliac.org
Locations

The Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) is a competitive collegiate athletic conference affiliated with the NCAA's Division II.

The GLIAC was founded in June 1972. Its twelve member institutions are located in the midwestern United States in the U.S. states of Michigan, Wisconsin, Indiana, and Ohio. There are three affiliate members who compete in the GLIAC for sports not sponsored by their home conference.

Sponsorship of football was dropped by the GLIAC after the 1989 season. Conference schools sponsoring football joined with members of the Heartland Football Conference to form the Midwest Intercollegiate Football Conference (MIFC), which began play in 1990. The MIFC merged with the GLIAC in July 1999 and the GLIAC resumed sponsorship of football that fall.

Member schools

Current members

Institution	Location	Founded	Type	Enrollment	Nickname	Joined
Ashland University	Ashland, Ohio	1878	Private (Brethren)	6,626	Eagles	1995
Davenport University	Grand Rapids, Michigan	1866	Private (Nonsectarian)	6,534	Panthers	2017
Ferris State University	Big Rapids, Michigan	1884	Public	13,250	Bulldogs	1972
Grand Valley State University	Allendale, Michigan	1960	Public	24,677	Lakers	1972
Lake Superior State University	Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan	1946	Public	2,007	Lakers	1972
Michigan Technological University	Houghton, Michigan	1885	Public	7,203	Huskies	1980
Northern Michigan University	Marquette, Michigan	1899	Public	7,595	Wildcats	1975; 1987
Northwood University	Midland, Michigan	1959	Private (Nonsectarian)	1,594	Timberwolves	1972; 1992
Purdue University Northwest	Hammond, Indiana	1946	Public	10,473	Pride	2017
Saginaw Valley State University	University Center, Michigan	1963	Public	8,535	Cardinals	1972
Wayne State University	Detroit, Michigan	1868	Public	27,053	Warriors	1975
University of Wisconsin-Parkside	Somers, Wisconsin	1968	Public	4,325	Rangers	2018

^[1]

Notes

Ashland University will be leaving for the G-MAC in 2021.^[2]

Affiliate members

Institution	Location	Founded	Type	Enrollment	Nickname	Joined	Sport	Primary conference
Concordia University–St. Paul	Saint Paul, Minnesota	1893	Private (LCMS)	4,792	Golden Bears	2017	lacrosse (W)	Northern Sun
St. Cloud State University	St. Cloud, Minnesota	1869	Public	14,615	Huskies	2018	swimming & diving (M)	Northern Sun
Upper Iowa University	Fayette, Iowa	1857	Private (Nonsectarian)	6,764	Peacocks	2019	lacrosse (W), soccer (M)	Northern Sun

Former members

Institution	Location	Founded	Type	Nickname	Joined	Left	Current conference
University of Findlay	Findlay, Ohio	1882	Private (Churches of God)	Oilers	1997	2017	Great Midwest
Gannon University	Erie, Pennsylvania	1925	Private (Catholic)	Golden Knights	1995	2008	Pennsylvania State
Hillsdale College	Hillsdale, Michigan	1844	Private (Nonsectarian)	Chargers	1975	2017	Great Midwest
Lake Erie College	Painesville, Ohio	1856	Private (Nonsectarian)	Storm	2010	2017	Great Midwest
Malone University	Canton, Ohio	1892	Private (Evangelical)	Pioneers	2012	2016	Great Midwest
Mercyhurst University	Erie, Pennsylvania	1926	Private (Catholic)	Lakers	1995	2008	Pennsylvania State
Oakland University	Rochester, Michigan	1957	Public	Golden Grizzlies	1974	1997	Horizon (NCAA D-I)
Ohio Dominican University	Columbus, Ohio	1911	Private (Catholic)	Panthers	2010	2017	Great Midwest
Tiffin University	Tiffin, Ohio	1888	Private (Nonsectarian)	Dragons	2008	2018	Great Midwest
Walsh University	North Canton, Ohio	1960	Private (Catholic)	Cavaliers	2012	2017	Great Midwest
Westminster College	New Wilmington, Pennsylvania	1852	Private (Presbyterian)	Titans	1997	2000	Presidents (NCAA D-III)

Former affiliate members

School names and nicknames reflect those in use in the final season each school was an affiliate.

Institution	Location	Founded	Type	Nickname	Joined	Left	Sport	Primary conference
Alderson Broaddus University	Philippi, West Virginia	1871	Private (Baptist)	Battlers	2012	2015	lacrosse (W)	Great Midwest (Mountain East in July 2020)
University of Indianapolis	Indianapolis, Indiana	1902	Private (United Methodist)	Greyhounds	1999/2015	2013/2019	football (1999–2012); lacrosse (W) (2015–2019); swimming & diving (M/W) (2000–2013)	Great Lakes Valley
Lewis University	Romeoville, Illinois	1932	Private (Catholic)	Flyers	2004/2018	2013/2019	lacrosse (W) (2018-2019); swimming & diving (M/W) (2004-2013)	Great Lakes Valley
Maryville University	Town and Country, Missouri	1872	Private (Catholic)	Saints	2018	2019	lacrosse (W)	Great Lakes Valley
McKendree University	Lebanon, Illinois	1828	Private (United Methodist)	Bearcats	2014	2019	lacrosse (W)	Great Lakes Valley
Notre Dame College	South Euclid, Ohio	1922	Private (Catholic)	Falcons	2012	2013	football; lacrosse (W); soccer (M); soccer (W); wrestling	Mountain East
Urbana University	Urbana, Ohio	1850	Private (Nonsectarian)	Blue Knights	2012	2014	lacrosse (W)	N/A (school closed in 2020)
Ursuline College	Pepper Pike, Ohio	1850	Private (Catholic)	Arrows	2013	2015 (lacrosse); 2016 (swimming)	lacrosse (W); swimming & diving (W)	Great Midwest
Wheeling Jesuit University^[a]	Wheeling, West Virginia	1954	Private (Catholic)	Cardinals	2012	2014	lacrosse (W)	Mountain East

^ Known as Wheeling University since 2019.

Membership timeline

The GLIAC dropped American football after the 1989 season and resumed it for the 1999 season.

Full member (all sports) Full member (non-football) Associate member (football-only) Associate member (sport)

Sports

The GLIAC sponsors the following 21 sports:^[3]

**Conference sports**
Sport	Men's	Women's
Baseball	Y
Basketball	Y	Y
Cross Country	Y	Y
Football	Y
Golf	Y	Y
Lacrosse		Y
Soccer	Y	Y
Softball		Y
Swimming & Diving	Y	Y
Tennis	Y	Y
Track & Field Indoor	Y	Y
Track & Field Outdoor	Y	Y
Volleyball		Y

Men's sponsored sports by school

School	Baseball	Basketball	Cross Country	Football	Golf	Soccer	Swimming & Diving	Tennis	Track & Field Indoor	Track & Field Outdoor	Total GLIAC Sports
Ashland	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	10
Davenport	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y		Y	Y	Y	9
Ferris State		Y	Y	Y	Y			Y	Y	Y	7
Grand Valley State	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y		Y	Y	Y	Y	9
Lake Superior State		Y	Y		Y			Y	Y	Y	6
Michigan Tech		Y	Y	Y				Y		Y	5
Northern Michigan		Y		Y	Y	Y	Y				5
Northwood	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y		Y	Y	Y	9
Purdue–Northwest	Y	Y	Y		Y	Y		Y			6
Saginaw Valley State	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y		Y	Y	9
Wayne State	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y		Y	Y			7
Wisconsin-Parkside	Y	Y	Y		Y	Y			Y	Y	7
Totals	8	12	11	9	11	7	5	9	8	9	89
Affiliate Members
St. Cloud State							Y				1

Women's sponsored sports by school

School	Basketball	Cross Country	Golf	Lacrosse	Soccer	Softball	Swimming & Diving	Tennis	Track & Field Indoor	Track & Field Outdoor	Volleyball	Total GLIAC Sports
Ashland	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	11
Davenport	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	11
Ferris State	Y	Y	Y		Y	Y		Y	Y	Y	Y	9
Grand Valley State	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	11
Lake Superior State	Y	Y	Y					Y	Y	Y	Y	7
Michigan Tech	Y	Y			Y			Y		Y	Y	6
Northern Michigan	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y		Y		Y	Y	Y	9
Northwood	Y	Y	Y		Y	Y		Y	Y	Y	Y	9
Purdue–Northwest	Y	Y	Y		Y	Y		Y			Y	7
Saginaw Valley State	Y	Y	Y		Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	10
Wayne State	Y	Y	Y			Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	9
Wisconsin-Parkside	Y	Y			Y	Y			Y	Y	Y	7
Totals	12	12	10	4	10	9	6	10	10	11	12	106
Affiliate Members
Concordia–St. Paul				Y								1
Upper Iowa				Y								1

Saginaw Valley- Adding lacrosse (w) for 2020-21 athletic year.

Other sponsored sports by school

School	Men			Co-ed
School	Ice Hockey^[a]	Lacrosse	Wrestling	Fencing^[a]	Skiing^[a]
Ashland			IND
Davenport		GLVC	GLVC
Ferris State	WCHA^[b]
Lake Superior State	WCHA^[b]
Michigan Tech	WCHA^[b]				CCSA
Northern Michigan	WCHA^[b]				CCSA
Wayne State				MFC
Wisconsin-Parkside			IND

^ ^a ^b ^c De facto Division I sport. In men's ice hockey, the NCAA Division I championship is open to Division II members. In fencing and skiing, the NCAA sponsors single championship events open to members of all three divisions.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d All four GLIAC members that sponsor varsity men's ice hockey are among the seven schools that will leave the men's side of the WCHA after the 2020–21 season to form a revived Central Collegiate Hockey Association.

Championships

National Championships

GLIAC schools have won 42 NCAA National Championships:^[4]

Year	Sport	School
1975	football	Northern Michigan
1980	men's swimming & diving	Oakland
1990	women's swimming & diving	Oakland
1991	women's swimming & diving	Oakland
1992	women's swimming & diving	Oakland
1993	women's swimming & diving	Oakland
1993	women's volleyball	Northern Michigan
1994	men's swimming & diving	Oakland
1994	women's swimming & diving	Oakland
1994	women's volleyball	Northern Michigan
1995	men's swimming & diving	Oakland
1996	men's swimming & diving	Oakland
1997	men's swimming & diving	Oakland
2002	football	Grand Valley State
2003	football	Grand Valley State
2005	football	Grand Valley State
2005	women's volleyball	Grand Valley State
2006	women's basketball	Grand Valley State
2006	football	Grand Valley State
2009	men's basketball	Findlay
2009	women's soccer	Grand Valley State
2010	women's cross country	Grand Valley State
2010	women's soccer	Grand Valley State
2011	women's track & field (I)	Grand Valley State
2011	women's track & field (O)	Grand Valley State
2012	women's cross country	Grand Valley State
2012	women's swimming & diving	Wayne State (MI)
2012	women's track & field (I)	Grand Valley State
2012	women's track & field (O)	Grand Valley State
2013	women's basketball	Ashland
2013	women's cross country	Grand Valley State
2013	women's soccer	Grand Valley State
2014	women's cross country	Grand Valley State
2014	women's soccer	Grand Valley State
2015	women's soccer	Grand Valley State
2016	women's cross country	Grand Valley State
2016	men's track & field (I)	Tiffin
2017	women's basketball	Ashland
2017	men's track & field (I)	Tiffin
2018	men's basketball	Ferris State
2018	men's cross country	Grand Valley State
2018	women's cross country	Grand Valley State
2019	men's track & field (I)	Ashland
2019	men's track & field (O)	Ashland
2019	women's soccer	Grand Valley State

Football facilities

Institution	Stadium	Capacity ^[5]	Surface
Ashland	Jack Miller Stadium	6,000	Artificial
Davenport	Meyering Field	2,300	Artificial
Ferris State	Top Taggart Field	6,200	Artificial
Grand Valley State	Lubbers Stadium	10,444	Artificial
Michigan Tech	Sherman Field	3,000	Artificial
Northern Michigan	Superior Dome	8,000	Artificial
Northwood	Hantz Stadium	3,000	Artificial
Saginaw Valley State	Wickes Memorial Stadium	6,300	Artificial
Wayne State	Adams Field	6,000	Artificial

References

^ "GLIAC Membership History". Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. Retrieved October 29, 2011.
^ "Ashland University To Join Great Midwest Athletic Conference In Summer Of 2021". Richland Source. 19 May 2020. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
^ "Official GLIAC Athletic Site". Official GLIAC Athletic Site. Retrieved October 29, 2011.
^ https://www.ncaa.com/
^ "GLIAC Stadiums". D2Football.com. Retrieved October 31, 2011.

External links

Official website

[3] Known as Wheeling University since 2019.

[DI-5] De facto Division I sport. In men's ice hockey, the NCAA Division I championship is open to Division II members. In fencing and skiing, the NCAA sponsors single championship events open to members of all three divisions.

[CCHA-6] All four GLIAC members that sponsor varsity men's ice hockey are among the seven schools that will leave the men's side of the WCHA after the 2020–21 season to form a revived Central Collegiate Hockey Association.

[1] "GLIAC Membership History". Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. Retrieved October 29, 2011.

[2] "Ashland University To Join Great Midwest Athletic Conference In Summer Of 2021". Richland Source. 19 May 2020. Retrieved 19 May 2020.

[gliac_org-4] "Official GLIAC Athletic Site". Official GLIAC Athletic Site. Retrieved October 29, 2011.

[7] ttps://www.ncaa.com/

[8] "GLIAC Stadiums". D2Football.com. Retrieved October 31, 2011.

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v t e Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
Current members	Davenport Panthers Ferris State Bulldogs Grand Valley State Lakers Lake Superior State Lakers Michigan Tech Huskies Northern Michigan Wildcats Parkside Rangers Purdue Northwest Pride Roosevelt Lakers Saginaw Valley State Cardinals Wayne State Warriors
Affiliates	Augustana University Vikings Concordia Golden Bears St. Cloud State Huskies

v t e NCAA Division II all-sports conferences
Atlantic	Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association Mountain East Conference Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Independent — Salem University
Central	Great American Conference Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference
East	Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference East Coast Conference Northeast-10 Conference
Midwest	Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Great Lakes Valley Conference Great Midwest Athletic Conference
South	Gulf South Conference Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Sunshine State Conference
South Central	Lone Star Conference Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference
Southeast	Conference Carolinas Peach Belt Conference South Atlantic Conference
West	California Collegiate Athletic Association Great Northwest Athletic Conference Pacific West Conference
Division II	Independents

v t e NCAA Division II football conferences
Super Region 1	Great Midwest Athletic Conference Mountain East Conference Northeast-10 Conference Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference
Super Region 2	Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association Conference Carolinas (starting in 2025) Gulf South Conference South Atlantic Conference Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
Super Region 3	Great American Conference Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Great Lakes Valley Conference Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association
Super Region 4	Lone Star Conference Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference
Division II	Independents
NCAA	Conferences Institutions Football (Championship, Bowl Games)