Great Lakes Valley Conference
 | |
| Association | NCAA |
|---|---|
| Commissioner | Jim Naumovich (since 2001) |
| Sports fielded |
|
| Division | Division II |
| Region | Central United States |
| Official website | www |
| Locations | |
 | |
The Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) is a collegiate athletic conference affiliated at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)'s Division II level. Member institutions are located in the U.S. states of Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri, and Wisconsin.
The GLVC is considered[who?] one of the top small college basketball conferences in the nation and placed a team in the men's NCAA Division II final over 11 straight years from 1994 to 2004.
History
The GLVC grew out of discussions that started in 1972 between the athletic directors of three schools in the greater Ohio Valley—Bellarmine College (now designated a university), Kentucky Wesleyan College, and Indiana State University at Evansville (known since 1985 as the University of Southern Indiana)—with the goal of forming a basketball conference. The discussions later grew to include the University of Indianapolis and Saint Joseph's College, and in 1978 these schools joined with Ashland University to form the GLVC. Three of the founding schools (Bellarmine, Indianapolis, and Southern Indiana) remain in the conference today.
The conference experienced steady growth through the 1980s and into the early 1990s. The GLVC first expanded in 1980 with the addition of Lewis University, followed by Indiana University – Purdue University Fort Wayne (IPFW; the athletic program is now Purdue Fort Wayne) in 1984, Northern Kentucky University the following year, and Kentucky State University in 1989. The conference lost its first members in 1994 with the departure of Ashland and Kentucky State, but nonetheless increased in size that same year, adding Quincy University, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE) and the University of Wisconsin–Parkside. The University of Missouri–St. Louis (UMSL) would join the next year.
The first part of the 21st century would see even more growth. While IPFW left in 2001 to move to Division I, the GLVC added three more members in 2005—Drury University, the Missouri University of Science and Technology (Missouri S&T), and Rockhurst University.
In October 2008, Maryville University and The University of Illinois at Springfield accepted invitations to join the GLVC and began competing in the conference in the fall of 2009. They effectively replaced SIUE, which left for Division I in the summer of 2008. For men's and women's basketball, the league split into three divisions based on geography (East, North, and West) for the 2009–10 and 2010–11 seasons, and reverted to two divisions when William Jewell College joined in 2011. Baseball and Tennis operate in a two-division format, while all other sports run a single table.
On January 19, 2010 the GLVC announced the addition of football as a league championship sport, beginning with the 2012 season. Kentucky Wesleyan, Missouri S&T and Saint Joseph's moved from the Great Lakes Football Conference, McKendree University and Quincy from the Mid-States Football Association of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and Indianapolis ended its affiliate membership in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) to join William Jewell and form the seven-team league.[1]
On October 6, 2010 it was announced that McKendree accepted an invitation to become the 17th full member of the GLVC and begin participating fully in the conference in 2012.[2] The following day, the conference announced that it had approved Central State University and Urbana University for associate membership in football, increasing the number of teams which would compete in the initial season of football to nine.[3]
On October 18, 2011 it was announced that a new league, the Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC; not to be confused with the former Division I Great Midwest Conference), was forming for 2013. Charter members included Kentucky Wesleyan from the GLVC along with Central State and Urbana (GLVC members in football). Joining them were Ursuline, Notre Dame College, and Cedarville, with the G-MAC hoping to expand to 10 members. The new conferences' sponsored sports were not immediately announced. Kentucky Wesleyan, with its eight national men's basketball titles, was the biggest loss for the GLVC, but, with only 680 students, the school had trouble competing in the other sports against much larger schools.
On December 8, 2011, Northern Kentucky officially accepted an invitation from the Division I Atlantic Sun Conference, effective July 1, 2012.[4] It was announced on June 8, 2012 that the GLVC Council of Presidents had voted unanimously to accept Truman State University, located in Kirksville, Missouri into the conference. The Bulldogs began competition in the GLVC effective with the 2013–14 school year. Truman was a founding member of the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA), and became the seventh Missouri school to join the GLVC since 1995.[5]
On August 27, 2012 it was announced that Central State University would leave the GLVC football conference to join the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) as a football-only member, effective July 1, 2013.[6] (Two years later, Central State would become an all-sports SIAC member.)
On November 4, 2015, Drury announced it would begin sponsorship of wrestling in the 2016–17 season becoming the sixth conference member with a wrestling program. They joined then-current wrestling-only independents Indianapolis, Maryville, McKendree, Truman State, and Wisconsin–Parkside in GLVC competition, giving the conference an eleventh men's championship sport. Bellarmine announced on June 14, 2016 that it would absorb the wrestling program of St. Catharine College, which closed after the 2015–16 school year, and also begin competition in the 2016–17 season.[7]
St. Joseph's College closed after graduation in May 2017 due to financial troubles.[8]
The University of Wisconsin–Parkside left the GLVC after the 2017–18 academic year to join the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. The conference announced on May 31, 2018 that Southwest Baptist University would join from the MIAA.[9] The conference also announced on October 4, 2018 that Lindenwood University would join.[10]
Membership
Current members
 |
Future members
| Institution | Location | Founded | Enrollment | Nickname | Colors | Joining |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southwest Baptist University | Bolivar, Missouri | 1878 | 3,470 | Bearcats | 2019 | |
| Lindenwood University | St. Charles, Missouri | 1827 | 4,000 | Lions | 2019 |
Affiliate members
| Institution | Location | Founded | Enrollment | Nickname | Colors | Joined | Sport | Primary Conference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Alabama in Huntsville | Huntsville, Alabama | 1969 | 8,468 | Chargers | 2017 | lacrosse (M) | Gulf South | |
| Lincoln University | Jefferson City, Missouri | 1866 | 2,738 | Blue Tigers | 2014 | football | Mid-America | |
| University of Montevallo | Montevallo, Alabama | 1896 | 2,800 | Falcons | 2017 | lacrosse (M) | Gulf South | |
| Shorter University | Rome, Georgia | 1873 | 1,507 | Hawks | 2017 | lacrosse (M) | Gulf South | |
| Southwest Baptist University | Bolivar, Missouri | 1878 | 3,672 | Bearcats | 2014 | football | Mid-America | |
| Young Harris College | Young Harris, Georgia | 1886 | 1,200 | Mountain Lions | 2017 | lacrosse (M) | Peach Belt |
Former members
| Institution | Location | Founded | Nickname | Joined | Left | Current Conference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ashland University | Ashland, Ohio | 1878 | Eagles | 1978 | 1994 | Great Lakes |
| Indiana University – Purdue University Fort Wayne[a] | Fort Wayne, Indiana | 1964 | Mastodons | 1984 | 2001 | Summit (NCAA D-I) |
| Kentucky State University | Frankfort, Kentucky | 1886 | Thorobreds & Thorobrettes | 1989 | 1994 | Southern Intercollegiate |
| Kentucky Wesleyan College | Owensboro, Kentucky | 1858 | Panthers | 1978 | 2012[b] | Great Midwest |
| Northern Kentucky University | Highland Heights, Kentucky | 1968 | Norse | 1985 | 2012 | Horizon (NCAA D-I) |
| Saint Joseph's College | Rensselaer, Indiana | 1889 | Pumas | 1978 | 2017 | Closed in 2017 |
| Southern Illinois University Edwardsville | Edwardsville, Illinois | 1957 | Cougars | 1994 | 2008 | Ohio Valley (NCAA D-I) |
| University of Wisconsin–Parkside | Somers, Wisconsin | 1968 | Rangers | 1994 | 2018 | GLIAC |
- ^ On July 1, 2018, Indiana University and Purdue University dissolved their merged Fort Wayne campus. IU took over IPFW's academic programs in health sciences under the name of Indiana University Fort Wayne, with remaining IPFW academic programs becoming part of Purdue University Fort Wayne (PFW). The IPFW athletic program was inherited by PFW, with the athletic branding changed to Purdue Fort Wayne.
- ^ Kentucky Wesleyan remained a GLVC football affiliate through the 2013 season.
Former affiliate members
| Institution | Location | Founded | Nickname | Joined | Left | Sport | Primary Conference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Central State University | Wilberforce, Ohio | 1887 | Marauders | 2012 | 2013 | football | Southern Intercollegiate |
| Urbana University | Urbana, Ohio | 1850 | Blue Knights | 2012 | 2013 | football | Mountain East |
Membership timeline
Full member (all sports) Full member (non-football) Associate member (football-only) Associate member (sport)
Sports
"Core sports" – sports that all full conference members are required to sponsor – are indicated with a green background.[11]
| A 2-divisional format is used for baseball and tennis (M / W). | A 3-divisional format is used for basketball (M / W) and volleyball, the third division is named Central (basketball) and North (volleyball). |
East
West
|
East
Central / North
West
|
| Sport | Men's | Women's |
|---|---|---|
| Baseball |  |
|
| Basketball | |
|
| Cross Country | |
|
| Football | |
|
| Golf | |
|
| Lacrosse | |
|
| Soccer | |
|
| Softball |
| |
| Swimming & Diving | |
|
| Tennis | |
|
| Track & Field Indoor | |
|
| Track & Field Outdoor | |
|
| Volleyball |
| |
| Wrestling | |
Men's sponsored sports by school
| School | Baseball | Basketball | Cross Country |
Football | Golf | Lacrosse | Soccer | Swimming & Diving |
Tennis | Track & Field Indoor |
Track & Field Outdoor |
Wrestling | Total GLVC Sports |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bellarmine |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
10 | ||
| Drury |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
10 | ||
| Illinois–Springfield |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
8 | ||||
| Indianapolis |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
12 |
| Lewis |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
9 | |||
| Maryville |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
10 | ||
| McKendree |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
11 | |
| Missouri S&T |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
9 | |||
| Missouri–St. Louis |
|
|
|
|
|
|
6 | ||||||
| Quincy |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
10 | ||
| Rockhurst |
|
|
|
|
|
|
6 | ||||||
| Southern Indiana |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
8 | ||||
| Truman |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
10 | ||
| William Jewell |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
10 | ||
| Totals | 15 | 15 | 13 | 6 | 14 | 4 | 15 | 10 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 7 | 137 |
| Future Members | |||||||||||||
| Benedictine |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
9 | |||
| Southwest Baptist |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
9 | |||
| Affiliate Members | |||||||||||||
| Alabama–Huntsville |
|
1 | |||||||||||
| Lincoln (MO) |
|
1 | |||||||||||
| Montevallo |
|
1 | |||||||||||
| Shorter |
|
1 | |||||||||||
| Southwest Baptist |
|
1 | |||||||||||
| Young Harris |
|
1 | |||||||||||
Women's sponsored sports by school
| School | Basketball | Cross Country |
Golf | Soccer | Softball | Swimming & Diving |
Tennis | Track & Field Indoor |
Track & Field Outdoor |
Volleyball | Total GLVC Sports |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bellarmine |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
10 |
| Drury |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
10 |
| Illinois–Springfield |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
9 | |
| Indianapolis |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
10 |
| Lewis |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
10 |
| Maryville |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
10 |
| McKendree |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
10 |
| Missouri S&T |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
8 | ||
| Missouri–St. Louis |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
7 | |||
| Quincy |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
9 | |
| Rockhurst |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
7 | |||
| Southern Indiana |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
9 | |
| Truman |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
10 |
| William Jewell |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
10 |
| Totals | 15 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 9 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 15 | 136 |
| Future Members | |||||||||||
| Benedictine |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
8 | ||
| Southwest Baptist |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
9 | |
Other sponsored sports by school
| School | Men | Women | Co-ed | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lacrosse | Volleyball ‡ | Water Polo ‡ |
Bowling ‡ | Field Hockey |
Lacrosse | Water Polo ‡ |
Fencing ‡ | ||||
| Bellarmine | SoCon ‡ | ECAC | |||||||||
| Benedictine | [a] | ||||||||||
| Drury | MIAA | ||||||||||
| Indianapolis | GLIAC | ||||||||||
| Lewis | MIVA | IND | IND | ||||||||
| Maryville | MIAA | ||||||||||
| McKendree | MIVA | CWPA | MIAA | GLIAC | WWPA | MFC | |||||
| Quincy | MIVA | IND | |||||||||
| Rockhurst | RMAC | ||||||||||
- ‡ — D-I sport
- ^ Benedictine sponsors men's volleyball, but not currently at the National Collegiate (Divisions I/II) level. It competes in its current Division III all-sports league, the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference. The school will not be eligible for any Division III championships in the 2018–19 school year, its last before joining the GLVC.[12]
In addition to the listings in this table, future member Southwest Baptist treats its all-female dance team as a varsity team, and added a varsity team in the all-female cheerleading discipline of STUNT for 2018–19. The school also sponsors a coeducational varsity eSports team, specifically in League of Legends.
Championships
National champions
GLVC schools have won 28 NCAA Division II national championships:[13]
| Year | Sport | School |
|---|---|---|
| 1987 | men's basketball | Kentucky Wesleyan |
| 1990 | men's basketball | Kentucky Wesleyan |
| 1995 | men's basketball | Southern Indiana |
| 1999 | men's basketball | Kentucky Wesleyan |
| 2000 | women's basketball | Northern Kentucky |
| 2001 | men's basketball | Kentucky Wesleyan |
| 2005 | men's swimming & diving | Drury |
| 2006 | men's swimming & diving | Drury |
| 2007 | men's swimming & diving | Drury |
| 2007 | women's swimming & diving | Drury |
| 2007 | softball | SIU Edwardsville |
| 2008 | women's basketball | Northern Kentucky |
| 2008 | men's swimming & diving | Drury |
| 2009 | men's swimming & diving | Drury |
| 2009 | women's swimming & diving | Drury |
| 2010 | men's swimming & diving | Drury |
| 2010 | women's swimming & diving | Drury |
| 2010 | baseball | Southern Indiana |
| 2010 | men's soccer | Northern Kentucky |
| 2011 | men's basketball | Bellarmine |
| 2011 | men's swimming & diving | Drury |
| 2011 | women's swimming & diving | Drury |
| 2012 | men's swimming & diving | Drury |
| 2013 | men's basketball | Drury |
| 2013 | men's swimming & diving | Drury |
| 2014 | men's swimming & diving | Drury |
| 2014 | baseball | Southern Indiana |
| 2015 | women's golf | Indianapolis |
| 2018 | women's golf | Indianapolis |
| 2018 | softball | Southern Indiana |
References
- ^ GLVC Establishes Timeline for Football Sponsorship - Press release - January 19, 2010
- ^ Staff (October 7, 2010). "GLVC adds McKendree". The Indianapolis Star. Retrieved November 24, 2010.
- ^ GLVC Welcomes Two Associate Members for Football - Press release - October 8, 2010
- ^ "Northern Kentucky to Join Atlantic Sun" (Press release). Atlantic Sun Conference. December 8, 2011. Archived from the original on May 12, 2012. Retrieved December 14, 2011.
{{cite press release}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ "Truman moving to GLVC". The Kirksville Daily Express. 8 June 2012. Retrieved 8 June 2012.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ "SIAC Approves Central State University For Conference Membership" (Press release). Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. August 27, 2012. Retrieved November 16, 2012.
- ^ "Bellarmine to start men's wrestling team". Bellarmine University. Retrieved June 14, 2016.
- ^ "Alumni Short Of Goal To Stop St. Joseph's College Closure". Retrieved April 6, 2017.
- ^ "GLVC Admits Southwest Baptist University as Full-Time Member" (Press release). Great Lakes Valley Conference. May 31, 2018. Retrieved July 14, 2018.
- ^ "Great Lakes Valley Conference - GLVC Admits Lindenwood University as 16th Member". glvcsports.com. Retrieved 2018-10-05.
- ^ "Benedictine Admitted to NCAA DII Membership Process" (Press release). Benedictine Eagles. July 13, 2018. Retrieved September 7, 2018.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Benedictine 2019was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ https://www.ncaa.com/
External links
| NCAA |
|  |
|---|---|---|
| Super Region 1 | | |
|---|---|---|
| Super Region 2 | ||
| Super Region 3 | ||
| Super Region 4 | ||
| Division II | ||
| NCAA | ||