Midwest Conference
 | |
| Association | NCAA |
|---|---|
| Commissioner | Heather Benning (since 2014) |
| Sports fielded |
|
| Division | Division III |
| Region | Upper Midwest |
| Official website | midwestconference.org |
| Locations | |
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The Midwest Conference (MWC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the NCAA's Division III. Member institutions are located in the Midwestern United States in the states of Illinois, Iowa, and Wisconsin. The Midwest Conference was created in 1994 with the merger of the Midwest Collegiate Athletic Conference, which had been sponsoring men's sports since 1921, and the Midwest Athletic Conference for Women, which was formed in 1977.
History
The organization of the Midwest Collegiate Athletic Conference (MCAC) was conceived at a meeting at Coe College on May 12, 1921. Charter members were Beloit College, Carleton College, Coe College, Cornell College, Knox College (Illinois) and Lawrence University. Hamline University and Millikin University joined the league in December 1921, but both of them later withdrew: Hamline after the 1929-30 academic year, and Millikin after the 1924-25 academic year, respectively.
Ripon College joined the conference in 1923, followed by Monmouth College in 1924, Grinnell College in 1940 and Lake Forest College in 1974. Illinois College and St. Norbert College joined in 1982 and Carroll University followed in 1992. Carleton withdrew following the 1982-83 academic year. St. Olaf College also competed in the conference from 1952-74, as did the University of Chicago from 1976-87. Coe and Cornell withdrew following the 1996-97 academic year with Cornell re-joining the league starting in the 2012-13 year. Macalester College joined as a football only member starting in 2014. The University of Chicago will rejoin as a football only member in 2017.
Member schools
Division play is used in football, tennis (both men's and women's), baseball and softball:
Current members
| Institution | Location (Population) |
Nickname | Colors | Founded | Type (All Private) |
Undergraduate Enrollment |
Joined |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Division | |||||||
| Beloit College | Beloit, Wisconsin (36,966) |
Buccaneers | College Blue & Vegas Gold | 1846 | Private | 1,301 | 1921 |
| Carroll University | Waukesha, Wisconsin (70,718) |
Pioneers (men's) Lady Pioneers (women's) |
Orange & White | 1846 | Presbyterian | 2,789 | 19921 |
| Lawrence University | Appleton, Wisconsin (78,086) |
Vikings | Blue & White | 1847 | Private | 1,489 | 1921 |
| Ripon College | Ripon, Wisconsin (6,828) |
Red Hawks | Red & White | 1851 | Private | 967 | 1923 |
| St. Norbert College | De Pere, Wisconsin (20,559) |
Green Knights | Dartmouth Green & Old Gold | 1898 | Catholic | 2,095 | 1982 |
| South Division | |||||||
| Cornell College | Mount Vernon, Iowa (3,390) |
Rams | Purple & White | 1853 | United Methodist | 1,176 | 1921, 20122 |
| Grinnell College | Grinnell, Iowa (9,218) |
Pioneers | Scarlet & Black | 1846 | Private | 1,638 | 1940 |
| Illinois College | Jacksonville, Illinois (19,446) |
Blueboys (men's) Lady Blues (women's) |
Blue & White | 1829 | UCC & Presbyterian | 903 | 1982 |
| Knox College | Galesburg, Illinois (32,195) |
Prairie Fire | Purple & Gold | 1837 | Private | 1,399 | 1921 |
| Lake Forest College | Lake Forest, Illinois (21,300) |
Foresters | Red & Black | 1857 | Private | 1,395 | 1974 |
| Monmouth College | Monmouth, Illinois (9,244) |
Fighting Scots | Red & White | 1853 | Presbyterian | 1,300 | 1924 |
- Note
1 - Carroll will leave the Midwest Conference to compete in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW), where they participated from 1955 to 1992, in the 2016–17 season.[1]
2 - Cornell left the Midwest Conference to compete in the Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC) in the 1997–98 season. The Rams re-joined the conference starting the 2012–13 season.
Affiliate member
| Institution | Location | Nickname | Founded | Type | Enrollment | Joined | MWC Sport | Primary Conference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Macalester College | Saint Paul, Minnesota | Scots | 1874 | Private | 2,221 | 2014 | football | MIAC |
| University of Chicago | Chicago, Illinois | Maroons | 1890 | Research University | 13,400 | 2017 | football | UAA |
Chicago had been a full conference member from 1976-1987.
Former members
| Institution | Location | Nickname | Founded | Type | Enrollment | Joined | Left | Current Conference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carleton College | Northfield, Minnesota | Knights | 1866 | Private | 1,750 | 1921 | 1983 | MIAC |
| Coe College | Cedar Rapids, Iowa | Kohawks | 1851 | Private/Presbyterian | 1,355 | 1921 | 1997 | IIAC |
| Hamline University | St. Paul, Minnesota | Pipers | 1854 | Private/Methodist | 1,944 | 1922 | 1930 | MIAC |
| Millikin University | Decatur, Illinois | Big Blue | 1901 | Private/Presbyterian | 2,200 | 1922 | 1925 | CCIW |
| St. Olaf College | Northfield, Minnesota | Oles | 1874 | Private/Lutheran (ELCA) | 2,900 | 1952 | 1974 | MIAC |
Membership timeline
Sports
Fall
- men's & women's cross country
- men's football
- women's golf
- men's & women's soccer
- women's tennis
- women's volleyball
Winter
- men's & women's basketball
- men's & women's indoor track and field
- men's & women's swimming
Spring
- men's baseball
- men's golf
- men's & women's lacrosse
- men's & women's outdoor track and field
- women's softball
- men's tennis
Conference facilities
| School | Football Field | Capacity | Basketball Arena | Capacity | Baseball Field | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beloit College | Strong Stadium | 3,500 | Flood Arena | 2,500 | Ballpark at Strong Stadium | |||
| Carroll University | Schneider Stadium | 4,200 | Van Male Arena | 1,100 | Frame Park | |||
| Cornell College | Ash Park Stadium | ???? | Small Multi-Sport Center | ??? | Ash Park Field | |||
| Grinnell College | Rosenbloom Field | 5,000 | Darby Gym | 1,250 | Grinnell Baseball Diamond | |||
| Illinois College | England Stadium | 3,000 | Sherman Gymnasium | 1,600 | Joe Brooks Field | |||
| Knox College | Knosher Bowl | 4,000 | Memorial Gym | 3,000 | Blodgett Field | |||
| Lake Forest College | Farwell Field | 1,000 | Lake Forest Sports Center | No Baseball Team | ||||
| Lawrence University | Banta Bowl | 5,255 | Alexander Gym | 1,280 | Whiting Field | |||
| Monmouth College | Bobby Woll Memorial Field | 2,000 | Glennie Gymnasium | 1,600 | Glasgow Field | |||
| Ripon College | Ingalls Field | 3,500 | Storzer Gymnasium | 1,000 | Francis Field | |||
| St. Norbert College | Schneider Stadium | 2,454 | Schuldes Center | 2,000 | Mel Nicks Sports Complex |