Midwest Conference

Midwest Conference
Established 1921
Association NCAA
Division Division III
Members 11
Sports fielded 20 (men's: 10; women's: 10)
Region Upper Midwest
Former names Midwest Collegiate Athletic Conference and Midwest Athletic Conference for Women
Headquarters Grinnell, Iowa
Commissioner Heather Benning (since 2014)
Website midwestconference.org
Locations

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

Carroll University Illinois College University of Chicago Lake Forest College St. Olaf College Grinnell College Monmouth College Ripon College (Wisconsin) Millikin University Hamline University Lawrence University Knox College (Illinois) Cornell College Coe College Carleton College Beloit College

Sports

Fall

Winter

Spring

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

References

External links

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