American Midwest Conference

Last updated
American Midwest Conference
American Midwest Conference logo.svg
FormerlyShow-Me Conference (1986–1994)
Association NAIA
Founded1986
CommissionerWill Wolper
Sports fielded
  • 17
    • men's: 8
    • women's: 9
No. of teams12 (10 in 2025)
Headquarters St. Louis, Missouri
Region Midwest and South
Official website www.amcsportsonline.com
Locations
AMWC conference map.png

The American Midwest Conference (AMC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) with 12 member institutions located in Arkansas and Missouri in the United States.

Contents

History

American Midwest Conference
American Midwest Conference
Invisible Square.svg
Invisible Square.svg
Mapscaleline.svg
150km
100miles
Blue pog.svg
Columbia
Red pog.svg
Haskell
Blue pog.svg
Mission
Blue pog.svg
Crowley's Ridge
Blue pog.svg
Cottey
Blue pog.svg
Central Baptist
Blue pog.svg
UHSP
Blue pog.svg
Stephens
Blue pog.svg
Williams Baptist
Black pog.svg
WWU
Black pog.svg
MBU
Blue pog.svg
HSSU
Blue pog.svg
Hannibal–LaGrange
Location of AMC members: Blue pog.svg current, Red pog.svg associate, Black pog.svg departing

The conference began as the Show-Me Conference in 1986, then changed to its current name in 1994, reflecting that its footprint had expanded beyond Missouri.

Chronological timeline

  • 1986 – The American Midwest Conference was founded as the Show-Me Conference. Charter members included Columbia College of Missouri, Hannibal–LaGrange College (now Hannibal–LaGrange University), Harris-Stowe State College (now Harris-Stowe State University), Missouri Baptist College (now Missouri Baptist University), and Park College (now Park University) beginning the 1986–87 academic year.
  • 1987 – McKendree College (now McKendree University) joined the Show-Me in the 1987–88 academic year.
  • 1990 – Fontbonne left the Show-Me and the NAIA to fully align with the Division III ranks of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC) after the 1989–90 academic year.
  • 1993 – Iowa Wesleyan College (later Iowa Wesleyan University), Lindenwood College (now Lindenwood University) and William Woods College (now William Woods University) joined the Show-Me in the 1993–94 academic year.
  • 1994 – Park left the Show-Me to join the Midlands Collegiate Athletic Conference (MCAC) for most sports, while its men's basketball team had become an NAIA Independent after the 1993–94 academic year.
  • 1994 – The Show-Me Conference was renamed as the American Midwest Conference in the 1994–95 academic year.
  • 1995 – Iowa Wesleyan left the American Midwest to join the Midwest Classic Conference (MCC) after the 1994–95 academic year.
  • 1996 – Lindenwood left the American Midwest to join the Heart of America Athletic Conference (HAAC) after the 1995–96 academic year.
  • 2001 – Williams Baptist College (now Williams Baptist University) joined the American Midwest in the 2001–02 academic year.
  • 2003 – The University of Illinois at Springfield (UIS) joined the American Midwest in the 2003–04 academic year.
  • 2008 – Stephens College joined the American Midwest in the 2008–09 academic year.
  • 2009 – Illinois–Springfield (UIS) left the American Midwest and the NAIA to join the NCAA Division II ranks and the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) after the 2008–09 academic year.
  • 2009 – Park re-joined back to the American Midwest in the 2009–10 academic year.
  • 2011 – McKendree left the American Midwest and the NAIA to join the NCAA Division II ranks as an NCAA D-II Independent (which would later join the GLVC beginning the 2012–13 academic year) after the 2010–11 academic year.
  • 2011 – Benedictine University at Springfield joined the American Midwest in the 2011–12 academic year.
  • 2012 – Lyon College joined the American Midwest in the 2012–13 academic year.
  • 2013 – Freed–Hardeman University and Mid-Continent University joined the American Midwest in the 2013–14 academic year.
  • 2014 – Mid-Continent left the American Midwest after spending one season, as the school announced that it would close after the 2013–14 academic year.
  • 2014 – Lindenwood University at Belleville and the St. Louis College of Pharmacy (now the University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy in St. Louis, a.k.a. UHSP) joined the American Midwest in the 2014–15 academic year.
  • 2015 – Benedictine–Springfield left the American Midwest, as the school announced that it would close after the 2014–15 academic year.
  • 2015 – Central Baptist College joined the American Midwest in the 2015–16 academic year.
  • 2017 – Calumet College of St. Joseph and Marian University joined the American Midwest as associate members for men's wrestling in the 2017–18 academic year.
  • 2020 – Three institutions left the American Midwest to join their respective new home primary conferences: Freed–Hardeman to join the Mid-South Conference, Lindenwood–Belleville to cease operations, and Park to join the Heart of America Athletic Conference (HAAC), all effective after the 2019–20 academic year.
  • 2020 – Marian (Ind.) left the American Midwest as an associate member for men's wrestling after the 2019–20 academic year.
  • 2020 – Lincoln College of Illinois joined the American Midwest as an associate member for men's wrestling in the 2020–21 academic year.
  • 2022 – Lincoln (Ill.) left the American Midwest as an associate member for men's wrestling as the school announced that it would close after the 2021–22 academic year.
  • 2022 – Cottey College joined the American Midwest from the AII/Continental ranks in the 2022–23 academic year.
  • 2023 – Lyon announced that it will leave the American Midwest and the NAIA to join the NCAA Division III ranks and the SLIAC after the 2022–23 academic year. [1] Currently Lyon competes in NCAA Division III as a provisional full independent for the 2022-23 academic year.
  • 2023 – Haskell Indian Nations University joined the American Midwest as an associate member for men's & women's indoor & outdoor track & field in the 2024 spring season (2023–24 academic year).
  • 2024 – Mission University (formerly Baptist Bible College) and Crowley's Ridge College both joined the American Midwest in the 2024–25 academic year.
  • 2025 – Missouri Baptist and William Woods will both leave the American Midwest to join the HAAC after the 2024–25 academic year.

Member schools

Current members

The American Midwest currently has twelve full members, all but one are private schools.

InstitutionLocationFoundedAffiliationEnrollmentNicknameJoined [a]
Central Baptist College Conway, Arkansas 1952 Baptist Missionary 739 Mustangs 2015
Columbia College Columbia, Missouri 1851 Nonsectarian 4,000 Cougars 1986
Cottey College [b] Nevada, Missouri 1884Nonsectarian300 Comets 2022 [2]
Crowley's Ridge College Paragould, Arkansas 1964 Churches
of Christ
225 Pioneers 2024
Hannibal–LaGrange University Hannibal, Missouri 1858 Southern Baptist 494 Trojans 1986
Harris–Stowe State University St. Louis, Missouri 1857 Public 1,084 Hornets 1986
Mission University [c] Springfield, Missouri 1950 BBFI 227Patriots2024
Missouri Baptist University Creve Coeur, Missouri 1828Southern Baptist5,231 Spartans 1986
Stephens College [b] Columbia, Missouri 1833Nonsectarian590 Stars 2008
University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy in St. Louis St. Louis, Missouri 1864Nonsectarian1,260 Eutectics 2014
William Woods University [d] Fulton, Missouri 1870 Disciples of Christ 2,300 Owls 1993
Williams Baptist University Walnut Ridge, Arkansas 1941 Southern Baptist 584 Eagles &
Lady Eagles
2001
Notes
  1. Represents the calendar year when fall sports competition begins.
  2. 1 2 This institution is a women's college, therefore it does not field men's sports.
  3. Formerly known as Baptist Bible College until 2024.
  4. This institution is a former women's college, which has eventually turned into a co-educational college (William Woods since 1997–98).


Associate members

The American Midwest currently has one associate member, which is also a public school:

InstitutionLocationFoundedAffiliationEnrollmentNicknameJoined [a] AMC
sport(s)
Primary
conference
Haskell Indian Nations University Lawrence, Kansas 1884 Public tribal 958 Fighting Indians 2023men's indoor track & field
men's outdoor track & field
women's indoor track & field
women's outdoor track & field
Continental
Notes
  1. Represents the calendar year when fall sports competition begins.

Former members

The American Midwest had eleven former full members, all but one were private schools:

InstitutionLocationFoundedAffiliationEnrollmentNicknameJoined [a] Left [b] Subsequent
conference(s)
Current
conference
Benedictine University at Springfield Springfield, Illinois 1927 Catholic
(Ursulines)
N/A Bulldogs 2011 [c] 2015Discontinued athleticsClosed in 2018
Fontbonne College [d] Clayton, Missouri 1923Catholic
(C.S.J.)
2,900 Griffins 19861990 St. Louis (SLIAC) [e]
(1990–present)
Freed–Hardeman University Henderson, Tennessee 1869 Churches of Christ 2,050+ Lions 20132020 Mid-South (MSC)
(2020–present)
University of Illinois at Springfield Springfield, Illinois 1969Public2,654 Prairie Stars 20032009 Great Lakes Valley (GLVC) [f]
(2009–present)
Iowa Wesleyan College [g] Mount Pleasant, Iowa 1842 United Methodist 570 Tigers 19931995various [h] Closed in 2023 [i]
Lindenwood College [j] St. Charles, Missouri 1827 Presbyterian
(PCUSA)
4,822 Lions 19931996various [k] Ohio Valley (OVC) [l]
(2022–present)
Lindenwood University at Belleville Belleville, Illinois 2003Presbyterian
(PCUSA)
N/A Lynx 20142020Closed in 2020
Lyon College Batesville, Arkansas 1872Presbyterian
(PCUSA)
700 Scots 20122023 St. Louis (SLIAC) [e]
(2023–present)
McKendree University Lebanon, Illinois 1828United Methodist1,702 Bearcats 19872011 NAIA/NCAA D-II Independent
(2011–12)
Great Lakes Valley (GLVC) [f]
(2012–present)
Mid-Continent University Mayfield, Kentucky 1949 Southern Baptist N/A Cougars 20132014Closed in 2014
Park University Parkville, Missouri 1875Nonsectarian2,340 Pirates 1986;
2009
1994;
2020
Midlands (MCAC)
(1994–2009)
Heart of America (HAAC)
(2020–present)
Notes
  1. Represents the calendar year when fall sports competition begins.
  2. Represents the calendar year when spring sports competition ends.
  3. The Benedictine–Springfield men's and women's basketball teams joined the American Midwest a year after becoming a full member for other sports (2012–13).
  4. Currently known as Fontbonne University since 2002.
  5. 1 2 3 Currently an NCAA Division III athletic conference.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Currently an NCAA Division II athletic conference.
  7. Currently known as Iowa Wesleyan University since 2015.
  8. Iowa Wesleyan had joined the following subsequent conferences: the Midwest Collegiate Conference (MCC) from 1995–96 to 2011–12; as an NAIA Independent during the 2012–13 school year; the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference [e] (SLIAC) from 2013–14 to 2020–21; and the Continental Athletic Conference from 2021–22 to 2022–23.
  9. Iowa Wesleyan had announced a return to the AMC effective with the 2023–24 academic year, [3] but closed at the end of the 2022–23 academic year. [4]
  10. Currently known as Lindenwood University since 1997.
  11. Lindenwood had joined the following subsequent conferences: the Heart of America Athletic Conference (HAAC) from 1996–97 to 2010–11; as an NCAA D-II Independent during the 2011–12 school year; the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association [f] (MIAA) from 2012–13 to 2018–19; and the Great Lakes Valley Conference [f] (GLVC) from 2019–20 to 2021–22.
  12. Currently an NCAA Division I athletic conference.

Former associate members

The American Midwest had two former associate members, both were private schools:

InstitutionLocationFoundedAffiliationEnrollmentNicknameJoined [a] Left [b] AMC
sport
Primary
conference
Calumet College of St. Joseph Whiting, Indiana 1951 Catholic
(C.PP.S.)
1,292 Crimson Wave 20172022men's wrestling Chicagoland (CCAC)
Lincoln College Lincoln, Illinois 1865Nonsectarian800 Lynx 20202022Closed in 2022
Marian University Indianapolis, Indiana 1851 Catholic
(S.S.F.)
3,595 Knights 20172020 Crossroads
Notes
  1. Represents the calendar year when fall sports competition begins.
  2. Represents the calendar year when spring sports competition ends.

Membership timeline

Mission UniversityCrowley's Ridge CollegeHaskell Indian Nations UniversityCottey CollegeLincoln College (Illinois)Marian University (Ind.)Calumet College of St. JosephCentral Baptist CollegeUniversity of Health Sciences and Pharmacy in St. LouisLindenwood University – BellevilleMid-Continent UniversityMid-South ConferenceFreed–Hardeman UniversitySt. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic ConferenceLyon CollegeBenedictine University at SpringfieldStephens CollegeGreat Lakes Valley ConferenceUniversity of Illinois SpringfieldWilliams Baptist UniversityHeart of America Athletic ConferenceWilliams Woods UniversityOhio Valley ConferenceGreat Lakes Valley ConferenceMid-America Intercollegiate Athletics AssociationNCAA D-II independent schoolsHeart of America Athletic ConferenceLindenwood UniversityNAIA independent schoolsSt. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic ConferenceNCAA D-III independent schoolsMidwest Collegiate ConferenceIowa Wesleyan UniversityGreat Lakes Valley ConferenceNCAA D-II independent schoolsMcKendree UniversityHeart of America Athletic ConferenceMidlands Collegiate Athletic ConferencePark UniversityHeart of America Athletic ConferenceMissouri Baptist UniversityHarris–Stowe State UniversityHannibal–La Grange UniversitySt. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic ConferenceFontbonne UniversityColumbia College (Missouri)American Midwest Conference

 Full member (non-football)  Associate member (sport) 

Sports

Conference sports
SportMen'sWomen's
Baseball Green check.svg
Basketball Green check.svgGreen check.svg
Cross Country Green check.svgGreen check.svg
Golf Green check.svgGreen check.svg
Soccer Green check.svgGreen check.svg
Softball Green check.svg
Track & Field Indoor Green check.svgGreen check.svg
Track & Field Outdoor Green check.svgGreen check.svg
Volleyball Green check.svg
Wrestling Green check.svg

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association</span> Athletic conference in the American Midwest

The Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level, headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri. Its fourteen member institutions, of which all but one are public schools, are located in Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, and Oklahoma. The MIAA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization incorporated in Missouri.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Great Plains Athletic Conference</span> Collegiate athletic conference

The Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). Member institutions are located in Iowa, Nebraska, and South Dakota. The conference was founded in 1969 as the Nebraska Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (NIAC), later becoming the Nebraska–Iowa Athletic Conference (1992) before being renamed the Great Plains Athletic Conference (2000).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heart of America Athletic Conference</span> College athletic conference

The Heart of America Athletic Conference is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). Member institutions are located in Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference</span> NAIA conference

The Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). The KCAC is the oldest conference in the NAIA and the second-oldest in the United States, tracing its history to 1890.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mid-States Football Association</span>

The Mid-States Football Association (MSFA) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). The conference sponsors only football. Member institutions are located in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio. The MSFA was organized in 1993, and on-field competition began in 1994. The conference is divided into two leagues, the Mideast League and the Midwest League. The two MSFA league champions each earn an automatic bid to the NAIA football national championship playoffs. MSFA member schools have won eight NAIA football national championships.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Upper Midwest Athletic Conference</span>

The Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) is an intercollegiate athletic conference that competes in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III since the 2008–09 season. Corey Borchardt is the current commissioner of the UMAC, and was appointed to the position in 2008. The UMAC was started in 1972 as the Twin Rivers Conference, and assumed its current name in 1983. Member institutions are located in Minnesota and Wisconsin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association</span>

The Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (MIVA) is a college athletic conference whose member schools compete in men's volleyball. The conference footprint is centered in the Midwestern United States, stretching from Missouri in the west to Ohio in the east, and also extends into North Carolina and will expand into Kentucky in the spring 2026 season. Many of the conference's schools also participate in the similarly named Midwest Intercollegiate Volleyball Association in men's volleyball at the club level.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NAIA independent schools</span> Informal athletic conference member schools

NAIA independent schools are four-year institutional members of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) that do not have formal conference affiliations. NAIA schools that are not members of any other athletic conference are members of the Continental Athletic Conference (CAC), formerly the Association of Independent Institutions (AII), which provides member services to the institution and allows members to compete in postseason competition. The CAC has one member institution in Canada's British Columbia. It provides services to the member institutions that are not fitting in any other NAIA conference and allows members to compete in postseason competition. The AII renamed itself the Continental Athletic Conference at the end of June 2021, citing the need to identify as a proper conference.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heartland Conference</span> Defunct US collegiate athletic conference

The Heartland Conference was a collegiate athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)'s Division II level, which was founded in 1999. The majority of members were in Texas, with additional members in Arkansas, Kansas, and Oklahoma. The conference office was located in Waco, Texas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Great Lakes Valley Conference</span> NCAA Division II college athletic conference

The Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level. Its fifteen member institutions are located in the U.S. states of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, and Missouri. There are also four associate members who participate in sports not sponsored by their home conference.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iowa Wesleyan University</span> Private university in Mount Pleasant, Iowa, US

Iowa Wesleyan University was a private university in Mount Pleasant, Iowa, United States. It was Iowa's first co-educational institution of higher learning and the oldest of its type west of the Mississippi River. The institution was affiliated with the United Methodist Church. It closed at the end of the 2022–23 academic year due to financial challenges.

McKendree University (McK), formerly McKendree College, is a private university in Lebanon, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1828 as the Lebanon Seminary, it is the oldest college or university in Illinois. The school was renamed McKendree University beginning in the 2007–08 academic year. McKendree enrolls approximately 1,960 students representing 25 countries and 29 states. In the undergraduate program, on average there are 51% females and 49% males. The institution remains affiliated with the United Methodist Church.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Midwest Collegiate Conference</span>

The Midwest Collegiate Conference (MCC) was a college athletic conference, consisting of colleges and universities located in Iowa and Wisconsin. Founded in 1988, the conference's member schools competed on the NAIA level in 15 different sports.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference</span>

The St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC) is an intercollegiate athletic conference that competes in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III which is located in the Midwestern and Southern United States. There are 10 full member institutions as of the 2023–24 academic year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">American Mideast Conference</span>

The American Mideast Conference (AMC) was an affiliate of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics that included eight member institutions in Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, and Massachusetts. Founded in 1949, it was known as the Mid-Ohio League, and named the Mid-Ohio Conference from 1962 until 1998, when it adopted its final moniker. The name change was the first step in a multi-phase expansion that extended the conference into states beyond Ohio before the league was eventually disbanded in 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Midlands Collegiate Athletic Conference</span>

The Midlands Collegiate Athletic Conference (MCAC) was an intercollegiate athletic conference that competed in National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics. Members of the conference were located in the Midwest United States and were located in Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Iowa, Arkansas, and Oklahoma.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sooner Athletic Conference</span> American college athletic conference

The Sooner Athletic Conference (SAC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). Originally developed as a five-team conference of Oklahoma-based schools, the SAC now boasts 13 schools in a league that spans six states – Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas, and Louisiana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lindenwood Lions</span> Athletic teams of Lindenwood University

The Lindenwood Lions and Lady Lions are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Lindenwood University, located in St. Charles, Missouri, in intercollegiate sports as a member of the NCAA Division I ranks, primarily competing in the Ohio Valley Conference for most of its sports since the 2022–23 academic year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Illinois–Springfield Prairie Stars</span> Intercollegiate sports teams of University of Illinois at Springfield

The UIS Prairie Stars are the athletic teams that represent the University of Illinois Springfield, located in Springfield, Illinois, in intercollegiate sports as a member of the Division II level of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), primarily competing in the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) since the 2009–10 academic year, which they became a full-fledged Division II member on Aug. 1, 2010. The Prairie Stars previously competed in the American Midwest Conference (AMC) of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) from 2003–04 to 2008–09.

References

  1. Lyon College (August 22, 2022). "Lyon College enters NCAA Div. III in SLIAC". GuardOnline.com. Retrieved August 22, 2022.
  2. "Cottey College Joins the American Midwest Conference". American Midwest Conference. November 16, 2021. Retrieved December 26, 2021.
  3. "Iowa Wesleyan University rejoins the American Midwest Conference". American Midwest Conference. November 16, 2022. Retrieved March 30, 2023.
  4. "Iowa Wesleyan University Announces Closure". Iowa Wesleyan University. March 28, 2023. Retrieved March 30, 2023.