![]() | |
Formerly | Mid-Central College Conference |
---|---|
Association | NAIA |
Founded | 1959 |
Commissioner | Larry DeSimpelare |
Sports fielded |
|
No. of teams | 10 |
Region | Midwestern United States Region VIII |
Official website | crossroadsleague.com |
Locations | |
![]() |
The Crossroads League (formerly the Mid-Central College Conference) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). Its members are private Christian colleges in Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio. The current conference commissioner is Larry DeSimpelare.
In June 2012, the conference voted to change its name to the Crossroads League, a name to better reflect the conference having grown beyond its Central Indiana roots. [1]
The Crossroads League currently has ten full members; all are private schools:
Institution | Location | Founded | Affiliation | Enrollment | Nickname | Joined [lower-alpha 1] |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bethel University | Mishawaka, Indiana | 1947 | Missionary | 1,964 | Pilots | 1981 |
Goshen College | Goshen, Indiana | 1894 | Mennonite | 971 | Maple Leafs | 1970 |
Grace College & Seminary | Winona Lake, Indiana | 1948 | Charis Fellowship | 1,308 | Lancers | 1959; 1981 [lower-alpha 2] |
Huntington University | Huntington, Indiana | 1897 | United Brethren in Christ | 1,089 | Foresters | 1959 |
Indiana Wesleyan University | Marion, Indiana | 1920 | Wesleyan Church | 2,969 | Wildcats | 1973 |
Marian University | Indianapolis, Indiana | 1851 | Catholic (S.S.F.) | 3,595 | Knights | 1987 |
Mount Vernon Nazarene University | Mount Vernon, Ohio | 1964 | Nazarene | 2,622 | Cougars | 2011 |
University of Saint Francis | Fort Wayne, Indiana | 1890 | Catholic (S.S.F.P.A.) | 1,883 | Cougars | 1966; 1994 [lower-alpha 3] |
Spring Arbor University | Spring Arbor, Michigan | 1873 | Free Methodist | 2,600 | Cougars | 2004 |
Taylor University | Upland, Indiana | 1846 | Nondenominational | 1,887 | Trojans | 1994 |
The Crossroads had three former full members, all were private schools:
Institution | Location | Founded | Affiliation | Enrollment | Nickname | Joined [lower-alpha 1] | Left [lower-alpha 2] | Subsequent conference(s) | Current conference |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Concordia Senior College | Fort Wayne, Indiana | 1957 | Lutheran LCMS | N/A | Cadets | 1959 | 1972 | NAIA Independent (1972–77) | Closed in 1977 |
Indiana Institute of Technology | Fort Wayne, Indiana | 1930 | Nonsectarian | 7,000 | Warriors | 1959 | 1978 | Chicagoland (CCAC) (1978–98) | Wolverine–Hoosier (WHAC) (1998–present) |
Trine University | Angola, Indiana | 1884 | Nonsectarian | 4,104 | Thunder | 1959 | 1981 | various [lower-alpha 3] | Michigan (MIAA) [lower-alpha 4] (2004–present) |
Full member (non-football)Full members (men only)Other ConferenceOther Conference
Sport | Men's | Women's |
---|---|---|
Baseball | ![]() | |
Basketball | ![]() | ![]() |
Cross Country | ![]() | ![]() |
Golf | ![]() | ![]() |
Soccer | ![]() | ![]() |
Softball | ![]() | |
Tennis | ![]() | ![]() |
Track & Field Outdoor | ![]() | ![]() |
Volleyball | ![]() |
Each year, the member institution with the most points based on final rankings in each sport, is awarded the Commissioners Cup (formerly known as the All Sports Trophy). The current holder is Indiana Wesleyan University, which has won the last twelve cups in a row and holds the record for cups won, with eighteen. [2]
The USA South Athletic Conference is an athletic conference which competes in the NCAA's Division III. Member schools are located in North Carolina and Virginia.
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, North Dakota, 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).
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.
The Mid-South Conference (MSC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). Member institutions are located in Kentucky and Tennessee. The league is headquartered in Bowling Green, Kentucky, and the commissioner is Eric Leach.
The Mid-States Football Association (MSFA) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the NAIA. Member institutions are located in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio. The MSFA was organized in 1993, and on-field competition began in 1994. The MSFA is divided into two leagues, the Mideast and the Midwest.
Marian University is a private Roman Catholic university in Indianapolis, Indiana. Founded in 1851 by the Sisters of St. Francis in Oldenburg, Indiana, the college moved to Indianapolis in 1937. Marian was known as Marian College from 1936 until 2009, when it was renamed Marian University.
Indiana Institute of Technology is a private university in Fort Wayne, Indiana. It was founded in 1930 as Indiana Technical College by John A. Kalbfleisch, who was also the school's first president.
Indiana Wesleyan University (IWU) is a private evangelical Christian university headquartered in Marion, Indiana, and affiliated with the Wesleyan Church. It is the largest private university in Indiana.
Bethel University is a private Christian university in Mishawaka, Indiana. It was established in 1947 and is affiliated with the evangelical Christian Missionary Church.
The Southern States Athletic Conference (SSAC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). The 13 member universities that compete in 19 sports are located in Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Tennessee. Basketball teams compete as a single division in the NAIA.
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.
The Wolverine–Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), and it's heaquartered in Livonia, Michigan. The conference consists of twelve colleges and universities located in the U.S. states of Michigan, Indiana, and Ohio. Founded in 1992, the conference was created as a successor group for the now-defunct NAIA District 23.
The American Midwest Conference (AMC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) with 10 member institutions located in Arkansas and Missouri in the United States.
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 12 schools in a league that spans four states – Arkansas, Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas, with a Missouri based school to join in 2024.
The River States Conference (RSC), formerly known as the Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (KIAC), is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). Although it was historically a Kentucky-only conference, it has now expanded to include members in Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia, and at various times in the past has also had members in Missouri, Tennessee, and Virginia.
The Indiana Wesleyan Wildcats are the athletic teams that represent Indiana Wesleyan University, located in Marion, Indiana, in intercollegiate sports as a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), primarily competing in the Crossroads League since the 1973–74 academic year; while its football team competes in the Mideast League of the Mid-States Football Association (MSFA) and its women's swimming team competes in the Mid-South Conference (MSC). They were also a member of the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA), primarily competing as an independent in the Midwest Region of the Division I level.
The Saint Francis Cougars are the athletic teams that represent the University of Saint Francis, located in Fort Wayne, Indiana, in intercollegiate sports as a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), primarily competing in the Crossroads League for most of its sports since the 1994–95 academic year ; while its football team competes in the Mideast League of the Mid-States Football Association (MSFA).
The 2014 NAIA Division II Men's Basketball national championship was held in March at Keeter Gymnasium in Point Lookout, Missouri. The 21st annual NAIA basketball tournament featured thirty-two teams playing in a single-elimination format. The championship game was won by Indiana Wesleyan of Marion, Indiana over Midland University of Fremont, Nebraska by a score of 78 to 68.