Great Lakes Valley Conference

Last updated
Great Lakes Valley Conference
Great Lakes Valley Conference logo.svg
Association NCAA
Founded1978
CommissionerJim Naumovich (since 2000)
Sports fielded
  • 24
    • men's: 12
    • women's: 12
Division Division II
No. of teams15
Headquarters Indianapolis, Indiana
Region Central United States
Official website www.glvcsports.com
Locations
GLVCstates.png

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.

Contents

History

Formation

Old logo Great Lakes Valley Conference old logo.png
Old logo
Great Lakes Valley Conference
Great Lakes Valley Conference
Invisible Square.svg
Invisible Square.svg
Mapscaleline.svg
100km
62miles
Green pog.svg
Lincoln
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Upper Iowa
Green pog.svg
Southwest Baptist
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William Jewell
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Truman
Green pog.svg
Rockhurst
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Quincy
Green pog.svg
Missouri–St. Louis
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Missouri S&T
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McKendree
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Maryville
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Lewis
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Indianapolis
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Illinois–Springfield
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Drury
Location of GLVC full members: Green pog.svg current

The GLVC grew out of discussions that started in 1972 between the athletic directors of Kentucky Wesleyan College, Bellarmine College (today Bellarmine University), and Indiana State University at Evansville (renamed University of Southern Indiana in 1985), with the goal of forming a men's basketball conference. The discussions eventually included Indiana Central University (renamed University of Indianapolis in 1986), Saint Joseph's College, and Ashland College (today Ashland University). [1] On July 7, 1978, at a meeting in Louisville hosted by Bellarmine, these six schools formed the GLVC, with the intention of competing in the 1978–79 season. Ashland, though considered a charter member, did not begin conference play until the league's second season, in 1979–80. [2] From the time of its founding, the GLVC has been a member of NCAA Division II.

While the origins of the conference's name are lost to history, its initial footprint was bordered by the Great Lakes in the north and the Ohio Valley in the south. Following Southern Indiana's departure in July 2022, Indianapolis is the only remaining charter member.

The GLVC has been led by a full-time commissioner since 1996, first Carl McAloose (1996–2000), then Jim Naumovich (2000–present). [3] The conference office is located in Indianapolis. From 1978 to 1996, the Faculty Athletics Representatives (FARs) of the member institutions were responsible for operating the conference. The FARs (rather than the athletic directors) still cast the institutional votes at meetings where the presidents and chancellors are not present. This feature gives the GLVC a governance structure that is unique among Division I and Division II conferences. [1]

Though conceived as a men's basketball league, the GLVC from the start planned to sponsor championships in golf, tennis, baseball, cross country, and track & field. [2] The conference crowned golf and tennis champions in 1978-79 and added cross country and baseball the following year. Soccer became the sixth sport rather than track & field, with the first conference tournament held in 1980. [4] In 1982, when the demise of the Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) brought women's college athletics under the NCAA, the GLVC began to sponsor women's sports. Within two years, the conference added women's championships in basketball, tennis, cross country, volleyball, and softball.

Expansion of membership and sport sponsorship

The conference experienced steady growth through the first three decades of its existence, expanding from six members to sixteen. The first addition was Lewis University in 1980, followed in 1984 by Indiana University – Purdue University Fort Wayne (IPFW; the athletic program is now Purdue Fort Wayne), then Northern Kentucky University in 1985 and Kentucky State University in 1989. The conference lost its first members with the departure of Ashland and Kentucky State, effective summer 1995, but nonetheless increased in size when Quincy University, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE) and the University of Wisconsin–Parkside began competition that fall, followed by the University of Missouri–St. Louis (UMSL) one year later. These changes initiated a westward shift in the GLVC's geographical footprint that has continued to the present. [1]

The 1990s also featured an expansion in sports sponsorship. In 1995-96 the GLVC crowned its first champions in women's soccer and in men's and women's track and field. Women's golf was added in 1998–99, followed by men's and women's indoor track and field in 1999–2000. These additions increased the total number of conference sports from eleven to seventeen.

After IPFW left in 2001 to move to Division I, the GLVC considered further expansion, but not before redefining conference membership in 2005 to require the athletic program of each member to include seven core sports (men's and women's basketball, women's volleyball, men's and women's soccer, softball, and baseball). The eleven members at the time all sponsored these sports, and subsequent new members would be required to sponsor them as well. Previously, the GLVC had no sports sponsorship requirement other than the NCAA Division II minimum (that every member must sponsor at least ten sports, including men's and women's basketball). The conference began awarding the Commissioner's Cup to the member institution with the greatest success across the seven core sports, while continuing to award its All-Sports Trophy to the most successful program overall. [5] [6]

In the fall of 2005, the GLVC welcomed three more members—Drury University, Rockhurst University, and the University of Missouri-Rolla (known as Missouri University of Science and Technology, or Missouri S&T, since 2008). SIUE left for Division I and the Ohio Valley Conference in 2008, but the conference continued to grow with the additions of Maryville University and the University of Illinois Springfield, which began GLVC competition in the fall of 2009. The GLVC reached sixteen members with the admission of William Jewell College, which began competing in fall 2011. [1]

As the conference continued to grow, basketball remained its strongest sport, and the conference tournament, usually including both genders at the same neutral site, became its signature event. A GLVC team played in the championship game of the NCAA Division II men's basketball tournament in eleven consecutive seasons (1993-94 through 2003–4). Kentucky Wesleyan, winner of four men's national championships prior to the creation of the GLVC, won four more as a conference member, while Southern Indiana, Bellarmine, and Drury won one apiece, and Northern Kentucky won two women's national championships. Meanwhile, the GLVC became the leading Division II conference in swimming and diving. During its first decade in the conference, Drury won ten men's national championships and four women's national championships in the sport. After men's and women's swimming and diving became conference sports in 2013–14, the annual GLVC swimming and diving meet grew to become the most financially lucrative of the conference's championship events, surpassing the basketball tournament.

The admission of William Jewell, approved in October 2009, gave the conference six football-playing members and set in motion plans to crown a football champion, ultimately starting in fall 2012. The addition of football in the GLVC's 35th year of competition was a historic move, as no conference at any level of the NCAA (Division I, II, or III) founded without football had ever added it after existing for so long as a non-football conference. [7] William Jewell joined Indianapolis, Kentucky Wesleyan, St. Joseph's, Quincy, and Missouri S&T to give the GLVC six football-playing members, the minimum number needed to sponsor the sport. They were soon joined by new full member McKendree University [8] and the GLVC's first associate members, Central State University and Urbana University, [9] to give the conference nine teams for its initial football season. Though they competed in the GLVC for just one year, Central State and Urbana eventually were followed by a dozen other schools admitted to the league as associates in one or more sports while maintaining full membership elsewhere.

Just as the GLVC was adding football, the conference lost two of its premier basketball programs. In the fall of 2012, Northern Kentucky moved to Division I and the Atlantic Sun Conference (ASUN), and one year later, Kentucky Wesleyan left to become a charter member of the newly formed Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC). [10] Meanwhile, the GLVC welcomed Truman State University into the conference, to begin competition in 2013–14. [11] The additions of McKendree (coinciding with the departure of Northern Kentucky) and Truman State (coinciding with the departure of Kentucky Wesleyan) kept the GLVC at sixteen members.

In 2014, a unique interconference football partnership with the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA) allowed Lincoln University and Southwest Baptist University to join the GLVC in football while otherwise remaining MIAA members. [12] That autumn, the GLVC became the first NCAA Division II conference to create an inclusive league-wide digital streaming network – the GLVC Sports Network (GLVCSN), which subsequently broadcast football and all other conference sports.

Drury and Bellarmine started wrestling programs for the 2016–17 season, enabling the conference to add wrestling as its 21st championship sport. [13] The initial seven-team GLVC wrestling lineup also included Indianapolis, Maryville, McKendree, Truman State, and Wisconsin–Parkside, all former Division II wrestling independents.

In July 2017, the GLVC announced the addition of men's lacrosse as its 22nd championship sport, in partnership with the Gulf South Conference (GSC) and Peach Belt Conference (PBC). The initial six-team lineup for spring 2018 included Indianapolis, Maryville, and four southern associate members (Young Harris College, the University of Alabama in Huntsville, the University of Montevallo, and Shorter University). [14] The partnership lasted for three seasons, after which the GLVC and GSC-PBC each had enough lacrosse-playing members to offer separate championships in the sport.

Recent history

Charter member St. Joseph's College closed in May 2017 because of financial troubles. [15] One year later, Wisconsin–Parkside left the GLVC to join the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC). [16] Their departures reduced the conference to fourteen members.

In fall 2019 conference membership returned to 16 with the addition of two schools from the MIAA, Southwest Baptist (elevated from football-only associate to full membership) and Lindenwood University. [17] [18] Their admission voided the MIAA-GLVC football partnership of the previous five seasons (2014 through 2018), resulting in Lincoln rejoining MIAA football. After just one year the conference reverted to fifteen members, as charter member Bellarmine moved to Division I and the ASUN, effective fall 2020. [19]

In 2019 the GLVC and G-MAC established the annual America's Crossroads Bowl in Hobart, Indiana, featuring their highest-ranking football teams not qualifying for the NCAA Division II playoffs. In the 2021 and 2022 seasons, members of the two conferences also played a two-game crossover in the third and fourth Saturdays of the football season.

The GLVC added two women's sports for 2019–20, bowling and lacrosse, bringing the total number of conference sports to 24. In women's bowling, the initial lineup included 2017 national champion McKendree, fellow full members Drury, Lewis, and Maryville, plus associate members Lincoln, the University of Central Missouri, and Upper Iowa University. [20] In women's lacrosse, the initial lineup in spring 2020 consisted of seven full members—regional powers Lindenwood and Indianapolis, along with Lewis, Maryville, McKendree, Quincy, and Rockhurst. [21] The two sports were an immediate success, with Lindenwood (2021) and Indianapolis (2022) winning national championships in women's lacrosse and McKendree (2022) winning its second national title in women's bowling.

In March 2020, GLVC winter and spring sport competitions ended when the NCAA suspended play due to the COVID-19 pandemic. For the 2020–21 academic year, the GLVC held its fall 2020 conference sport competitions in spring 2021. Of the sixteen Division II conferences sponsoring football at the time, the GLVC was one of just four (with the G-MAC, Mountain East Conference, and South Atlantic Conference) to crown a football champion in spring 2021.

The most recent departures from the GLVC came at the end of the 2021–22 academic year, when charter member Southern Indiana joined Lindenwood in moving to Division I and the Ohio Valley Conference, [22] [23] temporarily reducing the league to thirteen schools. They were replaced by associate member Upper Iowa, admitted to the GLVC as a full member effective fall 2023, and former football associate Lincoln, admitted effective fall 2024. [24] [25]

With the addition of new members, the GLVC amended the core sports requirement that had been in place since 2005. Starting in 2023–24, all full members must sponsor men's and women's basketball, men's and women's soccer, four additional men's sports, and four additional women's sports.

In July 2024, the GLVC formally announced that it would begin sponsoring men's volleyball in the 2026 season (2025–26 academic year), with an initial lineup consisting of full members Maryville, Missouri S&T, Quincy, Rockhurst, and Southwest Baptist, plus associate members Roosevelt University and Thomas More University. [26]

Divisional play

The GLVC first adopted divisional play in 1996, for women's volleyball only. That sport competed in Blue and Green divisions (named for the conference's colors) until 2004, when it returned to a single table. All other sports competed in a single table until the conference expanded to fourteen members in 2005, when two seven-team divisions were adopted for basketball and most other core sports.

The organizational structure of the conference has varied dramatically since then, reflecting changes in membership and in the overall number of league members. As an added variable, the same structure has never been applied across all sports in any given year. For example, since 2005, men's and women's basketball has played in two divisions in ten seasons (from 2005–06 through 2008–09 and again from 2011–12 through 2016–17), three divisions in five seasons (2009–10, 2010–11, 2017–18, 2020–21, and 2021–22), and in a single table in four seasons (2018–19, 2019–20, 2022–23, and 2023–24). Meanwhile, during the same years, men's and women's soccer always played a single table. Two-division structures have been labeled East-West or Blue-Green, while three-division structures have been labeled East-West-North or East-West-Central.

As of 2024–25, the GLVC has divisional play in men's and women's tennis, and plays a single table in all other sports with regular season competition.

Chronological timeline

Member schools

Current members

The GLVC currently has 15 full members, including ten private and five public institutions:

InstitutionLocationFoundedAffiliationUndergrad
Enrollment [lower-alpha 1]
NicknameJoinedColors
Drury University Springfield, Missouri 1873 UCC & DOC 1,375 Panthers 2005   
University of Illinois Springfield Springfield, Illinois 1969 Public 2,393 Prairie Stars 2008 [lower-alpha 2]      
University of Indianapolis Indianapolis, Indiana 1902 United Methodist 3,613 Greyhounds 1978   
Lewis University Romeoville, Illinois 1932 Catholic 3,933 Flyers 1980   
Lincoln University Jefferson City, Missouri 1866Public
(HBCU)
1,689 Blue Tigers 2023 [lower-alpha 3]    
Maryville University Town and Country, Missouri [lower-alpha 4] 1872 Catholic 5,809 Saints 2008 [lower-alpha 5]    
McKendree University Lebanon, Illinois 1828United Methodist1,483 Bearcats 2010 [lower-alpha 6]    
Missouri University of Science and Technology
(Missouri S&T)
Rolla, Missouri 1870Public5,501 Miners 2005   
University of Missouri-St. Louis St. Louis, Missouri 1963Public12,431 Tritons 1995 [lower-alpha 7]    
Quincy University Quincy, Illinois 1860 Catholic 1,146 Hawks 1994 [lower-alpha 8]      
Rockhurst University Kansas City, Missouri 1910 Catholic 2,545 Hawks 2005   
Southwest Baptist University Bolivar, Missouri 1878 Baptist 1,836 Bearcats 2019 [lower-alpha 9]    
Truman State University Kirksville, Missouri 1867Public3,622 Bulldogs 2012 [lower-alpha 10]    
Upper Iowa University Fayette, Iowa 1857 Nonsectarian 2,510 Peacocks 2022 [lower-alpha 11]    
William Jewell College Liberty, Missouri 1849Nonsectarian829 Cardinals 2009 [lower-alpha 12]    
Notes
  1. Undergraduate enrollment in fall 2022, as reported in USNews.com Best Colleges 2024.
  2. Illinois–Springfield (UIS) joined the GLVC in 2008 but did not begin competition until the 2009–10 academic year.
  3. Lincoln joined the GLVC in 2023 and began competition as a full member in the 2024-25 academic year, after having been an associate member in football (2014 through 2018 fall seasons) and women's bowling (2019-20).
  4. Mailing address is St. Louis.
  5. Maryville joined the GLVC in 2008 but did not begin competition until the 2009–10 academic year.
  6. McKendree joined the GLVC in 2010 but did not begin competition until the 2012–13 academic year.
  7. UMSL joined the GLVC in 1995 but did not begin competition until the 1996–97 academic year.
  8. Quincy joined the GLVC in 1994 but did not begin competition until the 1995–96 academic year.
  9. Southwest Baptist joined the GLVC in 2019 and began competition as a full member in the 2019–20 academic year, after five seasons as an associate member for football (2014 through 2018 fall seasons).
  10. Truman State joined the GLVC in 2012 but did not begin competition until the 2013–14 academic year.
  11. Upper Iowa joined the GLVC in 2022 and began competition as a full member in the 2023-24 academic year, after four seasons as an associate member for women's bowling (2019-20 through 2022-23).
  12. William Jewell joined the GLVC in 2009 but did not begin competition until the 2011–12 academic year.


Associate members

The GLVC currently has four associate members, two private and two public institutions. Years listed in this table are calendar years. For schools that play only spring sports (such as women's lacrosse) in the GLVC, the calendar year of arrival precedes the first season of competition.

InstitutionLocationFoundedAffiliationUndergrad
Enrollment [lower-alpha 1]
NicknameJoinedColorsGLVC
sport
Primary
conference
University of Central Missouri Warrensburg, Missouri 1871Public7,345 Jennies [lower-alpha 2] 2019   women's bowling Mid-America (MIAA)
Missouri Western State University St. Joseph, Missouri 1915Public3,824 Griffons 2020   women's lacrosse
Newman University Wichita, Kansas 1933 Catholic 1,528 Jets 2022   women's bowling
Oklahoma Christian University Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 1950 Churches
of Christ
2,003 Lady Eagles [lower-alpha 3] 2024    Lone Star (LSC)
Notes
  1. Undergraduate enrollment in fall 2022, as reported in USNews.com Best Colleges 2024.
  2. Central Missouri uses two nicknames: Mules for men's sports teams and Jennies for women's sports teams.
  3. Oklahoma Christian uses two nicknames: Eagles for men's sports teams and Lady Eagles for women's sports teams.

Future associate members

The GLVC currently has two future associate members, both private institutions. Years listed in this table are calendar years. For schools that play only spring sports (such as men's volleyball) in the GLVC, the calendar year of arrival precedes the first season of competition.

InstitutionLocationFoundedAffiliationUndergrad
Enrollment [lower-alpha 1]
NicknameJoiningColorsGLVC
sport
Primary
conference
Roosevelt University Chicago, Illinois 1945Nonsectarian2,391 Lakers 2025 [lower-alpha 2]   men's volleyball Great Lakes (GLIAC)
Thomas More University Crestview Hills, Kentucky 1921 Catholic 1,958 Saints 2025 [lower-alpha 3]     Great Midwest (G-MAC)
Notes
  1. Undergraduate enrollment in fall 2022, as reported in USNews.com Best Colleges 2024.
  2. Roosevelt was approved for membership in 2024 and will begin conference competition in the 2025–26 academic year (spring 2026), in the first season of GLVC men's volleyball
  3. Thomas More was approved for membership in 2023 and will begin conference competition in the 2025–26 academic year (spring 2026), in the first season of GLVC men's volleyball

Former members

Former members of the GLVC include six public and five private institutions:

InstitutionLocationFoundedAffiliationUndergrad
Enrollment [lower-alpha 1]
NicknameJoinedLeftCurrent
conference
Ashland University Ashland, Ohio 1878 Brethren 5,109 Eagles 19781994 [lower-alpha 2] Great Midwest
(G-MAC)
Bellarmine University Louisville, Kentucky 1950 Catholic 2,343 Knights 19782020 ASUN [lower-alpha 3]
Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne [lower-alpha 4] Fort Wayne, Indiana 1964Public8,390 Mastodons 19842001 Horizon [lower-alpha 3]
Kentucky State University Frankfort, Kentucky 1886Public
(HBCU)
1,610 Thorobreds &
Thorobrettes
19891994 [lower-alpha 2] Southern (SIAC)
Kentucky Wesleyan College Owensboro, Kentucky 1858 United Methodist 780 Panthers 19782013 [lower-alpha 5] Great Midwest
(G-MAC)
Lindenwood University St. Charles, Missouri 1827 Presbyterian 4,808 Lions 20192022 Ohio Valley (OVC) [lower-alpha 3]
Northern Kentucky University Highland Heights, Kentucky 1968Public10,776 Norse 19852012 Horizon [lower-alpha 3]
Saint Joseph's College Rensselaer, Indiana 1889 Catholic N/A Pumas 19782017N/A [lower-alpha 6]
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Edwardsville, Illinois 1957Public9,321 Cougars 1994 [lower-alpha 7] 2008 Ohio Valley (OVC) [lower-alpha 3]
University of Southern Indiana Evansville, Indiana 1965Public5,539 Screaming Eagles 19782022 Ohio Valley (OVC) [lower-alpha 3]
University of Wisconsin–Parkside [lower-alpha 8] Somers, Wisconsin 1968Public3,255 Rangers 1994 [lower-alpha 9] 2018 Great Lakes (GLIAC)
Notes
  1. Undergraduate enrollment in fall 2022, as reported in USNews.com Best Colleges 2024.
  2. 1 2 Ashland and Kentucky State announced their departure from the GLVC in 1994 but fulfilled their commitments to a final year of competition in the GLVC during the 1994–95 academic year.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Currently an NCAA Division I athletic conference.
  4. On July 1, 2018, Indiana University and Purdue University dissolved their joint Fort Wayne campus. IU took over IPFW's health sciences programs under the name of Indiana University Fort Wayne, and the remaining IPFW academic programs formed Purdue University Fort Wayne (PFW). The IPFW athletic program was inherited by PFW, with the athletic branding changed to Purdue Fort Wayne.
  5. Kentucky Wesleyan competed in the GLVC as a football-only associate member in fall 2013.
  6. Saint Joseph's closed in May 2017.
  7. Southern Illinois–Edwardsville (SIUE) joined the GLVC in 1994 but did not begin competition until the 1995–96 academic year.
  8. Wisconsin-Parkside now brands its athletic program as "Parkside".
  9. Wisconsin-Parkside joined the GLVC in 1994 but did not begin competition until the 1995–96 academic year.

Former associate members

Former associate members of the GLVC include four public and five private institutions. Years listed in this table reflect calendar years. For fall sports, the calendar year of departure is the year after the last season of competition. For spring sports, the calendar year of arrival precedes the first season of competition. (NOTE: this list does not include the former associate members—Southwest Baptist, Upper Iowa, Lincoln—that eventually became full members).

InstitutionLocationFoundedAffiliationUndergrad
Enrollment [lower-alpha 1]
NicknameJoinedLeftGLVC
sport
Primary
conference
as assoc.
Current
conference
University of Alabama in Huntsville Huntsville, Alabama 1969Public7,169 Chargers 20172020men's lacrosse Gulf South (GSC)
Central State University Wilberforce, Ohio 1887Public5.406 Marauders 20122013football Great Midwest
(GMAC)
Southern (SIAC)
Davenport University Grand Rapids, Michigan 1866 Nonsectarian 4,352 Panthers 20202024men's lacrosse
men's wrestling
Great Lakes (GLIAC)
Lander University Greenwood, South Carolina 1872Public3,562 Bearcats 20192020men's lacrosse Peach Belt (PBC)
University of Montevallo Montevallo, Alabama 1896Public2,172 Falcons 20172020men's lacrosse Gulf South (GSC)
Ouachita Baptist University Arkadelphia, Arkansas 1886 Baptist 1,730 Tigers 20182023men's wrestling Great American (GAC)
Shorter University Rome, Georgia 1873 Baptist 1,394 Hawks 20172019men's lacrosse Gulf South (GSC) Carolinas (CC) [lower-alpha 2]
Urbana University Urbana, Ohio 1850NonsectarianN/A Blue Knights 20122013football Great Midwest
(G-MAC)
N/A [lower-alpha 3]
Young Harris College Young Harris, Georgia 1886 United Methodist 1,388 Mountain Lions 20172020men's lacrosse Peach Belt (PBC) Carolinas (CC)
Notes
  1. Undergraduate enrollment in fall 2022, as reported in USNews.com Best Colleges 2024.
  2. Shorter will join Conference Carolinas (CC) in fall 2024.
  3. Urbana closed in May 2020.

Membership timeline

Thomas More UniversityRoosevelt UniversityOklahoma Christian UniversityNewman University (Kansas)Missouri Western State UniversityDavenport UniversityUniversity of Central MissouriUpper Iowa UniversityLander UniversityLindenwood UniversityOuachita Baptist UniversityYoung Harris CollegeShorter UniversityUniversity of MontevalloUniversity of Alabama in HuntsvilleLincoln University (Missouri)Southwest Baptist UniversityTruman State UniversityUrbana UniversityMcKendree UniversityCentral State UniversityWilliam Jewell CollegeMaryville UniversityUniversity of Illinois SpringfieldRockhurst UniversityMissouri University of Science and TechnologyDrury UniversityUniversity of Missouri–St. LouisUniversity of Wisconsin–ParksideQuincy UniversitySouthern Illinois University EdwardsvilleKentucky State UniversityNorthern Kentucky UniversityIndiana University–Purdue University Fort WayneLewis UniversityUniversity of Southern IndianaSaint Joseph's College (Indiana)Kentucky Wesleyan CollegeUniversity of IndianapolisBellarmine UniversityAshland UniversityGreat Lakes Valley Conference

 Full member (all sports)  Full member (non-football)  Associate member (football-only)  Associate member (other sport) 

Sports sponsorship

Conference sports

The seven sports indicated with a green background were designated "core sports" and required of all full members from 2005 to 2023. Effective fall 2023, all full members are required to sponsor men's and women's basketball, men's and women's soccer, four additional men's sports, and four additional women's sports.

SportMen'sWomen's
Baseball Green check.svg
Basketball Green check.svgGreen check.svg
Bowling Green check.svg
Cross Country Green check.svgGreen check.svg
Football Green check.svg
Golf Green check.svgGreen check.svg
Lacrosse Green check.svgGreen check.svg
Soccer Green check.svgGreen check.svg
Softball Green check.svg
Swimming & Diving Green check.svgGreen check.svg
Tennis Green check.svgGreen check.svg
Track & Field Indoor Green check.svgGreen check.svg
Track & Field Outdoor Green check.svgGreen check.svg
Volleyball [lower-alpha 1] Green check.svg
Wrestling Green check.svg
  1. To be added in the 2025–26 academic year.

Men's conference sports, by school

SchoolBaseballBasketballCross
Country
FootballGolfLacrosseSoccerSwimming
& Diving
TennisTrack
& Field
Indoor
Track
& Field
Outdoor
WrestlingTotal
GLVC
Sports
DruryGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svg10
Illinois–SpringfieldGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svg8
IndianapolisGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svg12
LewisGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svg10
LincolnGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svg7
MaryvilleGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svg11
McKendreeGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svg11
Missouri S&TGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svg9
Missouri–St. LouisGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svg9
QuincyGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svg [lower-alpha 1] Green check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svg12
RockhurstGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svg10
Southwest BaptistGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svg [lower-alpha 2] Green check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svg8
TrumanGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svg8
Upper IowaGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svg6
William JewellGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svg11
Totals151513913615111114146142
  1. In addition to its full-sized football team, Quincy plays sprint football, a weight-restricted version otherwise played under standard college rules, in the Midwest Sprint Football League. [27]
  2. Southwest Baptist will add men's swimming & diving in 2025–26. [28]

Women's conference sports, by school

SchoolBasketballBowling [lower-alpha 1] Cross
Country
GolfLacrosseSoccerSoftballSwimming
& Diving
TennisTrack
& Field
Indoor
Track
& Field
Outdoor
VolleyballTotal
GLVC
Sports
DruryGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svg10
Illinois–SpringfieldGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svg9
IndianapolisGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svg12
LewisGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svg12
LincolnGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svg7
MaryvilleGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svg12
McKendreeGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svg12
Missouri S&TGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svg7
Missouri–St. LouisGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svg10
QuincyGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svg12
RockhurstGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svg11
Southwest BaptistGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svg [lower-alpha 2] Green check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svg8
TrumanGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svg10
Upper IowaGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svg8
William JewellGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svg11
Totals155+315137+115151012151514151
Associate Members
Central MissouriGreen check.svg1
Missouri WesternGreen check.svg1
NewmanGreen check.svg1
Oklahoma ChristianGreen check.svg1
  1. De facto Division I sport. The NCAA holds a single championship open to members of all divisions.
  2. Southwest Baptist will add women's swimming & diving in 2025–26. [28]

Non-conference NCAA sports, by school

SchoolMenWomen
Volleyball [lower-alpha 1] [lower-alpha 2] Water
Polo [lower-alpha 1]
Field
Hockey
Water
Polo [lower-alpha 1]
Beach
Volleyball [lower-alpha 1]
Lewis MIVA [lower-alpha 3]
MaryvilleIndependentIndependent
McKendree MIVA [lower-alpha 3] WWPA WWPA Independent
Missouri S&TIndependent
Quincy MIVA [lower-alpha 3]
RockhurstIndependent
Southwest Baptist [lower-alpha 4] Independent
  1. 1 2 3 4 De facto Division I sport. For the sports of men's and women's water polo and beach volleyball, the NCAA conducts a single national championship open to members of Divisions I, II, and III. In men's volleyball, the NCAA conducts one national championship for Divisions I and II, and a separate (non-scholarship) national championship for Division III.
  2. Becomes an official GLVC sport in 2025–26, with Roosevelt and Thomas More as associate members.
  3. 1 2 3 Quincy will leave the MIVA and join the GLVC in men's volleyball when the conference begins to sponsor the sport (2026 season). Lewis and McKendree will join the GLVC in men's volleyball when NCAA Division II begins to sponsor a championship in the sport; until that time, they will continue to compete in the MIVA.
  4. Southwest Baptist will add men's volleyball when the GLVC begins to sponsor the sport (2026 season). [28]

NCAA "emerging sports," by school

SchoolWomen
STUNTTriathlonWrestling
DruryIndependentIndependent
IndianapolisIndependent
LewisIndependent
MaryvilleIndependent
McKendreeIndependent
QuincyIndependentIndependent
Southwest BaptistIndependent
Upper IowaIndependent
William JewellIndependent

Non-NCAA varsity sports

Some GLVC members give varsity status to teams in non-NCAA sports and to other club teams, such as men's bowling (because the NCAA governs only the women's sport). Other examples are sprint football, a weight-restricted variant of American football, sponsored by Quincy, and the men's and women's ice hockey teams of McKendree and Maryville, which compete at the club level in the American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA). While some GLVC members administer their club sports through their athletics departments, others operate their club sports as student organizations outside of athletics.

Conference facilities

SchoolFootballBasketball
StadiumCapacityArenaCapacity
Drury
non-football school
O'Reilly Family Events Center2,850
Illinois–Springfield
non-football school
The Recreation and Athletic Center3,000
IndianapolisKey Stadium5,500Nicoson Hall4,000
Lewis
non-football school
Neil Carey Arena1,100
LincolnDwight T. Reed Stadium3,000Jason Gymnasium2,000
Maryville
non-football school
Moloney Arena at Simon Athletic Center2,000
McKendreeLeemon Field2,000Melvin Price Convocation Center1,600
Missouri S&T Allgood–Bailey Stadium 8,000Gibson Arena4,000
Missouri–St. Louis
non-football school
Mark Twain Center4,736
Quincy QU Stadium 2,500Pepsi Arena2,000
Rockhurst
non-football school
Mason-Halpin Field House1,500
Southwest Baptist Plaster Stadium 3,000John Q. Hammons Court2,925
TrumanJames S. Stokes Stadium4,000John J. Pershing Arena2,300
Upper IowaHarms-Eischeid Stadium3,500Dorman Gymnasium1,950
William JewellGreene Stadium7,000Mabee Center2,400

National champions

Since the founding of the conference, members of the GLVC have won 34 NCAA Division II national championships and two NCAA National Collegiate championships (indicated in green). "National Collegiate" is the NCAA's official term to describe championship events open to members of more than one NCAA division.

YearSportSchool
1987Men's basketballKentucky Wesleyan
1990Men's basketballKentucky Wesleyan
1995Men's basketballSouthern Indiana
1999Men's basketballKentucky Wesleyan
2000Women's basketballNorthern Kentucky
2001Men's basketballKentucky Wesleyan
2005Men's swimming & divingDrury
2006Men's swimming & divingDrury
2007Men's swimming & divingDrury
2007Women's swimming & divingDrury
2007SoftballSIU Edwardsville
2008Women's basketballNorthern Kentucky
2008Men's swimming & divingDrury
2009Men's swimming & divingDrury
2009Women's swimming & divingDrury
2010Men's swimming & divingDrury
2010Women's swimming & divingDrury
2010BaseballSouthern Indiana
2010Men's soccerNorthern Kentucky
2011Men's basketballBellarmine
2011Men's swimming & divingDrury
2011Women's swimming & divingDrury
2012Men's swimming & divingDrury
2013Men's basketballDrury
2013Men's swimming & divingDrury
2014Men's swimming & divingDrury
2014BaseballSouthern Indiana
2015Women's golfIndianapolis
2017BowlingMcKendree
2018Women's golfIndianapolis
2018SoftballSouthern Indiana
2021Women's lacrosseLindenwood
2022BowlingMcKendree
2022Women's lacrosseIndianapolis
2023Men's swimming & divingIndianapolis
2024Women's golfIndianapolis

See also

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