The Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level. It was named the 24th (at the time) NCAA Division II conference and operates in the Great Lakes and East South Central States regions of the United States.[2] The G-MAC began conference play in the 2012–13 academic year hosting 12 championships and continued to work through the educational assessment program. The conference received approval and became an active Division II conference in 2013–14, hosting 17 championships.
In November 2011, Trevecca Nazarene University was accepted as another charter member of the conference.[5] Trevecca had begun the process of transitioning from NAIA to NCAA Division II membership in July, 2011 and entered a provisional NCAA membership year during the conference's initially planned start for the 2013–14 academic year.[5] In late November, the conference announced the hiring of Tom Daeger as Conference Commissioner, with offices in Indianapolis.[1]
On February 21, 2012, the Great Midwest Athletic Conference announced the NCAA had accepted the G-MAC as the 24th NCAA Division ll conference.[6] The conference then added two more members when it was announced on April 23 and May 1, 2012, that the University of Virginia's College at Wise (UVA Wise) and Georgetown College had been granted provisional membership in the conference pending their approval by the NCAA Division II Membership Committee.[7][8] Georgetown College was rejected for Division II membership, but applied to join Division II in 2014. However, they were denied acceptance once again by the Membership Council.[9] As of 2021, Georgetown has made no further attempt to join Division II.
In the fall of 2012, it was announced that Urbana and UVA Wise would spend only one season as active members of the G-MAC. At the same time, the G-MAC announced that three West Virginia schools had accepted invitations to join the conference, starting in July 2013—Alderson Broaddus University, Davis & Elkins College, and Ohio Valley University.[10] All three schools were previously members of the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WVIAC), which disbanded after most of its football-sponsoring schools announced their departure for a new D-II league that eventually became the Mountain East Conference (MEC).[11] On October 16, 2012, the G-MAC announced that Salem International University, since renamed Salem University, would join the conference on July 1, 2013.[12] Salem would leave the G-MAC in 2016 to become a Division II independent.
On July 12, 2013, the Great Midwest Athletic Conference received official approval from the NCAA Division II Membership Committee, recognizing the Conference as an active NCAA Division II conference. On the same day, it was announced that Ursuline College had been approved as an active NCAA DII member and Trevecca Nazarene University successfully completed its Year Two candidacy and was moved into the Provisional Year of the membership process by the NCAA Division II Membership Committee.
On August 7, 2013, the Great Midwest Athletic Conference partnered with Cumberland University as it embarked on a transition to potential NCAA Division II membership. The G-MAC Presidents Council unanimously admitted Cumberland as a provisional member effective immediately and would have sponsored the institution as it worked through the NCAA Division II membership application process.[13] In July 2014, Cumberland was denied acceptance into the NCAA by the Membership Council.[9] As in the case of Georgetown, Cumberland has made no further attempt to join Division II.
On August 30, 2018, Davis & Elkins announced that it would reunite with most of its former WVIAC rivals in the Mountain East Conference after the 2018–19 school year.[14] The school remains a G-MAC affiliate in men's lacrosse, a sport that the MEC does not sponsor.
On February 1, 2019, Malone announced that it had eliminated football and "remains committed to athletic competition in the NCAA Div. II and as members of the Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC)."[15]
On June 5, 2020, another former WVIAC member, Alderson Broaddus, announced that it was leaving the G-MAC to join most of its old rivals in the Mountain East Conference for the 2020–21 school year.[17]
On February 11, 2021, Ohio Valley announced that it would return to NAIA and join the River States Conference that July,[18] and on April 29, Northwood University announced that it would also join the G-MAC from the GLIAC for the 2022–23 school year.[19]
The G-MAC would gain a member later in 2021; on August 18, the conference and Thomas More University announced that the school, currently a member of the NAIA Mid-South Conference, would become a provisional G-MAC member in 2022. With G-MAC acceptance in hand, Thomas More applied to rejoin the NCAA and was officially accepted as a provisional D-II member on July 14, 2022.[20] The school accordingly became a provisional G-MAC member, but continued to compete in the NAIA and in the Mid-South until July 2023.[21]
Also for the 2021–22 season, G-MAC announced a partnership with Conference Carolinas to create a men's and women's bowling championship (even though men's bowling is not considered a varsity sport by the NCAA). Each conference will organize its regular season independently but the postseason will be called Conference Carolinas/Great Midwest Athletic Conference Men's and Women's Bowling Championships.[22][23]
The most recently added sport is stunt, a women-only cheerleading discipline that emphasizes the acrobatic and technical aspects of cheerleading. It was added as an officially sanctioned sport for the 2022–23 school year, a year before it was added to the NCAA Emerging Sports for Women program in August 2023. The first season of conference competition featured four full G-MAC members and one affiliate.[24][25]
2017 – Wheeling Jesuit University (now Wheeling University) joined the G-MAC as an affiliate member for men's lacrosse in the 2018 spring season (2017–18 academic year).
2018 – Tiffin University joined the G-MAC in the 2018–19 academic year.
2019 – Davis & Elkins left the G-MAC to join the Mountain East after the 2018–19 academic year; while it remained for men's lacrosse beginning the 2020 spring season (2019–20 academic year).
2020 – Alderson Broaddus left the G-MAC to join the Mountain East after the 2019–20 academic year; while it remained for men's lacrosse beginning the 2021 spring season (2020–21 academic year).
2021 – Ashland University joined the G-MAC in the 2021–22 academic year.
2022
Northwood University and Thomas More University joined the G-MAC with the 2022–23 academic year. Although Thomas More joined the conference as a provisional member, it continued to compete in the NAIA and the Mid-South Conference in 2022–23 before beginning competition as a full G-MAC member in July 2023.
The G-MAC began conference competition in stunt in 2022–23 with four full members joined by new affiliate Hiram College.[25]
2023
Alderson Broaddus left the G-MAC as an affiliate member for men's lacrosse after the 2023 spring season (2022–23 academic year) due to the closure of the school.
Mercyhurst, already a G-MAC affiliate in men's lacrosse, added stunt to its conference membership.[25]
2024
Trevecca Nazarene left the G-MAC to join the Gulf South Conference after the 2023–24 academic year.[26]
Davenport University joined the G-MAC as an affiliate member for men's wrestling, men's lacrosse, and stunt, beginning the 2024–25 academic year.
Mercyhurst left the G-MAC as an affiliate member for men's lacrosse and stunt after the 2024 spring season (2023–24 academic year).
Member schools
Current members
The G-MAC currently has 13 full members, all are private schools. Reclassifying members listed in yellow.
↑ Kentucky Wesleyan joined the G-MAC in 2012 as a charter member for most sports, but did not begin competition until the 2013–14 school year because of its commitments to the final year of competition in the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC).
1 2 Lake Erie and Walsh competed in the G-MAC as affiliate members for men's lacrosse during the 2017 spring season (2016–17 school year).
↑ Thomas More joined the G-MAC as a provisional member in July 2022 while still competing in the NAIA's Mid-South Conference (MSC); it began competition as a full G-MAC member in the 2023–24 school year.
↑ This institution is a women's college, therefore it does not compete in men's sports.
Affiliate members
The G-MAC has five affiliate members, all are private schools:
↑ Urbana discontinued its athletics program and closed the school after the 2019–20 school year.
↑ UVA Wise dropped "Highland" from its athletic branding in 2017.
↑ UVA Wise joined the G-MAC in 2012 as a charter member for most sports, but was fulfilling its commitments to the final year of competition in the Mid-South Conference of the NAIA until the 2013–14 school year. However, UVA Wise was never a full member of the conference as it later announced to join the Mountain East Conference, effective that same school year.
Former affiliate members
The G-MAC had two former affiliate members, which were both private schools. School names and nicknames reflect those used during G-MAC membership:
In swimming and diving for both sexes, the G-MAC and Mountain East Conference operate as a single league, conducting a combined conference championship meet.[27]
In bowling, Great Midwest Athletic Conference and Conference Carolinas made a partnership to make a men's and women's bowling championship (even though men's bowling is not considered a varsity sport by the NCAA). Each conference will organize its regular season independently but the postseason will be called Conference Carolinas/Great Midwest Athletic Conference Men's and Women's Bowling Championships.
Thomas More sponsors varsity teams in the following non-NCAA sports: archery, men's bowling, and men's rugby. It also considers its band, cheerleaders (male and female) and dance team (all-female) to be varsity athletes.
The Gulf South Conference (GSC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level, which operates in the Southeastern United States.
The South Atlantic Conference (SAC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level, which operates in the southeastern United States. The SAC was founded in 1975 as a football-only conference and became an all-sports conference beginning with the 1989–90 season.
The West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WVIAC) was a collegiate athletic conference which historically operated exclusively in the state of West Virginia, but briefly had one Kentucky member in its early years, and expanded into Pennsylvania in its final years. It participated in the Division II ranks of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), originally affiliated in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) until 1995, but held its final athletic competitions in spring 2013, and officially disbanded on September 1 of that year. Its football-playing members announced in June 2012 that they planned to withdraw to form a new Division II conference at the end of the 2012–13 season; this led to a chain of conference moves that saw all but one of the WVIAC's members find new conference homes.
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.
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.
Alderson Broaddus University (AB) was a private Baptist university in Philippi, West Virginia. It was founded in 1871 and suspended its operations on August 31, 2023.
The Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level.
Salem University is a private for-profit university in Salem, West Virginia. It has about 250 students on campus and about 600 online students that are enrolled in undergraduate as well as graduate programs. The university was founded by the Seventh Day Baptist Church in 1888.
The TranSouth Athletic Conference (TSAC) was a college athletic conference for smaller colleges and universities located in the Southern United States. It was affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and competes in that organization's Region XI.
The Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). Members of the conference are located in the Southeastern United States in Tennessee, Kentucky, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia.
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.
College lacrosse is played by student-athletes at colleges and universities in the United States and Canada. In both countries, men's field lacrosse and women's lacrosse are played at both the varsity and club levels. College lacrosse in Canada is sponsored by the Canadian University Field Lacrosse Association (CUFLA) and Maritime University Field Lacrosse League (MUFLL), while in the United States, varsity men's and women's lacrosse is governed by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) and National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). There are also university lacrosse programs in the United Kingdom sponsored by British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS) and programs in Japan.
Conference Carolinas, formerly known as the Carolinas-Virginia Athletic Conference (CVAC) or the Carolinas Conference, is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) primarily at the Division II level. It is also considered as one of the seven Division I conferences for men's volleyball. Originally formed in 1930, the league reached its modern incarnation in 1994. Member institutions are located in the southeastern United States in the states of Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. The Conference Carolinas membership currently consists of 15 small colleges or universities, 13 private and two public.
The Lake Erie Storm are the athletic teams that represent Lake Erie College, located in Painesville, Ohio, in intercollegiate sports as a member of the Division II level of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), primarily competing in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) since the 2017–18 academic year. The Storm previously competed as a member of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) from 2010–11 to 2016–17; as well as an NCAA D-II Independent from 2008–09 to 2009–10. Prior joining to NCAA Division II, the Storm competed as a member of the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC) of the NCAA Division III ranks from 1997–98 to 2007–08.
The Davis & Elkins Senators are the athletic teams that represent Davis & Elkins College, located in Elkins, West Virginia, in NCAA Division II intercollegiate sports. The Senators compete as members of the Mountain East Conference (MEC) for all sports except men's lacrosse, which is an affiliate of the Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC). In 2019, the Senators joined the MEC, thereby reuniting with most of their historic rivals.
The Eastern College Athletic Conference Division II Lacrosse League, also known as the ECAC Division II Lacrosse League, was an American NCAA Division II college athletic conference and part of the Eastern College Athletic Conference that only sponsors men's Division II lacrosse. The league was founded in March 2012 and began play in the 2012–13 academic year. The founding members included Alderson Broaddus University, Lake Erie College, Lindenwood University, Mercyhurst University, Ohio Valley University, Seton Hill University, Walsh University, and Wheeling Jesuit University. The new conference brings together four former associate member in men's lacrosse only of the East Coast Conference: Lake Erie, Mercyhurst, Seton Hill, and Wheeling Jesuit; Lindenwood from the Western Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association; and Ohio Valley from competing as an Independent program; Walsh, in the program's first season of NCAA competition as part of the university's transition from NAIA; and Alderson-Broaddus, the program's first season in existence.
The Mountain East Conference (MEC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level and officially began competition on September 1, 2013. It consists of 11 schools, mostly in West Virginia with other members in Maryland and Pennsylvania.
The Trevecca Trojans are the athletic teams that represent Trevecca Nazarene University, located in Nashville, Tennessee, in intercollegiate sports at the NCAA Division II ranks. The Trojans moved from the NAIA to NCAA Division II in 2012-2013 and were a founding member of the Great Midwest Athletic Conference. In 2024-25, the Trojans moved their athletic teams to the Gulf South Conference since the 2024–25 academic year.
The UVA Wise Cavaliers, nicknamed the "Highland Cavaliers" before 2017, are the athletic teams that represent the University of Virginia's College at Wise, located in Wise, Virginia, in intercollegiate sports as a member of the NCAA Division II ranks, primarily competing in the South Atlantic Conference (SAC) since the 2019–20 academic year. The Cavaliers previously competed in the D-II Mountain East Conference (MEC) from 2013–14 to 2018–19.
The Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) women's basketball tournament is the annual conference women's basketball championship tournament for the Great Midwest Athletic Conference. The tournament has been held annually since 2013. It is a single-elimination tournament and seeding is based on regular season records.
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