This article needs additional citations for verification .(February 2022) |
![]() | |
Association | NCAA |
---|---|
Founded | 2001 |
Commissioner | David Haglund (since 2011) |
Sports fielded |
|
Division | Division II |
No. of teams | 10 |
Headquarters | Portland, Oregon |
Region | Idaho, British Columbia, Alaska, Montana, Washington, Oregon |
Official website | www |
Locations | |
|
The Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level. It has historically operated in the northwestern United States, but also includes schools in Alaska, Montana, and British Columbia.
The GNAC is the only NCAA conference in any division with a Canadian university as a member.
The conference formed in 2001 when its original ten members split from the Pacific West Conference.
The GNAC currently has ten full members, all but three are public schools:
Institution | Location | Founded | Affiliation | Enrollment | Nickname | Joined | Colors |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
University of Alaska Anchorage | Anchorage, Alaska | 1954 | Public | 10,530 | Seawolves | 2001 | |
University of Alaska Fairbanks | Fairbanks, Alaska | 1917 | Public | 6,826 | Nanooks | 2001 | |
Central Washington University | Ellensburg, Washington | 1891 | Public | 9,355 | Wildcats | 2001 | |
Montana State University Billings | Billings, Montana | 1927 | Public | 4,057 | Yellowjackets | 2007 | |
Northwest Nazarene University | Nampa, Idaho | 1913 | Nazarene | 1,778 | Nighthawks | 2001 | |
Saint Martin's University | Lacey, Washington | 1895 | Catholic | 1,614 | Saints | 2001 | |
Seattle Pacific University | Seattle, Washington | 1891 | Free Methodist | 3,114 | Falcons | 2001 | |
Simon Fraser University | Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada | 1965 | Public | 26,981 | Red Leafs | 2010 | |
Western Oregon University | Monmouth, Oregon | 1856 | Public | 3,752 | Wolves | 2001 | |
Western Washington University | Bellingham, Washington | 1893 | Public | 14,747 | Vikings | 2001 |
The GNAC currently has two affiliate members, both are public schools:
Institution | Location | Founded | Affiliation | Enrollment | Nickname | Joined | Colors | GNAC sport | Primary conference |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
University of Central Oklahoma | Edmond, Oklahoma | 1890 | Public | 13,250 | Bronchos | 2019–20 | women's rowing | Mid-America (MIAA) | |
California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt [a] [b] | Arcata, California | 1913 | Public | 5,858 | Lumberjacks | 2019–20 | women's rowing | California (CCAA) |
The GNAC had three former full members, all but one were private schools:
Institution | Location | Founded | Affiliation | Enrollment | Nickname | Joined | Left | Current conference |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Concordia University–Portland | Portland, Oregon | 1905 | Lutheran LCMS | N/A | Cavaliers | 2015 | 2020 | Closed in 2020 |
California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt [a] [b] | Arcata, California | 1913 | Public | 5,858 | Lumberjacks | 2001 | 2006 | California (CCAA) |
Seattle University | Seattle, Washington | 1891 | Catholic | 7,107 | Redhawks | 2001 | 2008 | Western (WAC) [c] [d] |
The GNAC had seven former affiliate members, all but three were public schools:
Full member (all sports) Full member (non-football) Associate member (football-only) Associate member (other sports)
Sport | Men's | Women's |
---|---|---|
Baseball | ![]() | |
Basketball | ![]() | ![]() |
Cross Country | ![]() | ![]() |
Golf | ![]() | ![]() |
Rowing | ![]() | |
Soccer | ![]() | ![]() |
Softball | ![]() | |
Track & Field Indoor | ![]() | ![]() |
Track & Field Outdoor | ![]() | ![]() |
Volleyball | ![]() |
School | Baseball | Basketball | Cross Country | Golf | Soccer | Track & Field Indoor | Track & Field Outdoor | Total GNAC Sports |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Alaska | ![]() | ![]() | 2 | |||||
Alaska-Anchorage | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | 4 | |||
Central Washington | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | 5 | ||
Montana State-Billings | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | 7 |
Northwest Nazarene | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | 7 |
Saint Martin's | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | 7 |
Seattle Pacific | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | 5 | ||
Simon Fraser | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | 6 | |
Western Oregon | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | 6 | |
Western Washington | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | 6 | |
Totals | 5 | 10 | 10 | 5 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 57 |
School | Basketball | Cross Country | Golf | Rowing | Soccer | Softball | Track & Field Indoor | Track & Field Outdoor | Volleyball | Total GNAC Sports |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Alaska | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | 3 | ||||||
Alaska-Anchorage | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | 5 | ||||
Central Washington | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | 7 | ||
Montana State-Billings | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | 8 | |
Northwest Nazarene | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | 8 | |
Saint Martin's | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | 8 | |
Seattle Pacific | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | 8 | |
Simon Fraser | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | 8 | |
Western Oregon | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | 7 | ||
Western Washington | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | 9 |
Affiliate Members | ||||||||||
Cal Poly Humboldt | ![]() | 1 | ||||||||
Central Oklahoma | ![]() | 1 | ||||||||
Totals | 10 | 10 | 6 | 4 | 8 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 81 |
School | Men | Women | Co-ed | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Football | Ice Hockey [a] | Swimming & Diving | Wrestling | Gymnastics [a] | Swimming & Diving | Wrestling | Rifle [a] | Skiing [a] | ||||
Alaska | IND | PCSC | PRC | RMISA | ||||||||
Alaska Anchorage | IND | MPSF | RMISA | |||||||||
Central Washington | LSC | |||||||||||
Simon Fraser | RMAC | RMAC | RMAC | RMAC | ||||||||
Western Oregon | LSC |
|
|
School | Basketball arena | Capacity |
---|---|---|
Alaska Fairbanks | Alaska Airlines Court | 1,648 |
Alaska Anchorage | Alaska Airlines Center | 5,000 |
Central Washington | Nicholson Pavilion | 2,519 |
Montana State - Billings | Alterowitz Gymnasium | 2,330 |
Northwest Nazarene | Johnson Sports Center | |
Saint Martin's | Marcus Pavilion | |
Seattle Pacific | Royal Brougham Pavilion | 2,650 |
Simon Fraser | West Gym | 1,500 |
Western Oregon | PE Gym | 2,473 |
Western Washington | Sam Carver Gym | 2,534 |
The Lone Star Conference (LSC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level. Member institutions are located in the South Central states, with schools in Texas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico, with two members in the Pacific Northwest states of Oregon and Washington competing as affiliates for football only.
The North Central Conference (NCC), also known as North Central Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, was a college athletic conference which operated in the north central United States. It participated in the NCAA's Division II.
The New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC), formerly the New Jersey State Athletic Conference, is an intercollegiate athletic conference affiliated with the NCAA's Division III. All of its current full members are public universities in New Jersey, although it will add one new full member from New York in 2026. Affiliate members are located in Delaware, Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania and Virginia.
The Frontier Conference is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). The conference was founded in 1934. Member institutions are located in the U.S. state of Montana, with associate members in the states of Arizona, Idaho, and Oregon.
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.
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.
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.
The Pacific West Conference is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level. Member institutions are located in California and Hawaii.
The SFU Red Leafs or Simon Fraser Red Leafs teams represent Simon Fraser University (SFU), which is located in Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada. The Red Leafs are members of NCAA Division II and are the only Canadian university affiliated with the U.S.-based National Collegiate Athletic Association. The teams previously used the nicknames "Clan" and "Clansmen," which were used as a tribute to the Scottish heritage of the university's namesake, Simon Fraser. The names were retired in 2020 due to the negative connotation surrounding those terms. In September 2022, the updated nickname "Red Leafs" was announced.
NCAA Division II (D-II) is an intermediate-level division of competition in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). It offers an alternative to both the larger and better-funded Division I and to the scholarship-free environment offered in Division III.
The Cascade Collegiate Conference is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). Member schools are located in the Northwestern United States and in British Columbia. The conference's members compete in 15 sports. The current commissioner of the conference is Robert Cashell.
The New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) is an NCAA Division III men's volleyball and esports college athletic conference based in the Northeastern United States. The NECC was formerly an all-sports conference from 2008 to 2023.
The Western Washington Vikings represent Western Washington University in intercollegiate sports in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference of the NCAA Division II with the exception of the women's rowing team which is a member of the Northwest Collegiate Rowing Conference. WWU has been an official member of NCAA Division II since September 1998. Their mascot is Victor E. Viking.
The Cal Poly Humboldt Lumberjacks are the 12 varsity athletic teams that represent California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt, located in Arcata, California, in NCAA Division II intercollegiate sports. The Lumberjacks compete as an associate member of the California Collegiate Athletic Association for all sports except women's rowing, which competes in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference and women's triathlon, which competes unaffiliated.
The South Dakota Mines Hardrockers are the athletic teams that represent South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, located in Rapid City, South Dakota, in Division II intercollegiate sports of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The Hardrockers primarily compete as a member of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference for all 11 varsity sports.
The 2001 Humboldt State Lumberjacks football team represented Humboldt State University—now known as California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt—as a member of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) during the 2001 NCAA Division II football season. Led second-year head coach Doug Adkins, the Lumberjacks compiled an overall record of 4–7 with a mark of 1–2 in conference play, placing in a three-way tie for second in the GNAC. The team was outscored its by opponents 405 to 267 for the season. Humboldt State played home games at the Redwood Bowl in Arcata, California.
The 2003 Humboldt State Lumberjacks football team represented Humboldt State University—now known as California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt—as a member of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) during the 2003 NCAA Division II football season. Led fourth-year head coach Doug Adkins, the Lumberjacks compiled an overall record of 3–7 with a mark of 0–3 in conference play, placing last out of four teams in the GNAC. The team was outscored its by opponents 268 to 198 for the season. Humboldt State played home games at the Redwood Bowl in Arcata, California.
The 2015 Humboldt State Lumberjacks football team represented Humboldt State University—now known as California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt—as a member of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) during the 2015 NCAA Division II football season. Led by eighth-year head coach Rob Smith, the Lumberjacks compiled an overall record of 10–2 with a mark of 6–0 in conference play, winning the GNAC title. Humboldt State was invited to play in the postseason for the first time since 1968. The Lumberjacks advanced to the NCAA Division II football championship playoffs, defeating Augustana of South Dakota in the first round before losing to the eventual national champion, Northwest Missouri State, in the second round. Humboldt State was ranked No. 16 in the final AFCA poll. The team outscored its opponents 468 to 238 for 2015 season, with an average score of 45–14 in the ten wins. Humboldt State played home games at the Redwood Bowl in Arcata, California.
The 2018 Humboldt State Lumberjacks football team represented Humboldt State University as a member of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) in the 2018 NCAA Division II football season. Led by first-year head coach Damaro Wheeler, the Lumberjacks compiled an overall record of 2–8 with a mark of 2–6 conference play, placing fourth in the GNAC. Humboldt State played home games at the Redwood Bowl in Arcata, California.