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).
The Great Plains Athletic Conference was founded on September 22, 1969, as the Nebraska Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (NIAC).[1] The first president of the conference was Art Nicolia (NWU) while Glen Hinkle (Doane) was the vice president and Roger Olsen (Dana) was the secretary/treasure. Jack Anderson (NWU) was named the first publicist on February 28, 1970.[2] The six charter members were Concordia University, Dana College, Doane University, Hastings College, Midland University, and Nebraska Wesleyan University.[3] With the addition of Northwestern College in 1992, the NIAC was renamed the Nebraska–Iowa Athletic Conference. The NIAC became the Great Plains Athletic Conference in 2000 with the addition of Dakota Wesleyan University, Dordt University, Mount Marty University, and the University of Sioux Falls. Later, Briar Cliff University and Morningside University joined the GPAC in 2002 and 2003 respectively. The College of Saint Mary, a women's only institution, joined in 2015. In 2018, University of Jamestown joined the conference as a full-member, while Presentation College joined the conference as an associate member. All former members of the NIAC remain affiliated with the GPAC except for Dana College, which closed in 2010, the University of Sioux Falls, which left the conference in 2011, and Nebraska Wesleyan University, which left the conference in 2016. Paul Clark was the commissioner of the GPAC when it formed in 2000. Corey Westra in Sioux City, Iowa, is the current commissioner of the league.[4]
On January 17, 2023, Presentation will end its affiliate status with the GPAC as it announced that it will close, effective that spring.[5]
On September 18, 2023, the GPAC had extended an invitation to Waldorf University as their newest full member of the conference, effective beginning the 2024–25 academic year; although at that moment, the university was already an affiliate member in both men's and women's soccer.[6]
1992 – Northwestern College of Iowa joined the NIAC. Therefore, the NIAC has been rebranded as the Nebraska-Iowa Athletic Conference (NIAC), beginning the 1992–93 academic year.
2016 – Nebraska Wesleyan left the GPAC and the NAIA to fully align in the NCAA Division III ranks (during that time, they held dual membership with both the NAIA and the NCAA), primarily competing as a member of the Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC; now known as the American Rivers Conference) after the 2015–16 academic year.
2023 – Presentation left the GPAC as an affiliate member for men's and women's soccer as the school ceased operations after the 2022–23 academic year.
2023 – Waldorf University joined the GPAC as an affiliate member in both men's and women's soccer in the 2023–24 academic year.
2024 – Jamestown was removed from the GPAC after the 2023–24 academic year due to their pursuit of a move to the NCAA Division II ranks; which subsequently rejoined the North Star Athletic Association (NSAA) (which they were members prior to joining the GPAC) for the 2024–25 school year.
2024 – Central Christian (Ks.), Kansas Wesleyan and Ottawa left the GPAC as affiliate members for men's volleyball after the 2024 spring season (2023–24 academic year); as the conference announced that it had discontinued the sport, while replacing it with women's wrestling.
2024 – Waldorf joined the GPAC as a full member for all sports in the 2024–25 academic year.
Member schools
Current members
The GPAC currently has 12 full members, all are private schools:
↑ Represents the calendar year when fall sports competition begins.
↑ Represents the calendar year when spring sports competition end.
1 2 At the time of the school's tenure as an affiliate member within the GPAC, Presentation competed as a full member of the North Star Athletic Association (NSAA) from 2013–14 to 2022–23.
1 2 Waldorf became a full member of the GPAC effective the 2024–25 school year.
Membership timeline
Full member (all sports)Full member (non-football)Associate member (sport)
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