This article is a list of Summit League conference champions. The Summit League sponsors 19 sports, nine men's and 10 women's and no longer sponsors football. This article is updated through the conclusion of the 2024 Summit League women's volleyball tournament, completed on November 26, 2024.
Represents the University of Missouri–Kansas City, whose athletic program was known as the UMKC Kangaroos from the school's joining the University of Missouri System in 1963 through the 2018–19 school year.
Years listed here are the calendar years of arrival. For schools which are members only in spring sports (such as baseball), the year of arrival precedes the first season of competition.
The Purdue Fort Wayne athletic program originally represented Indiana University – Purdue University Fort Wayne (IPFW), and was branded as "IPFW" through the 2015–16 school year, after which it adopted the "Fort Wayne" branding. After the 2017–18 school year, IPFW was dissolved and replaced by two new institutions—Indiana University Fort Wayne, with no athletic program, and Purdue University Fort Wayne, which inherited the IPFW athletic program. Purdue Fort Wayne left the Summit League in July 2020 to join the Horizon League.
While Valparaiso's nickname is now Beacons, the nickname was Crusaders during the school's tenure in the Summit League, both as a full member and as an associate.
Division titles are counted as a full regular season championship. Current Summit League members Denver, Kansas City, North Dakota, and South Dakota have never sponsored baseball while in the conference.
Of former Summit members, IUPUI added baseball in the 1994 season but dropped the sport after 2001;[10] Wisconsin–Milwaukee only participated in league play in the 1994 season, its final one in the conference; Oakland did not participate in league play during the 1999 season, its first as a conference member; and Buffalo and Wisconsin–Green Bay never sponsored baseball while in the Summit.
All current Summit members have sponsored men's basketball throughout their tenures in the conference.
Among former members, Cleveland State was suspended from conference play in men's basketball during the 1988–89 and 1989–90 seasons, and Oakland didn't compete in conference play during the 1998–99 season, its first as a Summit member.
Seasons are listed by the calendar years in which they ended.
All current Summit members sponsor men's cross country except Denver and Omaha.
Several former conference members did not continuously sponsor the sport while in the league. Northern Illinois never sponsored men's cross country while a Summit member. Cleveland State sponsored the sport when it joined, but dropped men's cross country after 1992. Wisconsin–Green Bay did not have a score in the 1982 cross country meet. Valparaiso did not participate in the 1984 cross country meet. UIC did not have a score in the 1986 cross country meet and Eastern Illinois did not participate.
Among former members, Buffalo, UIC, and Wisconsin–Milwaukee did not sponsor men's golf in the Summit League. Valparaiso dropped men's golf after 1999.
Since NCAA golf is a spring sport, the first season of competition for each school is the calendar year after said school either joined the conference or added men's golf, as applicable.
Among current Summit League members, the four schools from the Dakotas (North Dakota, North Dakota State, South Dakota, South Dakota State) do not sponsor men's soccer. Although Oral Roberts left the Summit League for the Southland Conference in 2012, it remained a men's soccer affiliate until returning to full Summit League membership in 2014. Eastern Illinois, which had been a full conference member through the 1995 soccer season, returned as a men's soccer affiliate in 2011. Lindenwood and Southern Indiana became men's soccer affiliates in the 2022 season. The Ohio Valley Conference (OVC), full-time home of Eastern Illinois, Lindenwood, and Southern Indiana, started a men's soccer league in 2023, taking with it all three schools. Also in 2023, Western Illinois left the Summit League for full OVC membership, but it kept men's soccer in the Summit League through the 2023 season. In 2025, Delaware and UMass will join the league as an affiliate member in men's soccer.
Among former Summit members, Chicago State, Northern Iowa, Southern Utah, Troy State (now Troy), and Youngstown State did not sponsor men's soccer while in the conference. Valparaiso first sponsored men's soccer in 1988, Southwest Missouri State (now Missouri State) began playing soccer in the conference in 1989, and Oakland did not compete in conference play during its first season as a member in 1998.
Since the Summit League began sponsoring women's soccer in 1999, all current Summit League members have sponsored women's soccer throughout their conference tenures except Kansas City, which did not sponsor women's soccer until 2009.[119]
Among former Summit members present during the existence of a women's soccer championship, only Chicago State never sponsored women's soccer while a member.
Since the Summit League began sponsoring softball in the 1993 season (1992–93 school year), the only current Summit members that have never sponsored the sport are Denver and Oral Roberts.
Among former members that were present during the era of Summit League softball, Buffalo, Chicago State, and Wisconsin–Milwaukee did not sponsor softball during their conference tenures.
As of 2022–23, only four full Summit members sponsor men's swimming & diving: Denver, St. Thomas, South Dakota, and South Dakota State. Of these schools, two began participating as affiliate members before becoming part of the core conference membership. South Dakota State was an affiliate in 2005–06 and 2006–07, and South Dakota was an affiliate in 2009–10 and 2010–11. No other full members have ever sponsored the sport while in the conference.
Eastern Illinois, which had sponsored the sport throughout its tenure as a full Summit member (ending in 1996), rejoined as a swimming & diving affiliate from the 2005–06 season. Lindenwood and Southern Indiana joined as swimming & diving affiliates in 2022–23.
Among former Summit members, Akron, Chicago State, Purdue Fort Wayne, Southern Utah, Troy State, and Youngstown State never sponsored men's swimming & diving while in the conference. Cleveland State and Valparaiso didn't sponsor men's swimming & diving until 1992–93, and Centenary didn't sponsor the sport until 2004–05. Valparaiso rejoined as a swimming & diving affiliate, although with only swimmers and no divers, beginning in the 2017–18 season, leaving after the 2020–21 season for single-sport membership in the Mid-American Conference. Western Illinois sponsored swimming & diving until they left the conference in 2023.
In the tables below, seasons are denoted by the calendar years in which they ended.
Among current Summit members, Kansas City, North Dakota, North Dakota State, and Oral Roberts do not sponsor women's swimming & diving.
Both South Dakota schools began participating as affiliate members in swimming & diving before becoming part of the core conference membership; each joined for both men's and women's competition at the same time. South Dakota State competed in 2005–06 and 2006–07, and South Dakota in 2009–10 and 2010–11.
The current roster of Summit women's swimming & diving members as of 2022–23 also includes Eastern Illinois, Lindenwood, and Southern Indiana. EIU added women's swimming & diving in 1992–93 and competed in the Summit through 1995–96, and rejoined as swimming & diving affiliates in 2005 (2005–06 season). Lindenwood and Southern Indiana joined for swimming & diving in 2022–23.
Among former members, Chicago State, Purdue Fort Wayne, Southern Utah, and Troy did not sponsor women's swimming and diving while Summit League members. Youngstown State didn't sponsor women's swimming and diving until the 1997 school year. Centenary didn't sponsor women's swimming and diving until the 2005 school year.
Men's tennis began crowning a regular season champion in 1998. Among current Summit members, North Dakota State, St. Thomas, and South Dakota have never sponsored the sport as Summit members.
Drake and Illinois State have been men's tennis affiliates since 2017–18.
Among former members, Oakland and Southern Utah never sponsored men's tennis while in the league, Cleveland State dropped men's tennis after the 1991–92 season, Purdue Fort Wayne (then IPFW) dropped the sport after the 2014–15 season, and Western Illinois did the same after the 2015–16 season. Valparaiso sponsored men's tennis throughout its tenure as a full member, and returned as a men's tennis affiliate in 2017–18, but dropped the sport after the 2019–20 season.
* Overall record. The Summit League did not play a conference regular season schedule.
Tennis (women's)
Women's tennis began crowning a regular season champion in 1999. An X denotes never competing in a season in which a regular-season championship was awarded.
Among current Summit members, only North Dakota State does not sponsor women's tennis, having never sponsored that sport while a Summit member.
Seasons are listed by the calendar years in which they ended. Schools without the indoor and outdoor designation competed in those years in both indoor and outdoor. All current Summit members sponsor men's track and field except Denver and Omaha; all currently sponsoring schools have done so throughout their conference tenures.
Among former Summit members, Centenary, Northeastern Illinois, Northern Illinois, Wisconsin–Green Bay, and Wisconsin–Milwaukee did not sponsor men's track and field while in the conference. Cleveland State didn't participate in the 1990 indoor track and field championship. Valparaiso began sponsoring men's track and field in 1996, Oakland did the same in 2006, and IUPUI started sponsoring only the outdoor form of the sport in 2013.[151] Purdue Fort Wayne dropped the sport while an NCAA Division II member in 2005 and did not reinstate it until the 2019–20 season, its last as a Summit member.[152] Western Illinois dropped men's track and field in 1992, but reinstated it in 1994 and remained active in both indoor and outdoor track until departing the Summit in 2023.
Seasons are listed by the calendar years in which they ended; for example, the 2001–02 school year is listed as 2002. Schools without the indoor and outdoor designation competed in those years in both indoor and outdoor.
Among current Summit members, only Denver does not sponsor women's track and field.
Among former members, Valparaiso started its women's track and field program in 1996, Oakland did the same in 2006, and IUPUI started sponsoring only the outdoor form of the sport in 2013.[151] Centenary and Northeastern Illinois never sponsored women's track and field while conference members.
Women's track and field titles by school[153][154]
Division titles count as full regular season titles.
All current Summit League members have sponsored women's volleyball during their respective tenures in the conference. The conference has never sponsored men's volleyball, and no current full member has a men's program.
Among former members, Oakland did not participate in Summit League volleyball until the 1999 season, and Southern Utah did not join Summit League women's volleyball until 2009.
The Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) is a college athletic conference with members located mostly in the Western United States, although it has added members as far east as Pennsylvania. The conference participates at the NCAA Division I level, primarily in Olympic sports that are not sponsored by a school's primary conference.
The Summit League, or The Summit, is an NCAA Division I intercollegiate athletic conference with its membership mostly located in the Midwestern United States, from Minnesota in the east, to the Dakotas, Nebraska and Colorado to the West, and Missouri and Oklahoma to the South. Founded as the Association of Mid-Continent Universities in 1982, it rebranded as the Mid-Continent Conference in 1989, then again as the Summit League on June 1, 2007. The league headquarters are in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
The North Dakota State Bison are the athletic teams of North Dakota State University (NDSU), which is located in the city of Fargo, North Dakota. The teams are often called the "Thundering Herd". The current logo is a bison.
The San Diego State Aztecs are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent San Diego State University (SDSU). The Aztecs compete in NCAA Division I (FBS) as a member of the Mountain West Conference (MW); they will become a member of the Pac-12 Conference in 2026. The Aztec nickname was chosen by students in 1925; team colors are scarlet (red) and black. The university currently fields 17 varsity teams.
The Omaha Mavericks are the sports teams of the University of Nebraska Omaha. They participate in the NCAA's Division I and in The Summit League, except in ice hockey, where they compete in the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC).
The UIC Flames are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Illinois Chicago, located in Chicago, Illinois, in intercollegiate sports as a member of the Division I level of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), primarily competing in the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) since the 2022–23 academic year. The Flames previously competed in the D-I Horizon League from 1994–95 to 2021–22; in the D-I Mid-Continent Conference from 1982–83 to 1993–94; as an NCAA D-I Independent during the 1981–82 school year; and in the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC) of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) from 1949–50 to about 1980–81.
The Summit League men's soccer tournament is the conference championship tournament in soccer for the Summit League. The tournament has been held every year since 1994.
The 2021–22 Summit League women's basketball season is scheduled to begin with practices in October 2021 followed by the 2021–22 NCAA Division I women's basketball season in November 2021. The conference is scheduled to begin in December 2021. This was the fifteenth season under the Summit League name and the 40th since the conference was established under its current charter as the Association of Mid-Continent Universities in 1982.
The 2021–22 Summit League Conference men's basketball season started non-conference play on November 9, 2021, and began conference play on December 20, 2021. The regular season ended on February 26, 2022, setting up the 2022 Summit League men's basketball tournament from March 5 to March 8. South Dakota State was the regular season champion, finishing with a perfect 18-0 conference record for the first time in conference and team history. The Jacks would go on to win the Summit League tournament as well, beating North Dakota State to reach their first NCAA tournament berth in four years.
The 2021 Summit League women's soccer tournament was the postseason women's soccer tournament for the Summit League held on November 4 and 6, 2021. The three-match tournament took place at University of Denver Soccer Stadium in Denver, Colorado. The four-team single-elimination tournament consisted of two rounds based on seeding from regular season conference play. The Denver Pioneers were the defending champions, and were unable to defend their title losing to South Dakota State in the final. The tournament win was South Dakota State's sixth as a member of the conference, and the second for coach Brock Thompson. South Dakota State has now won two of the past three Summit League tournaments. As tournament champions, South Dakota State earned the Summit League's automatic berth into the 2021 NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Tournament.
The 2020 Summit League women's soccer tournament was the postseason women's soccer tournament for the Summit League held on April 15 and 17, 2021. It was played in the spring of 2021 along with the conference season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The three-match tournament took place at Caniglia Field in Omaha, Nebraska. The four-team single elimination tournament consisted of two rounds based on seeding from regular season conference play. South Dakota State was the defending champion, and were unable to defend their title, losing to Omaha in the semifinal game in penalties. Denver won the championship game over Omaha, which was their fourth since entering the conference and also for coach Jeff Hooker. Denver has now won or participated in the championship game in the last four tournaments.
The 2022–23 Summit League women's basketball season began non-conference play on November 7, 2022. The conference schedule began on December 19, 2022. This will be the sixteenth season under the Summit League name and the 41st since the conference was established under its current charter as the Association of Mid-Continent Universities in 1982.
The 2010 North Dakota State Bison women's soccer team represented North Dakota State University during the 2010 NCAA Division I women's soccer season. The Bison play their conference games in the Summit League. NDSU made the Summit League tournament tied for the second seed. The Bison beat third-seeded South Dakota State in the semifinals and then beat fourth-seeded Western Illinois to win the Summit League championship. In the NCAA tournament the Bison fell to 9th ranked Texas A&M in penalties. This was the program's first NCAA tournament appearance since entering Division I.
The 2015 Summit League women's soccer tournament was the postseason women's soccer tournament for the Summit League held on November 5 and 7, 2015. The three-match tournament took place at Fishback Soccer Park in Brookings, South Dakota. The four-team single-elimination tournament consisted of two rounds based on seeding from regular season conference play. The South Dakota State Jackrabbits were the defending champions, and were successful in defending their championship. They defeated North Dakota State in the final. The win was South Dakota State's third as a member of the conference, and third for coach Lang Wedemeyer. This was South Dakota State's second consecutive championship.
The 2022 Summit League women's soccer season started non-conference play on August 10, 2022, and began conference play on September 23, 2022. The regular season ended on October 23, 2022. The Summit League tournament began on October 28, 2022 and ended on November 5, 2022 with Omaha winning the championship game in penalties. The Mavericks then went on to the NCAA tournament and lost to Notre Dame.
The 2023–24 Summit League men's basketball season started non-conference play on November 6, 2023, and began conference play on December 29, 2023. The regular season ended on March 2, 2024, and set up the 2024 Summit League men's basketball tournament from March 8 to March 12, 2024. South Dakota State finished league play with a 12-4 record as the regular season champion. In the postseason, after winning the Summit League tournament, South Dakota State was slotted as a 15 seed in the 2024 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament. They lost to Iowa State in the first round.
The 2023–24 Summit League women's basketball season began non-conference play on November 6, 2023. Conference play started on December 29, 2023. This was the seventeenth season of women's basketball play under the Summit League name and the forty-second overall for the conference. The Summit League tournament took place from March 8–12, 2024. South Dakota State won the tournament, beating North Dakota State in the tournament final, and advanced to the NCAA tournament. North Dakota State, Oral Roberts, and South Dakota played in the 2024 Women's National Invitation Tournament (WNIT).
The 2023 Summit League women's soccer tournament was the postseason women's soccer tournament for the Summit League and was held on October 27–29 and November 4, 2023. The five match tournament took place at various campus sites. The six-team single elimination tournament consisted of three rounds based on seeding from regular season conference play. The Omaha Mavericks were the defending champions and were defeated by South Dakota State in the tournament final. South Dakota State won the tournament and earned the Summit League's automatic berth into the 2023 NCAA Division I women's soccer tournament. This win was the Jackrabbits' seventh tournament title.
The 2024 Summit League women's soccer tournament was the postseason women's soccer tournament for the Summit League and was be held on November 1–2, 7 and 10, 2024. The five match tournament took place once again at various campus sites. The six-team single elimination tournament consisted of three rounds based on seeding from regular season conference play. The South Dakota State Jackrabbits were the defending champions and successfully defended their title, winning the tournament crown two seasons in a row.
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