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 and Nebraska to the West, and Missouri in the South, with additional members in the Western state of Colorado and the Southern state of Oklahoma. 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.
Valparaiso University (Valpo) is a private university in Valparaiso, Indiana. It is an independent Lutheran university with five undergraduate colleges and a graduate school. It enrolls nearly 2,900 students and has a 350-acre (140 ha) campus.
The Athletics–Recreation Center, also known as the ARC, is a 5,000-seat multi-purpose arena on the campus of Valparaiso University in Valparaiso, Indiana, United States. It serves as the home court for Valparaiso Beacons men's and women's basketball teams as well as the volleyball team. It opened in 1984 as an addition to Hilltop Gym, the oldest parts of which date to 1939.
The Valparaiso Beacons is the name of the athletic teams from Valparaiso University – often referred to as Valpo – in Valparaiso, Indiana, United States. The Beacons compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division I level and are members of the Missouri Valley Conference in all sports except football, bowling, and men's swimming.
The Valparaiso Beacons men's basketball team represents Valparaiso University in Valparaiso, Indiana. The basketball team competes in the Missouri Valley Conference, having joined that league in 2017 after 10 seasons in the Horizon League. The Beacons play in the Athletics-Recreation Center, which has a nominal capacity of 5,432. The record capacity 5,444 was reached on March 23, 2016, in the NIT Quarterfinal. The team last played in the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament in 2015.
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. Michael Lipitz joined UIC in October 2019 as the athletic director.
Mike Avery is an American athletic director, soccer coach, and former player who played as a midfielder or forward. He is the head coach and sporting director of USL League Two club Fort Wayne FC.
Emory G. Bauer Field is a baseball venue in Valparaiso, Indiana, United States. It is home to the Valparaiso Beacons baseball team of the NCAA Division I Missouri Valley Conference. Opened in 1970, it has a capacity of 500 spectators.
The Valparaiso Crusaders men's soccer team represented Valparaiso University (Valpo) in NCAA Division I soccer competition as a member of the Missouri Valley Conference The Crusaders played home matches at Brown Field on the Valpo campus in Valparaiso, Indiana.
The Drake Bulldogs women's basketball team represents Drake University, located in Des Moines, Iowa, in NCAA Division I basketball competition. Drake competes in the Missouri Valley Conference.
The Bradley Braves women's basketball team represents Bradley University, located in Peoria, Illinois, United States, in NCAA Division I basketball competition. They currently compete in the Missouri Valley Conference.
The 2016–17 Valparaiso Crusaders men's basketball team represented Valparaiso University during the 2016–17 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Crusaders, led by first-year head coach Matt Lottich, played their home games at the Athletics–Recreation Center as members of the Horizon League. They finished the season 24–9, 14–4 in Horizon League play to finish in a tie for the Horizon League regular season championship. As the No. 2 seed in the Horizon League tournament, they lost to Milwaukee in the quarterfinals. They received an invitation to the National Invitation Tournament where they lost in the first round to Illinois.
The 2017–18 Valparaiso Crusaders men's basketball team represented Valparaiso University during the 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Crusaders, led by second-year head coach Matt Lottich, played their home games at the Athletics–Recreation Center as first-year members of the Missouri Valley Conference. They finished the season 15–17, 6–12 in MVC play to finish in last place. They lost in the first round of the Missouri Valley tournament to Missouri State.
The 2019–20 Valparaiso Crusaders men's basketball team represented Valparaiso University during the 2019–20 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Crusaders, led by fourth-year head coach Matt Lottich, played their home games at the Athletics–Recreation Center as third-year members of the Missouri Valley Conference. They finished the season 19–16, 9–9 in MVC play to finish in a tie for sixth place. As the No. 7 seed in the MVC tournament, they defeated Evansville, Loyola–Chicago, and Missouri State to advance to the championship game where they lost to Bradley.
The 2019–20 Valparaiso Crusaders women's basketball team represented Valparaiso University during the 2019–20 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The Crusaders, led by second-year head coach Mary Evans, played their home games at the Athletics–Recreation Center as members of the Missouri Valley Conference. They sought to reach their first NCAA Tournament since 2004. Their season ended when the MVC tournament was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The 2020–21 Valparaiso University men's basketball team represented Valparaiso University during the 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. Valpo, led by fifth-year head coach Matt Lottich, played their home games at the Athletics–Recreation Center as members of the Missouri Valley Conference. They finished the season 10–18, 7–11 in MVC play to finish a three-way tie for fifth place. As the No. 6 seed in the MVC tournament, they lost to Missouri State in the quarterfinals.
Daniel Sackey is a Canadian college basketball player for the New Orleans Privateers of the Southland Conference. He previously played for the Valparaiso Beacons of the Missouri Valley Conference.
The 2021–22 Valparaiso Beacons men's basketball team represented Valparaiso University during the 2021–22 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Beacons, led by sixth-year head coach Matt Lottich, played their home games at the Athletics–Recreation Center as members of the Missouri Valley Conference.
The 2022–23 Valparaiso Beacons men's basketball team represented Valparaiso University in the 2022–23 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Beacons, led by seventh-year head coach Matt Lottich, played their home games at the Athletics–Recreation Center in Valparaiso, Indiana as members of the Missouri Valley Conference. They finished the season 11–20, 5–15 in MVC play to finish in tenth place. They lost to Murray State in the opening round of the MVC tournament.
The 2023–24 Valparaiso Beacons men's basketball team represents Valparaiso University during the 2023–24 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Beacons, led by first-year head coach Roger Powell Jr., play their home games at the Athletics–Recreation Center in Valparaiso, Indiana as members of the Missouri Valley Conference.
