Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

Formerly	Inter-Normal Athletic Conference of Wisconsin (1913–1926) Wisconsin State Teachers College Conference (1926–1951) Wisconsin State College Conference (1951–1964) Wisconsin State University Athletic Conference (1964–1997)
Association	NCAA
Founded	1913
Commissioner	Danielle Harris (since July 2020)
Sports fielded	22 men's: 10 women's: 12
Division	Division III
No. of teams	8
Headquarters	Madison, Wisconsin
Region	Wisconsin
Official website	wiacsports.com
Locations

The Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) is a college athletic conference that competes in the NCAA's Division III. In women's gymnastics, it competes alongside Division I and II members, as the NCAA sponsors a single championship event open to members of all NCAA divisions. As the name implies, member teams are located in the state of Wisconsin, although there are three associate members from Minnesota and one from Illinois. All full members are part of the University of Wisconsin System.

History

In 1913, representatives from Wisconsin's eight normal schools—Superior Normal School (now the University of Wisconsin–Superior), River Falls State Normal School (now the University of Wisconsin-River Falls), Stevens Point Normal School (now the University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point), La Crosse State Normal School (now the University of Wisconsin–La Crosse), Oshkosh State Normal School (now the University of Wisconsin–Oshkosh), Whitewater Normal School (now the University of Wisconsin–Whitewater), Milwaukee State Normal School (now the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee) and Platteville Normal School (now the University of Wisconsin–Platteville)—met in Madison to organize the Inter-Normal Athletic Conference of Wisconsin. The Stout Institute (now the University of Wisconsin–Stout) joined in 1914, followed by Eau Claire State Normal School (now the University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire) in 1917. ^[1]

The conference evolved with the growing educational mission of its member schools. It changed its name to the Wisconsin State Teachers College Conference in 1926, and the Wisconsin State College Conference in 1951. Finally, in 1964, it became the Wisconsin State University Conference.

In 1971, the member schools of the WSUC joined with the University of Wisconsin–Madison, University of Wisconsin–Parkside and Carthage College to form the Wisconsin Women's Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. By 1975, UW–Milwaukee, Carroll College, the University of Wisconsin–Green Bay and Marquette University had also joined. With the dissolution of the Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women in 1982, the member schools joined their male counterparts in either the NCAA or NAIA. By 1993, the non-NCAA Division III members had all dropped out, resulting in the WWIAC having the same membership as the WSUC. Under the circumstances, a merger was inevitable. In 1996, Gary Karner was named commissioner of both the WSUC and the WWIAC. The two conferences formally merged in 1997 to form the current WIAC. ^[1]

Effective with the 2001–02 academic year, Lawrence University joined the conference in the sport of wrestling. Three Minnesota schools, Gustavus Adolphus College, Hamline University and Winona State University, became members of the conference in the sport of women's gymnastics during the 2004–05 academic year. In 2009–10, the conference added men’s soccer as a sponsored sport with the announcement of Michigan school Finlandia University as an affiliate member. Lawrence discontinued its affiliation with the WIAC in wrestling. ^[1]

The conference remained unusually stable over the years; the only changes in full membership being the departures of UW–Milwaukee in 1964 and UW–Superior in 2015.

Centennial celebration

The ninth-oldest conference in the nation, the WIAC celebrated its centennial year during the 2012–13 academic year. ^[2] Additionally, the WIAC is the most successful NCAA Division III conference in history, boasting NCAA National Championships in 15 different sports. ^[3] At the beginning of the 2011–12 academic year, the conference had claimed a nation-leading 92 NCAA National Championships. ^[4]

To celebrate its centennial, the conference named All-Time Teams in each sport that is currently or was previously recognized as a "championship" sport within the conference. ^[5] Furthermore, the WIAC commissioned a commemorative work of art, created by Tim Cortes, ^[6] and has also created a two-year calendar in celebration of its centennial. ^[7]

The celebration was headlined by its Centennial Banquet held on August 4, 2012, at the Alliant Energy Center in Madison, Wisconsin. Among the honorees at the event were the All-Time Team members and the inaugural class to the WIAC Hall of Fame.

Chronological timeline

UW–Eau Claire

UW–La Crosse

UW–Oshkosh

UW–Platteville

UW–River Falls

UW–Stevens Point

UW–Stout

UW–Whitewater

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WIAC, full members

• 1913 – The WIAC was founded as the Inter-Normal Athletic Conference of Wisconsin (INACW). Charter members included La Crosse State Normal School (now the University of Wisconsin–La Crosse), Milwaukee State Normal School (now the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee), Oshkosh State Normal School (now the University of Wisconsin–Oshkosh), Platteville Normal School (now the University of Wisconsin–Platteville), River Falls State Normal School (now the University of Wisconsin–River Falls), Stevens Point Normal School (now the University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point), Superior Normal School (now the University of Wisconsin–Superior) Whitewater Normal School (now the University of Wisconsin–Whitewater), effective beginning the 1913–14 academic year.
• 1914 – Stout Institute (now the University of Wisconsin–Stout) joined the INACW, effective in the 1914–15 academic year.
• 1917 – Eau Claire State Normal School (now the University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire) joined the INACW, effective in the 1917–18 academic year.
• 1926 – The INACW has been rebranded as the Wisconsin State Teachers College Conference, effective in the 1926–27 academic year.
• 1951 – The WSTCC has been rebranded as the Wisconsin State College Conference, effective in the 1951–52 academic year.
• 1964 – Wisconsin–Milwaukee left the WSTCC, effective after the 1963–64 academic year.
• 1964 – The WSCC has been rebranded as the Wisconsin State University Conference, effective in the 1964–65 academic year.
• 1997 – The WSUC was merged with the Wisconsin Women's Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WWIAC, a women's athletic conference) and was rebranded as the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC), effective in the 1997–98 academic year.
• 2001 – Lawrence University joined the WIAC as an affiliate member for wrestling, effective in the 2001–02 academic year.
• 2004 – Gustavus Adolphus College, Hamline University and Winona State University joined the WIAC as associate members for gymnastics, effective in the 2004–05 academic year.
• 2009 – Lawrence left the WIAC as an affiliate member for wrestling, effective after the 2008–09 academic year.
• 2009 – Finlandia University joined the WIAC as an affiliate member for men's soccer, effective the 2009 fall season (2009–10 academic year).
• 2015 – Wisconsin–Superior left the WIAC to join the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC), effective after the 2014–15 academic year; while remaining in the conference as an affiliate member for men's & women's ice hockey, effective beginning the 2015–16 academic year.
• 2016 – Finlandia left the WIAC as an affiliate member for men's soccer, effective after the 2015 fall season (2015–16 academic year).
• 2017 – Illinois Institute of Technology (Illinois Tech or IIT) joined the WIAC as an affiliate member for baseball, effective in the 2018 spring season (2017–18 academic year).
• 2018 – Illinois Tech (IIT) left the WIAC as an affiliate member for baseball, effective after the 2018 spring season (2017–18 academic year).
• 2018 – Finlandia re–joined back to the WIAC as an affiliate member (this time for baseball), effective in the 2019 spring season (2018–19 academic year).
• 2019 – Northland College joined the WIAC as an affiliate member for men's and women's ice hockey, effective in the 2019–20 academic year.
• 2023 – Finlandia closed at the end of the 2022-23 academic year and thus, left the WIAC as an affiliate member for baseball, effective after the 2023 spring season.

Member schools

Current members

The WIAC currently has eight full members, all are public schools:

Institution	Location [lower-alpha 1]	Founded	Affiliation	Undergraduate enrollment	Nickname	Joined	Colors
University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire	Eau Claire	1916	Public [lower-alpha 2]	10,043 [8]	Blugolds	1917–18
University of Wisconsin–La Crosse	La Crosse	1909		9,708 [8]	Eagles	1913–14
University of Wisconsin–Oshkosh	Oshkosh	1871		15,111 [8]	Titans	1913–14
University of Wisconsin–Platteville	Platteville	1866		8,134 [8]	Pioneers	1913–14
University of Wisconsin–River Falls	River Falls	1874		5,725 [8]	Falcons	1913–14
University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point	Stevens Point	1894		8,792 [8]	Pointers	1913–14
University of Wisconsin–Stout	Menomonie	1891		7,555 [8]	Blue Devils	1914–15
University of Wisconsin–Whitewater	Whitewater	1868		11,722 [8]	Warhawks	1913–14

Notes

1. All cities are located with the State of Wisconsin.
2. Part of the University of Wisconsin System.

Affiliate members

The WIAC currently has five affiliate members, all but two are private schools:

Institution	Location	Founded	Affiliation	Undergraduate enrollment	Nickname	Joined	Colors	Primary conference	WIAC sport(s)
Gustavus Adolphus College	St. Peter, Minnesota	1862	Lutheran ELCA	2,600	Golden Gusties	2004–05		Minnesota (MIAC)	gymnastics
Hamline University	Saint Paul, Minnesota	1854	United Methodist	2,100	Pipers	2004–05		Minnesota (MIAC)	gymnastics
Northland College	Ashland, Wisconsin	1906	United Church of Christ	700	LumberJacks & LumberJills	2019–20m.i.h.; 2019–20w.i.h.		Upper Midwest (UMAC)	men's ice hockey; women's ice hockey
University of Wisconsin–Superior	Superior, Wisconsin	1893	Public	2,294 [8]	Yellowjackets	2015–16m.i.h.; 2015–16w.i.h. [lower-alpha 1]		Upper Midwest (UMAC)	men's ice hockey; women's ice hockey
Winona State University	Winona, Minnesota	1858	Public	8,896	Warriors	2004–05		Northern Sun (NSIC) (NCAA D-II)	gymnastics

Notes

1. Wisconsin–Superior had been a full member of the WIAC from 1913–14 to 2014–15. ^[9] However, they remain as affiliate members for men's and women's ice hockey. ^[9]

Future affiliate members

The WIAC currently has one future affiliate member, ^[10] a private schools:

Institution	Location	Founded	Affiliation	Undergraduate enrollment	Nickname	Joining	Colors	Primary conference	WIAC sport(s)
Simpson College	Indianola, Iowa	1860	Private	1,225	Storm	2024–25		American Rivers (ARC)	gymnastics

Notes

Former members

The WIAC had two former full members, both were public schools:

Institution	Location [lower-alpha 1]	Founded	Affiliation	Undergraduate enrollment	Nickname	Joined	Left	Current conference
University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee [lower-alpha 2]	Milwaukee	1885	Public [lower-alpha 3]	22,767 [8]	Cardinals [lower-alpha 4]	1913–14	1963–64	Horizon (NCAA D-I)
University of Wisconsin–Superior	Superior	1893		2,294 [8]	Yellowjackets	1913–14	2014–15	Upper Midwest (UMAC)

Notes

1. Both cities are located within the State of Wisconsin.
2. Now known for athletics purposes as "Milwaukee".
3. Part of the University of Wisconsin System.
4. Nickname changed to the current "Panthers" name, effective in the 1964–65 school year, immediately after leaving the league.

Former affiliate members

The WIAC had three former affiliate members, all were private schools:

Institution	Location	Founded	Affiliation	Undergraduate enrollment	Nickname	Joined	Left	Current conference	WIAC sport
Lawrence University	Appleton, Wisconsin	1847	Nonsectarian	1,555	Vikings	2001–02	2008–09	Midwest (MWC)	wrestling
Finlandia University	Hancock, Michigan	1896	Lutheran ELCA	500	Lions	2009–10m.soc. 2018-19bsb.	2015–16m.soc. 2022-23bsb.	closed in 2023	men's soccer; baseball
Illinois Institute of Technology	Chicago, Illinois	1890	Nonsectarian	2,977	Scarlet Hawks	2017–18	2017–18	Northern (NACC)	baseball

Notes

Membership timeline

Sports

Member institutions field men's and women's teams in cross country, basketball, ice hockey, track and field, and swimming and diving. Men's teams are fielded for baseball, football, and wrestling. Women's teams are fielded for golf, gymnastics, soccer, softball, tennis and volleyball. The WIAC is the only NCAA Division III all-sports conference that does not sponsor men's soccer.

Main article: WIAC men's basketball tournament

Main article: WIAC Men's Ice Hockey Tournament

Conference sports

Sport	Men's	Women's
Baseball	Y
Basketball	Y	Y
Cross Country	Y	Y
Football	Y
Golf		Y
Gymnastics		Y
Ice hockey	Y	Y
Soccer		Y
Softball		Y
Swimming & Diving	Y	Y
Tennis		Y
Track and field (indoor)	Y	Y
Track and field (outdoor)	Y	Y
Volleyball		Y
Wrestling	Y

Men's sponsored sports by school

School	Baseball	Basketball	Cross Country	Football	Ice Hockey	Swimming & Diving	Track & Field (Indoor)	Track & Field (Outdoor)	Wrestling	Total WIAC Sports
Wisconsin–Eau Claire	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	9
Wisconsin–La Crosse	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	Y	Y	Y	Y	8
Wisconsin–Oshkosh	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	Y	Y	Y	Y	8
Wisconsin–Platteville	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	N	Y	Y	Y	7
Wisconsin–River Falls	N	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	Y	Y	N	6
Wisconsin–Stevens Point	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	9
Wisconsin–Stout	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	Y	Y	N	7
Wisconsin–Whitewater	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	Y	Y	Y	Y	8
Totals	7	8	8	8	4+2 [lower-alpha 1]	5	8	8	6	64

1. Affiliate members Northland and Wisconsin–Superior.

Men's varsity sports not sponsored by the WIAC

School	Golf	Soccer	Tennis	Volleyball
Wisconsin–Eau Claire	Independent	Independent	NJAC	No
Wisconsin–La Crosse	No	No	NJAC	No
Wisconsin–Platteville	No	Independent	No	No
Wisconsin–Stevens Point	Independent	No	NJAC	Independent
Wisconsin–Stout	Independent	Independent	No	No
Wisconsin–Whitewater	No	Independent	NJAC	No

Women's sponsored sports by school

School	Basketball	Cross Country	Golf	Gymnastics	Ice Hockey	Soccer	Softball	Swimming & Diving	Tennis	Track & Field (Indoor)	Track & Field (Outdoor)	Volleyball	Total WIAC Sports
Wisconsin–Eau Claire	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	12
Wisconsin–La Crosse	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	11
Wisconsin–Oshkosh	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	11
Wisconsin–Platteville	Y	Y	Y	N	N	Y	Y	N	N	Y	Y	Y	8
Wisconsin–River Falls	Y	Y	Y	N	Y	Y	Y	N	Y	Y	Y	Y	10
Wisconsin–Stevens Point	Y	Y	Y	N	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	11
Wisconsin–Stout	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	Y	Y	N	Y	Y	Y	Y	10
Wisconsin–Whitewater	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	11
Totals	8	8	8	5+3 [lower-alpha 1]	3+2 [lower-alpha 2]	8	8	5	7	8	8	8	89

1. Affiliate members Gustavus Adolphus, Hamline, and Winona State.
2. Affiliate members Northland and Wisconsin–Superior.

Women's varsity sports not sponsored by the WIAC

School	Bowling	Lacrosse	Wrestling
Wisconsin–Eau Claire	No	Independent	No
Wisconsin–La Crosse	No	Independent	No
Wisconsin–River Falls	No	Independent	No
Wisconsin–Stevens Point	No	Independent	Independent
Wisconsin–Stout	No	Independent	No
Wisconsin–Whitewater	Independent	No	No

National championship teams

NCAA Division III national championships

Listed below are the NCAA Division III team national championships won by WIAC members.

• Baseball

UW–Oshkosh: 1985, 1994
UW–Whitewater: 2005, 2014

• Men's basketball

UW–Whitewater: 1984, 1989, 2012, 2014
UW–Platteville: 1991, 1995, 1998, 1999
UW–Stevens Point: 2004, 2005, 2010, 2015
UW–Oshkosh: 2019

• Women's Basketball

UW–Stevens Point: 1987, 2002
UW–Oshkosh: 1996

• Men's Cross Country

UW–Oshkosh: 1988, 1989, 1990, 2002
UW–La Crosse: 1996, 2001, 2005
UW–Eau Claire: 2015

• Women's Cross Country

UW–La Crosse: 1983
UW–Oshkosh: 1987, 1988, 1991, 1996
UW–Eau Claire: 2009

• Football

UW–La Crosse: 1992, 1995
UW–Whitewater: 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014

• Men's Golf

UW–Eau Claire: 2001

• Men's Ice Hockey

UW–River Falls: 1988, 1994
UW–Stevens Point: 1989, 1990, 1991, 1993, 2016, 2019
UW–Superior: 2002
UW–Eau Claire: 2013

• Softball

UW–Stevens Point: 1998
UW–Eau Claire: 2008

• Men's Indoor Track & Field

UW–La Crosse: 1987, 1988, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1997, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2013, 2014, 2017, 2023
UW–Oshkosh: 2009
UW–Eau Claire: 2015, 2016

• Men's Outdoor Track & Field

UW–La Crosse: 1988, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1997, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017
UW–Oshkosh: 2009

• Women's Indoor Track & Field

UW–Oshkosh: 1994–96, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2011, 2013, 2014
UW–La Crosse: 2015, 2023

• Women's Outdoor Track & Field

UW–La Crosse: 1983, 1984, 2015, 2023
UW–Oshkosh: 1990, 1991, 1995, 1996, 1997, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2011
UW–River Falls: 2008

• Women's Volleyball

UW–Whitewater: 2002, 2005
UW–Eau Claire: 2021

Non-NCAA national championships

Many members of the WIAC have also won national championships from organizations other than the NCAA, including: NAIA, AIAW, NGCA, and National Collegiate Gymnastics Association (NCGA). ^[11]

UW–Eau Claire

Women's Cross Country: 1984^

Men's Ice Hockey: 1984^

Women's Swimming and Diving: 1983^, 1987^, 1988^

UW–La Crosse

Women's Basketball: 1981^^

Men's Bowling: 1967^, 1968^, 1969^

Football: 1985^

Men's Gymnastics: 1975^, 1976^, 1977^

Women's Gymnastics: 1986*, 1988*, 1995*, 1997*, 1999*, 2001*, 2002*, 2003*, 2004*, 2005*, 2006*, 2008*, 2009*, 2010*, 2011*, 2015*, 2016*

Women's Outdoor Track and Field: 1982^^

UW–Oshkosh

Men's Gymnastics: 1973^, 1974^, 1978^, 1979^, 1980^ (and NCAA Div. II), 1981^ (and NCAA Div. II), 1982^ (and NCAA Div. II), 1983^

Women's Gymnastics: 1980^^, 1986^, 1989*, 2007*, 2022*, 2023*

UW–River Falls

Men's Ice Hockey: 1983^

UW–Stout

Men's Gymnastics: 1984^

UW–Whitewater

Women's Golf: 1985%

Women's Gymnastics: 2012*, 2013*, 2014*, 2017*, 2018*

UW–Superior (former member)

Men's Ice Hockey: 1976^

Marquette University (former member)

Women's Cross Country: 1982^

UW–Green Bay (former member)

Women's Swimming and Diving: 1984^

UW–Parkside (former member)

Women's Cross Country: 1980^

^ National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA)

^^ Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW)

* National Collegiate Gymnastics Association (NCGA)

% National Golf Coaches Association (NGCA)

Conference facilities

School	Football stadium	Capacity	Basketball arena	Capacity
UW–Eau Claire	Carson Park	6,500	W. L. Zorn Arena	2,450
UW–La Crosse	Veterans Memorial Stadium	10,000	Mitchell Hall	2,880
UW–Oshkosh	Titan Stadium	9,800	Kolf Sports Center	5,800
UW–Platteville	Ralph E. Davis Pioneer Stadium	10,000	Williams Fieldhouse	2,300
UW–River Falls	Ramer Field	4,800	Don Page Arena	2,149
UW–Stevens Point	Goerke Field	4,000	Quandt Fieldhouse	3,281
UW–Stout	Don and Nona Williams Stadium	4,500	Johnson Fieldhouse	1,800
UW–Whitewater	Forrest Perkins Stadium	13,200	Williams Center	3,000

References

1. "History". wiacsports.com.
2. "WIAC Announces Plans For Celebrating Its Centennial". wiacsports.com.
3. "Quick Facts". wiacsports.com.
4. "National Championship Teams". wiacsports.com.
5. "All-Time Teams". wiacsports.com.
6. "WIAC Centennial Artwork Now Available". wiacsports.com.
7. "WIAC Centennial Calendars Now Available". wiacsports.com.
8. "The University of Wisconsin System Education Reports & Statistics, Enrollments". University of Wisconsin System. Retrieved November 30, 2019.
9. "UW-Superior To Depart The WIAC". wiacsports.com.
10. "Simpson College Added As Affiliate Member In Women's Gymnastics". wiacsports.com.
11. "National Championship Teams". wiacsports.com. Retrieved 2023-06-03.

External links

• Official website