Wikipedia

Great Midwest Athletic Conference

Not to be confused with Great Midwest Conference.

The Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level. It was named the 24th (at the time) NCAA Division II conference and operates in the Great Lakes and East South Central States regions of the United States.[2] The G-MAC began conference play in the 2012–13 academic year hosting 12 championships and continued to work through the educational assessment program. The conference received approval and became an active Division II conference in 2013–14, hosting 17 championships.

Great Midwest Athletic Conference
AssociationNCAA
Founded2011 (began play in 2012)
CommissionerTom Daeger[1] (since 2011)
Sports fielded
  • 25
    • men's: 12 (1 emerging)
    • women's: 13
DivisionDivision II
No. of teams13
HeadquartersIndianapolis
RegionGreat Lakes and East South Central
Official websiteg-macsports.com
Locations
Location of teams in {{{title}}}

History

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Great Midwest Athletic Conference
 
 
100km
62miles
 
Davenport
 
Hiram
 
Thomas More
 
Northwood
 
Ashland
 
Seton Hill
 
Wheeling
 
Walsh
 
Ursuline
 
Tiffin
 
Ohio Dominican
 
Malone
 
Lake Erie
 
Kentucky Wesleyan
 
Hillsdale
 
Findlay
 
Davis & Elkins
 
Cedarville
Location of G-MAC members:   full,   affiliate

The initial announcement of a potential new conference surfaced in June 2011 when the presidents and athletic directors of Cedarville University, Notre Dame College, Urbana University, and Ursuline College met to discuss plans for a new Division II conference.[3]

Soon after the initial meeting, Central State University joined and became a fifth member. In October 2011, Kentucky Wesleyan College announced that the school will join the G-MAC, withdrawing from its current conference, the Great Lakes Valley Conference.[4]

In November 2011, Trevecca Nazarene University was accepted as another charter member of the conference.[5] Trevecca had begun the process of transitioning from NAIA to NCAA Division II membership in July, 2011 and entered a provisional NCAA membership year during the conference's initially planned start for the 2013–14 academic year.[5] In late November, the conference announced the hiring of Tom Daeger as Conference Commissioner, with offices in Indianapolis.[1]

On February 21, 2012, the Great Midwest Athletic Conference announced the NCAA had accepted the G-MAC as the 24th NCAA Division ll conference.[6] The conference then added two more members when it was announced on April 23 and May 1, 2012, that the University of Virginia's College at Wise (UVA Wise) and Georgetown College had been granted provisional membership in the conference pending their approval by the NCAA Division II Membership Committee.[7][8] Georgetown College was rejected for Division II membership, but applied to join Division II in 2014. However, they were denied acceptance once again by the Membership Council.[9] As of 2021, Georgetown has made no further attempt to join Division II.

In the fall of 2012, it was announced that Urbana and UVA Wise would spend only one season as active members of the G-MAC. At the same time, the G-MAC announced that three West Virginia schools had accepted invitations to join the conference, starting in July 2013—Alderson Broaddus University, Davis & Elkins College, and Ohio Valley University.[10] All three schools were previously members of the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WVIAC), which disbanded after most of its football-sponsoring schools announced their departure for a new D-II league that eventually became the Mountain East Conference (MEC).[11] On October 16, 2012, the G-MAC announced that Salem International University, since renamed Salem University, would join the conference on July 1, 2013.[12] Salem would leave the G-MAC in 2016 to become a Division II independent.

On July 12, 2013, the Great Midwest Athletic Conference received official approval from the NCAA Division II Membership Committee, recognizing the Conference as an active NCAA Division II conference. On the same day, it was announced that Ursuline College had been approved as an active NCAA DII member and Trevecca Nazarene University successfully completed its Year Two candidacy and was moved into the Provisional Year of the membership process by the NCAA Division II Membership Committee.

On August 7, 2013, the Great Midwest Athletic Conference partnered with Cumberland University as it embarked on a transition to potential NCAA Division II membership. The G-MAC Presidents Council unanimously admitted Cumberland as a provisional member effective immediately and would have sponsored the institution as it worked through the NCAA Division II membership application process.[13] In July 2014, Cumberland was denied acceptance into the NCAA by the Membership Council.[9] As in the case of Georgetown, Cumberland has made no further attempt to join Division II.

On August 30, 2018, Davis & Elkins announced that it would reunite with most of its former WVIAC rivals in the Mountain East Conference after the 2018–19 school year.[14] The school remains a G-MAC affiliate in men's lacrosse, a sport that the MEC does not sponsor.

On February 1, 2019, Malone announced that it had eliminated football and "remains committed to athletic competition in the NCAA Div. II and as members of the Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC)."[15]

On May 19, 2020, Ashland University announced they would join the Great Midwest Athletic Conference from the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference for the 2021–22 school year.[16]

On June 5, 2020, another former WVIAC member, Alderson Broaddus, announced that it was leaving the G-MAC to join most of its old rivals in the Mountain East Conference for the 2020–21 school year.[17]

On February 11, 2021, Ohio Valley announced that it would return to NAIA and join the River States Conference that July,[18] and on April 29, Northwood University announced that it would also join the G-MAC from the GLIAC for the 2022–23 school year.[19]

The G-MAC would gain a member later in 2021; on August 18, the conference and Thomas More University announced that the school, currently a member of the NAIA Mid-South Conference, would become a provisional G-MAC member in 2022. With G-MAC acceptance in hand, Thomas More applied to rejoin the NCAA and was officially accepted as a provisional D-II member on July 14, 2022.[20] The school accordingly became a provisional G-MAC member, but continued to compete in the NAIA and in the Mid-South until July 2023.[21]

Also for the 2021–22 season, G-MAC announced a partnership with Conference Carolinas to create a men's and women's bowling championship (even though men's bowling is not considered a varsity sport by the NCAA). Each conference will organize its regular season independently but the postseason will be called Conference Carolinas/Great Midwest Athletic Conference Men's and Women's Bowling Championships.[22][23]

The most recently added sport is stunt, a women-only cheerleading discipline that emphasizes the acrobatic and technical aspects of cheerleading. It was added as an officially sanctioned sport for the 2022–23 school year, a year before it was added to the NCAA Emerging Sports for Women program in August 2023. The first season of conference competition featured four full G-MAC members and one affiliate.[24][25]

Chronological timeline

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Member schools

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Current members

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The G-MAC currently has 13 full members, all are private schools. Reclassifying members listed in yellow.

Institution Location Founded Affiliation Enrollment Nickname Joined Colors
Ashland University[16] Ashland, Ohio 1878 Brethren 6,431 Eagles 2021    
Cedarville University Cedarville, Ohio 1887 Baptist 4,960 Yellow Jackets 2012    
University of Findlay Findlay, Ohio 1882 Churches of God 4,885 Oilers 2017    
Hillsdale College Hillsdale, Michigan 1844 Nonsectarian 1,678 Chargers 2017    
Kentucky Wesleyan College Owensboro, Kentucky 1858 United Methodist 780 Panthers 2012[a]    
Lake Erie College Painesville, Ohio 1856 Nonsectarian 920 Storm 2017[b]    
Malone University Canton, Ohio 1892 Evangelical 1,306 Pioneers 2016    
Northwood University Midland, Michigan 1959 Nonsectarian 1,344 Timberwolves 2022    
Ohio Dominican University Columbus, Ohio 1911 Catholic 1,276 Panthers 2017    
Thomas More University Crestview Hills, Kentucky 1921 Catholic 1,958 Saints 2022[c]      
Tiffin University Tiffin, Ohio 1888 Nonsectarian 2,934 Dragons 2018    
Ursuline College[d] Pepper Pike, Ohio 1871 Catholic 950 Arrows 2012    
Walsh University North Canton, Ohio 1960 Catholic 2,309 Cavaliers 2017[b]    
Notes
  1. ^ Kentucky Wesleyan joined the G-MAC in 2012 as a charter member for most sports, but did not begin competition until the 2013–14 school year because of its commitments to the final year of competition in the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC).
  2. ^ a b Lake Erie and Walsh competed in the G-MAC as affiliate members for men's lacrosse during the 2017 spring season (2016–17 school year).
  3. ^ Thomas More joined the G-MAC as a provisional member in July 2022 while still competing in the NAIA's Mid-South Conference (MSC); it began competition as a full G-MAC member in the 2023–24 school year.
  4. ^ This institution is a women's college, therefore it does not compete in men's sports.

Affiliate members

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The G-MAC has five affiliate members, all are private schools:

Institution Location Founded Affiliation Enrollment Nickname Joined Colors G-MAC
sport(s) 		Primary
conference
Davenport University Grand Rapids, Michigan 1866 Nonsectarian 5,421 Panthers 2024     men's lacrosse Great Lakes (GLIAC)
men's wrestling
stunt
Davis & Elkins College Elkins, West Virginia 1904 Presbyterian 837 Senators 2019[a]     men's lacrosse Mountain East (MEC)
Hiram College Hiram, Ohio 1850 Disciples of Christ 1,395 Terriers 2022     stunt North Coast (NCAC)[b]
(Presidents' (PAC) in 2025)[b]
Seton Hill University Greensburg, Pennsylvania 1883 Catholic 2,080 Griffins 2016     men's lacrosse Pennsylvania (PSAC)
Wheeling University[c] Wheeling, West Virginia 1954 Catholic 1,171 Cardinals 2017     Mountain East (MEC)
Notes
  1. ^ Davis & Elkins was a full G-MAC member from 2013–14 to 2018–19.
  2. ^ a b Currently an NCAA Division III athletic conference.
  3. ^ Formerly known as Wheeling Jesuit University until 2019.

Former members

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The G-MAC had eight former full members. All but two were private schools. School names and nicknames reflect those used during G-MAC membership:

Institution Location Founded Affiliation Enrollment Nickname Joined Left Current
conference
Alderson Broaddus University Philippi, West Virginia 1871 Baptist N/A[a] Battlers 2013 2020[b] Closed in 2023
Central State University Wilberforce, Ohio 1887 Public 2,798 Marauders &
Lady Marauders 		2012 2015 Southern (SIAC)
Davis & Elkins College Elkins, West Virginia 1904 Presbyterian 810 Senators 2013 2019[c] Mountain East (MEC)
Ohio Valley University Vienna, West Virginia 1960 Church of Christ N/A Fighting Scots 2013 2021 Closed in 2021[d]
Salem International University[e] Salem, West Virginia 1888 For-profit 835 Tigers 2013 2016 D-II Independent
Trevecca Nazarene University Nashville, Tennessee 1901 Nazarene 3,327 Trojans 2012 2024 Gulf South (GSC)
Urbana University Urbana, Ohio 1850 Nonsectarian N/A Blue Knights 2012 2013 Closed in 2020[f]
University of Virginia's College at Wise[g] Wise, Virginia 1954 Public 2,000 Highland Cavaliers[h] 2012 2013[i] South Atlantic (SAC)
Notes
  1. ^ Prior to its closure, Alderson Broaddus had an enrollment of 2,306 students.
  2. ^ Alderson Broaddus maintained in the G-MAC as an affiliate member for men's lacrosse until after the 2023 spring season (2022–23 school year).
  3. ^ Davis & Elkins continues to maintain in the G-MAC as an affiliate member for men's lacrosse.
  4. ^ Ohio Valley joined the River States Conference of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) during the 2021–22 school year, but ceased operations at the end of the 2021 fall semester, without completing the rest of the 2021–22 school year.
  5. ^ Currently known as Salem University since 2017.
  6. ^ Urbana discontinued its athletics program and closed the school after the 2019–20 school year.
  7. ^ The athletic program is now branded as UVA Wise.
  8. ^ UVA Wise dropped "Highland" from its athletic branding in 2017.
  9. ^ UVA Wise joined the G-MAC in 2012 as a charter member for most sports, but was fulfilling its commitments to the final year of competition in the Mid-South Conference of the NAIA until the 2013–14 school year. However, UVA Wise was never a full member of the conference as it later announced to join the Mountain East Conference, effective that same school year.

Former affiliate members

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The G-MAC had two former affiliate members, which were both private schools. School names and nicknames reflect those used during G-MAC membership:

Institution Location Founded Affiliation Enrollment Nickname Joined Left Colors G-MAC
sport(s) 		Primary
conference
Alderson Broaddus University Philippi, West Virginia 1871 Baptist N/A[a] Battlers 2020[b] 2023     men's lacrosse Closed in 2023
Mercyhurst University Erie, Pennsylvania 1926 Catholic 2,705 Lakers 2016 2024     men's lacrosse Northeast (NEC)[c]
2023 stunt
Notes
  1. ^ Prior to its closure, Alderson Broaddus had an enrollment of 2,306 students.
  2. ^ Alderson Broaddus was a full G-MAC member from 2013–14 to 2019–20.
  3. ^ Currently an NCAA Division I athletic conference.

Membership timeline

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Davenport UniversityThomas More UniversityMid-South ConferenceNorthwood UniversityHiram CollegeAshland UniversityTiffin UniversityWheeling UniversityOhio Dominican UniversityHillsdale CollegeUniversity of FindlayWalsh UniversitySeton Hill UniversityMercyhurst UniversityMalone UniversityLake Erie CollegeSalem UniversityOhio Valley UniversityDavis %26 Elkins CollegeAlderson Broaddus UniversityUniversity of Virginia's College at WiseUrsuline CollegeUrbana UniversityTrevecca Nazarene UniversityKentucky Wesleyan CollegeCentral State UniversityCedarville University

 Full member (all sports)   Full member (non-football)   Associate member (football-only)   Associate member (sport) 

Sports

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A divisional format is used for volleyball.
North
  • Findlay
  • Hillsdale
  • Lake Erie
  • Malone
  • Ursuline
  • Walsh
South
  • Ashland
  • Cedarville
  • Kentucky Wesleyan
  • Ohio Dominican
  • Tiffin
  • Trevecca Nazarene
A divisional format is used for certain sports.
East
  • Ashland
  • Lake Erie
  • Malone
  • Ursuline
  • Walsh
  • Tiffin
West
  • Cedarville
  • Findlay
  • Hillsdale
  • Kentucky Wesleyan
  • Ohio Dominican
  • Trevecca Nazarene
Sport Men's Women's
Baseball  Y
Basketball  Y  Y
Bowling  Y
Cross country  Y  Y
Football  Y
Golf  Y  Y
Lacrosse  Y  Y
Soccer  Y  Y
Softball  Y
Stunt  Y
Swimming & diving  Y  Y
Tennis  Y  Y
Track & field indoor  Y  Y
Track & field outdoor  Y  Y
Volleyball  Y
Wrestling  Y

In swimming and diving for both sexes, the G-MAC and Mountain East Conference operate as a single league, conducting a combined conference championship meet.[27]

In bowling, Great Midwest Athletic Conference and Conference Carolinas made a partnership to make a men's and women's bowling championship (even though men's bowling is not considered a varsity sport by the NCAA). Each conference will organize its regular season independently but the postseason will be called Conference Carolinas/Great Midwest Athletic Conference Men's and Women's Bowling Championships.

Men's sponsored sports by school

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School Baseball Basketball Cross
country 		Football Golf Lacrosse Soccer Swimming
& diving 		Tennis Track
& field
indoor 		Track
& field
outdoor 		Wrestling Total
GMAC
sports
Ashland  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y 11
Cedarville  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y 8
Findlay  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y 11
Hillsdale  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y 8
Kentucky Wesleyan  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y 9
Lake Erie  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y 9
Malone  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y 8
Northwood  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y 9
Ohio Dominican  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y 8
Thomas More  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y 9
Tiffin  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y 10
Walsh  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y 10
Totals 12 12 12 10 11 5+4[a] 11 3 8 11 13 5+1[b] 110+5
  1. ^ Affiliate members Davenport, Davis & Elkins, Seton Hill, and Wheeling.
  2. ^ Affiliate member Davenport.

Women's sponsored sports by school

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School Basketball Bowling[a] Cross
country 		Golf Lacrosse Soccer Softball Stunt[b] Swimming
& diving 		Tennis Track
& field
indoor 		Track
& field
outdoor 		Volleyball Total
GMAC
sports
Ashland  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y 12
Cedarville  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y 8
Findlay  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y 11
Hillsdale  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y 8
Kentucky Wesleyan  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y 9
Lake Erie  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y 8
Malone  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y 10
Northwood  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y 9
Ohio Dominican  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y 8
Thomas More  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y 10
Tiffin  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y 11
Ursuline  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y 13
Walsh  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y 12
Totals 13 3 13 10 8 12 13 5+2[c] 4 10 12 13 13 130+2
  1. ^ De facto Division I sport. The NCAA conducts a national championship tournament open to schools in all three divisions.
  2. ^ De facto Division I sport as part of the NCAA Emerging Sports for Women program. National championships are currently operated by USA Cheer.
  3. ^ Affiliate members Davenport and Hiram.

Other sponsored sports by school

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School Men
Sprint football[a] Volleyball[b]
Thomas More IND[c]
Walsh MSFL
  1. ^ A variant of American football governed outside the NCAA, with player weights restricted to 178 pounds (81 kg).
  2. ^ De facto Division I sport. The NCAA conducts a national championship tournament open to schools in Divisions I and II.
  3. ^ Joining the GLVC in 2025.

In addition to the above:

  • Thomas More sponsors varsity teams in the following non-NCAA sports: archery, men's bowling, and men's rugby. It also considers its band, cheerleaders (male and female) and dance team (all-female) to be varsity athletes.

Championships

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See also: Great Midwest Athletic Conference men's basketball tournament
See also: Great Midwest Athletic Conference women's basketball tournament

References

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  1. ^ a b Alcox, Kevin (November 21, 2011). "G-MAC hires Tom Daeger as commissioner". Cedarville University. Retrieved November 26, 2011.
  2. ^ Jablonski, David (October 17, 2011). "Urbana, Cedarville join Great Midwest Athletic Conference". Springfield News-Sun. Retrieved October 23, 2011.
  3. ^ "NDC one of core four looking to build conference". Notre Dame College. June 8, 2011. Retrieved October 23, 2011.
  4. ^ "New Great Midwest Athletic Conference includes Ohio, Kentucky institutions". NCAA. October 18, 2011. Retrieved October 23, 2011.
  5. ^ a b "Trevecca Welcomed by Great Midwest Athletic Conference". Trevecca Nazarene University. November 3, 2011. Retrieved November 7, 2011.
  6. ^ Boettcher, Jerome (February 20, 2012). "Trevecca Nazarene's next conference gains approval from NCAA". Nashville City Paper. Retrieved February 22, 2012.
  7. ^ "UVA-Wise Granted Provisional Membership to G-MAC Conference". UVA Wise Cavaliers. April 23, 2012. Archived from the original on February 9, 2013. Retrieved April 23, 2012.
  8. ^ Staff (May 2, 2012). "Georgetown College finds conference home as step to moving to NCAA Division II". KYForward. Archived from the original on February 22, 2014. Retrieved May 2, 2012.
  9. ^ a b Lintner, Jonathan (July 14, 2014). "Georgetown's D II transition hits snag". The Courier-Journal.
  10. ^ "G-MAC News: Conference Adds Three New Members" (Press release). Great Midwest Athletic Conference. August 21, 2012. Retrieved August 22, 2012.
  11. ^ Rine, Shawn (August 20, 2012). "Cards, Toppers Set To Jump Into New League". The Intelligencer & Wheeling News Register. Wheeling, WV. Archived from the original on October 3, 2013. Retrieved August 21, 2012.
  12. ^ "G-MAC News: Salem International will Join the G-MAC" (Press release). Great Midwest Athletic Conference. October 16, 2012. Retrieved October 16, 2012.
  13. ^ "Cumberland Admitted as a Provisional Member". Great Midwest Athletic Conference. August 7, 2013. Retrieved August 7, 2013.
  14. ^ "Davis & Elkins To Join MEC; UNC Pembroke To Be Associate Member" (Press release). Bridgeport, West Virginia: Mountain East Conference. August 30, 2018. Retrieved September 16, 2018.
  15. ^ "Malone Eliminates Intercollegiate Football As Part of Restructuring". Malone University Athletics. February 1, 2019. Retrieved February 1, 2019.
  16. ^ a b "Ashland University To Join Great Midwest Athletic Conference In Summer Of 2021". Richland Source. May 19, 2020. Retrieved February 10, 2021.
  17. ^ "Alderson Broaddus to Join MEC" (Press release). Mountain East Conference. June 5, 2020. Retrieved June 11, 2020.
  18. ^ "Ohio Valley University Approved as Provisional Member of River States Conference". River States Conference. Retrieved February 12, 2021.
  19. ^ "Northwood University Athletics Changing Conference Affiliation". Richland Source. April 29, 2021. Retrieved April 29, 2021.
  20. ^ "Staten Island, Frostburg State to become DII members" (Press release). NCAA. July 14, 2022. Retrieved July 31, 2022.
  21. ^ "Thomas More University Unanimously Approved for Provisional Membership to Join Great Midwest" (Press release). Great Midwest Athletic Conference. August 18, 2021. Retrieved September 1, 2021.
  22. ^ "Conference Carolinas Unveils Addition of Tusculum as Associate Member in Men's and Women's Bowling" (Press release). Conference Carolinas. June 3, 2021. Retrieved January 25, 2022.
  23. ^ "Great Midwest Collaborates With Conference Carolinas For 2021-22 Bowling Championships" (Press release). Great Midwest Athletic Conference. March 25, 2021. Retrieved January 25, 2022.
  24. ^ "Great Midwest Announces the Addition of STUNT" (Press release). Great Midwest Athletic Conference. October 19, 2022. Retrieved August 19, 2023.
  25. ^ a b c "Great Midwest Adds Two Associate Members in STUNT" (Press release). Great Midwest Athletic Conference. January 18, 2023. Retrieved August 19, 2023.
  26. ^ "Trevecca Nazarene To Join Gulf South Conference". Gulf South Conference. September 14, 2023. Retrieved September 14, 2023.
  27. ^ "Great Midwest, Mountain East Form 2018 Conference Championship Event" (Press release). Great Midwest Athletic Conference. September 14, 2017. Retrieved July 7, 2018.
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