The Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) is a

college athletic conference In college athletics in the United States, institutions typically join in conferences for regular play under different governing bodies. Varsity sports There are several national and regional associations governing the varsity teams of colleges ...

affiliated with the

National Collegiate Athletic Association The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

(NCAA) at the Division II level. It was named the 24th (at the time) NCAA Division II conference and operates in the

Great Lakes The Great Lakes, also called the Great Lakes of North America, are a series of large interconnected freshwater lakes in the mid-east region of North America that connect to the Atlantic Ocean via the Saint Lawrence River. There are five lakes ...

and East South Central States regions of the United States. 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.

History

The initial announcement of a potential new conference surfaced in June 2011 when the presidents and athletic directors of Cedarville University,

Notre Dame College Notre Dame College (Notre Dame College of Ohio or NDC) is a private Roman Catholic college in South Euclid, Ohio. Established in 1922 as a women's college, it has been coeducational since January 2001. Notre Dame College offers 30 majors and i ...

Urbana University Urbana University was a private university specializing in liberal arts education and located in Urbana, Ohio. In its final few years, it was purchased by Franklin University and was a branch campus of that university. History Urbana University ...

, and

Ursuline College Ursuline College is a private Roman Catholic liberal arts college in Pepper Pike, Ohio. It was founded in 1871 by the Ursuline Sisters of Cleveland and was one of the oldest institutions of higher education for women in the United States and ...

met to discuss plans for a new Division II conference. Soon after the initial meeting,

Central State University Central State University (CSU) is a public, historically black land-grant university in Wilberforce, Ohio. It is a member-school of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund. Established by the state legislature in 1887 as a two-year program for te ...

joined and became a fifth member. In October 2011,

Kentucky Wesleyan College Kentucky Wesleyan College (KWC) is a private Methodist college in Owensboro, Kentucky. The college is known for its liberal arts programs. Fall 2018 enrollment was 830 students. History Kentucky Wesleyan College was founded in 1858 by the Kent ...

announced that the school will join the G-MAC, withdrawing from its current conference, the

Great Lakes Valley Conference The Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level. Its thirteen member institutions are located in the U.S. states of Illinois ...

. In November 2011,

Trevecca Nazarene University Trevecca Nazarene University (TNU) is a private Nazarene liberal arts college in Nashville, Tennessee. It was founded in 1901. History TNU was founded in 1901 by Cumberland Presbyterian minister J. O. McClurkan as the "Pentecostal Literary ...

was accepted as another charter member of the conference. 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. In late November, the conference announced the hiring of Tom Daeger as Conference Commissioner, with offices in

Indianapolis Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Marion ...

. On February 20, 2012 the Great Midwest Athletic Conference announced the NCAA had accepted the G-MAC as the 24th NCAA Division ll conference. 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 The University of Virginia's College at Wise (UVA Wise) is a public liberal arts college in Wise, Virginia. It is part of the University of Virginia and was established in 1954 as Clinch Valley College of the University of Virginia. The United S ...

(UVA Wise) and

Georgetown College Georgetown College is a private Christian college in Georgetown, Kentucky. Chartered in 1829, Georgetown was the first Baptist college west of the Appalachian Mountains. The college offers 38 undergraduate degrees and a Master of Arts in educat ...

had been granted provisional membership in the conference pending their approval by the NCAA Division II Membership Committee. 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. 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 Alderson Broaddus University (AB) is a private Baptist university in Philippi, West Virginia. It is affiliated with the American Baptist Churches USA. It was formed in 1932 as Alderson–Broaddus College by the union of two Baptist institutions: ...

Davis & Elkins College Davis & Elkins College (D&E) is a private college in Elkins, West Virginia. History The school was founded in 1904 and is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church. It was named for Henry G. Davis and his son-in-law Stephen B. Elkins, who wer ...

, and

Ohio Valley University Ohio Valley University was a private Christian college located between Parkersburg and Vienna in West Virginia. Founded in 1958 (with classes beginning in fall 1960), the school integrated education with teachings of the Christian faith. The col ...

. All three schools were previously members of the

West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference The West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WVIAC) was a collegiate athletic conference which historically operated exclusively in the state of West Virginia, but briefly had one Kentucky member in its early years, and expanded into Pe ...

(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 The Mountain East Conference (MEC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level and officially began competition on September 1, 2013. It consists of 12 schools, mo ...

(MEC). On October 16, 2012, the G-MAC announced that

Salem International University Salem University is a private for-profit university in Salem, West Virginia. It has about 250 students on campus and about 600 online students that are enrolled in undergraduate as well as graduate programs. The university was founded by the Sev ...

, since renamed Salem University, would join the conference on July 1, 2013. 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 Cumberland University is a private university in Lebanon, Tennessee. It was founded in 1842. The campus's current historic buildings were constructed between 1892 and 1896. History 1842-1861 The university was founded by the Cumberlan ...

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. In July 2014, Cumberland was denied acceptance into the NCAA by the Membership Council. 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. 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)." On May 19, 2020,

Ashland University Ashland University is a private university in Ashland, Ohio. The university consists of a main campus and several off-campus centers throughout central and northern Ohio. Ashland was founded in 1878 as Ashland College. It is affiliated with The ...

announced they would join the Great Midwest Athletic Conference from the

Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference The Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) is a competitive college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level. The GLIAC was founded in June 1972. Its ele ...

for the 2021–22 school year. 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. The most recent changes to the conference membership were announced in 2021. On February 11, Ohio Valley announced that it would return to NAIA and join the River States Conference that July, and on April 29,

Northwood University Northwood University (NU) is a private university focused on business education with its main campus in Midland, Michigan. Opened in 1959, more than 33,000 people have graduated from the institution. History Northwood University opened as Nort ...

announced that they would also join the G-MAC from the GLIAC for the 2022-23 school year. The G-MAC would gain a member later in 2021; on August 18, the conference and

Thomas More University Thomas More University is a private Roman Catholic university in Crestview Hills, Kentucky. It serves about 2,000 full and part-time students. The university was founded in 1921 by the local Benedictine Sisters as Villa Madonna College. History ...

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. The school accordingly became a provisional G-MAC member, but continues to compete in the NAIA and in the Mid-South until July 2023. Also for the 2021–22 season, G-MAC announced a partnership with

Conference Carolinas Conference Carolinas, formerly known as the Carolinas-Virginia Athletic Conference (CVAC) or the Carolinas Conference, is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) primarily at the Divisio ...

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.

Chronological timeline

* 2012 - The Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) was founded. Charter members included Cedarville University,

and the

(UVA Wise), effective beginning the 2012–13 academic year. * 2013 - Urbana and UVA Wise left the G-MAC to join the newly-created

, effective after the 2012–13 academic year. * 2013 -

and

Salem University Salem University is a private for-profit university in Salem, West Virginia. It has about 250 students on campus and about 600 online students that are enrolled in undergraduate as well as graduate programs. The university was founded by the Se ...

joined the G-MAC, effective in the 2013–14 academic year. * 2015 - Central State left the G-MAC to join the

Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference The Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level. Formed in 1913, it consists mostly of historically black co ...

(SIAC), effective after the 2014–15 academic year. * 2016 -

Malone University Malone University is a private Christian university in Canton, Ohio. It was founded in 1892 by Walter and Emma Malone as a small, co-educational Bible institute called Cleveland Bible College. The institution has always maintained a close relat ...

joined the G-MAC, effective in the 2016–17 academic year. * 2016 -

Lake Erie College Lake Erie College is a private liberal arts college in Painesville, Ohio. Founded in 1856 as a female seminary, the college converted to a coeducational institution in 1985. As of the 2016–2017 academic year, the total enrollment was 1,177 stud ...

Mercyhurst University (Seize the day) , former_names = Mercyhurst College (1926–2012) , established = , type = Private university , religious_affiliation = Roman Catholic (Sisters of Mercy) , endowment = $31.8 million , faculty = 136 full-time , administrat ...

Seton Hill University Seton Hill University is a private Catholic university in Greensburg, Pennsylvania. Formerly a women's college, it became a coeducational university in 2002 and enrolls about 2,200 students. History The school was founded in 1885 by the Sist ...

and

Walsh University Walsh University is a private Roman Catholic university in North Canton, Ohio. It enrolls approximately 2,700 students and was founded in 1960 by the Brothers of Christian Instruction as a liberal arts college. Walsh College became Walsh Univers ...

joined the G-MAC as affiliate members for men's lacrosse, effective in the 2017 spring season (2016–17 academic year). * 2017 - The

University of Findlay The University of Findlay (UF) is a private university, private Christianity, Christian university in Findlay, Ohio. It was established in 1882 through a joint partnership between the Churches of God General Conference (Winebrenner), Churches ...

, Hillsdale College and

Ohio Dominican University Ohio Dominican University is a private Dominican liberal arts university in Columbus, Ohio. The university has approximately 1,700 students and offers undergraduate degrees in 40 majors as well as nine graduate degree programs. History The Co ...

joined the G-MAC (along with Lake Erie and Walsh upgrading for all sports), effective in the 2017–18 academic year. * 2017 -

Wheeling Jesuit University Wheeling University (WU, formerly Wheeling Jesuit University) is a private Roman Catholic university in Wheeling, West Virginia. It was founded as Wheeling College in 1954 by the Society of Jesus (also known as the Jesuits) and was a Jesuit inst ...

(now Wheeling University) joined the G-MAC as an affiliate member for men's lacrosse, effective in the 2018 (2017–18 academic year). * 2018 -

Tiffin University Tiffin University is a private university in Tiffin, Ohio. It was founded in 1888 and is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. The university offers undergraduate and graduate degree programs at the main campus in Tiffin, Ohio; the Unive ...

joined the G-MAC, effective in the 2018–19 academic year. * 2019 - Davis & Elkins left the G-MAC to join the

, effective after the 2018–19 academic year. * 2021 - Alderson Broaddus left the G-MAC to join the

, effective in the 2020–21 academic year. * 2021 - Ohio Valley left the G-MAC and the NCAA to join the

River States Conference The River States Conference (RSC), formerly known as the Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (KIAC), is a List of college athletic conferences in the United States, college athletic conference affiliated with the National Association of I ...

of the

National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) established in 1940, is a college athletics association for colleges and universities in North America. Most colleges and universities in the NAIA offer athletic scholarships to its stu ...

(NAIA), effective after the 2020–21 academic year. * 2021 -

joined the G-MAC, effective in the 2021–22 academic year. * 2022 -

and

joined the G-MAC, effective with the 2022–23 academic year. Although Thomas More joined the conference as a provisional member, it continues to compete in the NAIA and the Mid-South Conference in 2022–23 before beginning competition as a full G-MAC member in July 2023.

Member schools

Current members

The G-MAC currently has 13 full members, all are

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...

schools: ;Notes:

Affiliate members

The G-MAC has five affiliate members, all are

schools: ;Notes:

Future members

The G-MAC has one member that joined for administrative purposes in July 2022, but will not start conference competition until July 2023. It is also a

school. ;Notes:

Former members

The G-MAC had seven former full members, all but two were

schools. School names and nicknames reflect those used during G-MAC membership: ;Notes:

Membership timeline

DateFormat = yyyy ImageSize = width:900 height:auto barincrement:20 Period = from:2012 till:2028 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal PlotArea = right:5 left:5 bottom:20 top:5 Colors = id:line value:black id:Full value:rgb(0.63,0.88,0.755) # all sports id:FullxF value:rgb(0.88,0.755,0.63) # non-football id:AssocF value:rgb(0.88,0.63,0.63) # football-only id:AssocOS value:rgb(0.755,0.755,0.63) # associate PlotData = width:15 textcolor:black shift:(5,-5) anchor:from fontsize:s bar:1 color:FullxF from:2012 till:end text: Cedarville (2012–present) bar:2 color:FullxF from:2012 till:2015 text: Central State (2012–2015) bar:3 color:FullxF from:2012 till:2016 text:

Kentucky Wesleyan Kentucky Wesleyan College (KWC) is a private Methodist college in Owensboro, Kentucky. The college is known for its liberal arts programs. Fall 2018 enrollment was 830 students. History Kentucky Wesleyan College was founded in 1858 by the Kent ...

(2012–present) bar:3 color:Full from:2016 till:end bar:4 color:FullxF from:2012 till:2021 text: Trevecca Nazarene (2012–present) bar:4 color:Full from:2021 till:end bar:5 color:FullxF from:2012 till:2013 text:

Urbana __NOTOC__ Urbana can refer to: Places Italy *Urbana, Italy United States *Urbana, Illinois **Urbana (conference), a Christian conference formerly held in Urbana, Illinois *Urbana, Indiana * Urbana, Iowa *Urbana, Kansas * Urbana, Maryland *Urbana, ...

(2012–2013) bar:6 color:FullxF from:2012 till:end text: Ursuline (2012–present) bar:7 color:FullxF from:2012 till:2013 text: UVA Wise (2012–2013) bar:8 color:FullxF from:2013 till:2016 text: Alderson Broaddus (2013–present) bar:8 color:Full from:2016 till:2020 bar:8 color:AssocOS from:2020 till:end bar:9 color:FullxF from:2013 till:2019 text: Davis & Elkins (2013–present) bar:9 color:AssocOS from:2019 till:end bar:10 color:FullxF from:2013 till:2021 text:

Ohio Valley The Ohio River is a long river in the United States. It is located at the boundary of the Midwestern and Southern United States, flowing southwesterly from western Pennsylvania to its mouth on the Mississippi River at the southern tip of Illino ...

(2013–2021) bar:11 color:FullxF from:2013 till:2016 text: Salem (2013–2016) bar:12 color:AssocOS from:2016 till:2017 text:

Lake Erie Lake Erie ( "eerie") is the fourth largest lake by surface area of the five Great Lakes in North America and the eleventh-largest globally. It is the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume of the Great Lakes and therefore also has t ...

(2016–present) bar:12 color:Full from:2017 till:end bar:13 color:Full from:2016 till:2019 text:

Malone Malone is an Irish surname. From the Irish "''Mael Eóin''", the name means a servant or a disciple of Saint John. People * Gilla Críst Ua Máel Eóin (died 1127), historian and Abbot of Clonmacnoise, Ó Maoil Eoin * Adrian Malone (1937–2 ...

(2016–present) bar:13 color:FullxF from:2019 till:end bar:14 color:AssocOS from:2016 till:end text: Mercyhurst (2016–present) bar:15 color:AssocOS from:2016 till:end text: Seton Hill (2016–present) bar:16 color:AssocOS from:2016 till:2017 text:

Walsh Walsh may refer to: People and fictional characters * Walsh (surname), including a list of people and fictional characters with the surname Places * Fort Walsh, one of the first posts of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police * Walsh, Ontario, Norfolk ...

(2016–present) bar:16 color:Full from:2017 till:end bar:17 color:Full from:2017 till:end text: Findlay (2017–present) bar:18 color:Full from:2017 till:end text: Hillsdale (2017–present) bar:19 color:Full from:2017 till:end text: Ohio Dominican (2017–present) bar:20 color:AssocOS from:2017 till:end text: Wheeling (2017–present) bar:21 color:Full from:2018 till:end text:

Tiffin Tiffin is an Indian English word for a type of meal. It refers to a light breakfast or a light tea-time meal at about 3 p.m., consisting of typical tea-time foods. In certain parts of India, it can also refer to the midday luncheon or, in s ...

(2018–present) bar:22 color:Full from:2021 till:end text: Ashland (2021–present) bar:23 color:Full from:2022 till:end text: Northwood (2022–future) bar:24 color:Full from:2023 till:end text:

Thomas More Sir Thomas More (7 February 1478 – 6 July 1535), venerated in the Catholic Church as Saint Thomas More, was an English lawyer, judge, social philosopher, author, statesman, and noted Renaissance humanist. He also served Henry VIII as Lord ...

(2023–future) ScaleMajor = gridcolor:line unit:year increment:1 start:2013

Sports

In swimming and diving for both sexes, the G-MAC and

operate as a single league, conducting a combined conference championship meet. In bowling, Great Midwest Athletic Conference and

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

Women's sponsored sports by school

Other sponsored sports by school

Future members in gray. 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

References

External links

* {{NCAA Division II football conference navbox Organizations based in Indianapolis Sports in Indianapolis Sports organizations established in 2011 Articles which contain graphical timelines 2011 establishments in the United States