The Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) is a college athletic conference that competes in the

NCAA 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 ...

's Division III. In women's

gymnastics Gymnastics is a type of sport that includes physical exercises requiring balance, strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, dedication and endurance. The movements involved in gymnastics contribute to the development of the arms, legs, s ...

, 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 Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

, although there are three associate members from

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over t ...

and one from

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rock ...

. All full members are part of the University of Wisconsin System.

History

In 1913, representatives from Wisconsin's eight

normal school A normal school or normal college is an institution created to train teachers by educating them in the norms of pedagogy and curriculum. In the 19th century in the United States, instruction in normal schools was at the high school level, turni ...

s—Superior Normal School (now the

University of Wisconsin–Superior The University of Wisconsin–Superior (UW–Superior or UWS) is a public liberal arts university in Superior, Wisconsin. UW–Superior grants associate, bachelor's, master's and specialist's degrees. The university enrolls 2,559 undergraduates ...

), River Falls State Normal School (now the

University of Wisconsin-River Falls A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, the ...

), Stevens Point Normal School (now the

University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point The University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point (UW–Stevens Point or UWSP) is a public university in Stevens Point, Wisconsin. It is part of the University of Wisconsin System and grants associate, baccalaureate, and master's degrees, as well ...

), La Crosse State Normal School (now the

University of Wisconsin-La Crosse A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, th ...

), 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 The University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee (UW–Milwaukee, UWM, or Milwaukee) is a public urban research university in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It is the largest university in the Milwaukee metropolitan area and a member of the University of Wisc ...

) and Platteville Normal School (now the

University of Wisconsin–Platteville University of Wisconsin–Platteville (UW–Platteville) is a public university in Platteville, Wisconsin. Part of the University of Wisconsin System, it offers bachelor's and master's degrees. The university has three colleges that serve over ...

)--met in Madison to organize the Inter-Normal Athletic Conference of Wisconsin. The Stout Institute (now the

University of Wisconsin–Stout The University of Wisconsin–Stout (UW–Stout or Stout) is a public university in Menomonie, Wisconsin. A member of the University of Wisconsin System, it enrolls more than 9,600 students. The school was founded in 1891 and named in honor of it ...

) joined in 1914, followed by Eau Claire State Normal School (now the University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire) in 1917. 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 A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United Stat ...

University of Wisconsin–Parkside The University of Wisconsin–Parkside (UWP) is a public university in Somers, Wisconsin. It is part of the University of Wisconsin System and has 4,644 students, 161 full-time faculty, and 89 lecturers and part-time faculty. The university o ...

and

Carthage College Carthage College is a private college affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and located in Kenosha, Wisconsin. It enrolls 2,600 full-time and 200 part-time students. Carthage awards bachelor's degrees with majors in more tha ...

to form the Wisconsin Women's Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. By 1975, UW–Milwaukee,

Carroll College Carroll College is a private Catholic college in Helena, Montana. The college has 21 buildings on a 63-acre campus, has over 35 academic majors, participates in 15 NAIA athletic sports, and is home to All Saints Chapel. The college motto, in La ...

, the

University of Wisconsin–Green Bay The University of Wisconsin–Green Bay (UW-Green Bay, UWGB, or Green Bay) is a public university in Green Bay, Wisconsin, with regional campuses in Marinette, Wisconsin, Marinette, Manitowoc, Wisconsin, Manitowoc, and Sheboygan, Wisconsin, Shebo ...

and

Marquette University Marquette University () is a private Jesuit research university in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Established by the Society of Jesus as Marquette College on August 28, 1881, it was founded by John Martin Henni, the first Bishop of the diocese of ...

had also joined. With the dissolution of the

Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women The Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) was founded in 1971 to govern collegiate women's athletics in the United States and to administer national championships (see AIAW Champions). It evolved out of the Commission on Inte ...

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. Effective with the 2001–02 academic year,

Lawrence University Lawrence University is a private liberal arts college and conservatory of music in Appleton, Wisconsin. Founded in 1847, its first classes were held on November 12, 1849. Lawrence was the second college in the U.S. to be founded as a coeduca ...

joined the conference in the sport of wrestling. Three Minnesota schools,

Gustavus Adolphus College Gustavus Adolphus College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in St. Peter, Minnesota. It was founded in 1862 by Swedish Americans led by Eric Norelius and is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Gustavus gets its name ...

Hamline University Hamline University is a private liberal arts college in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Founded in 1854, Hamline is known for its emphasis on experiential learning, service, and social justice. The university is named after Bishop Leonidas Lent Hamline ...

and

Winona State University Winona State University (Winona) is a public university in Winona, Minnesota. It was founded as First State Normal School of Minnesota in 1858 and is the oldest member of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities System. It was the first ...

, 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 Finlandia University is a private Lutheran university in Hancock, Michigan. It is the only private university in the Upper Peninsula. Founded in 1896 as The Suomi College and Theological Seminary, it is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Ch ...

as an affiliate member. Lawrence discontinued its affiliation with the WIAC in wrestling. 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. Additionally, the WIAC is the most successful NCAA Division III conference in history, boasting NCAA National Championships in 15 different sports. At the beginning of the 2011–12 academic year, the conference had claimed a nation-leading 92 NCAA National Championships. 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. Furthermore, the WIAC commissioned a commemorative work of art, created by Tim Cortes, and has also created a two-year calendar in celebration of its centennial. 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

* 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 Wisconsin State College of Milwaukee was a predecessor institution of the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee. Founded in 1885 as Wisconsin State Normal School, it became Wisconsin State Teachers College-Milwaukee in 1927, and Wisconsin State Coll ...

(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 -

joined the WIAC as an affiliate member for wrestling, effective in the 2001-02 academic year. * 2004 -

and

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 -

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 The Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) is a college-level athletic conference. The UMAC is a conference of NCAA Division III since the 2008–09 season. Prior to that, it was a non scholarship conference affiliated with National Associati ...

(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 Institute of Technology (IIT) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Tracing its history to 1890, the present name was adopted upon the merger of the Armour Institute and Lewis Institute in 1940. The university has prog ...

(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 associate member for men's and women's ice hockey, effective in the 2019-20 academic year.

Member schools

Current members

The WIAC currently has eight full members, all are

public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociology, sociological concept of the ''Öf ...

schools: ;Notes:

Affiliate members

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

Former members

The WIAC had two former full members, both were

schools: ;Notes:

Former affiliate members

The WIAC had three former affiliate members, all were

schools: ;Notes:

Membership timeline

DateFormat = yyyy ImageSize = width:900 height:auto barincrement:20 Period = from:1913 till:2033 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal PlotArea = right:20 left:0 bottom:50 top:5 #> to display a count on left side of graph, use "left:20" to suppress the count, use "left:20"<# Colors = id:barcolor value:rgb(0.99,0.7,0.7) id:line value:black id:bg value:white id:Full value:rgb(0.742,0.727,0.852) # Use this color to denote a team that is a member in all sports id:FullxF value:rgb(0.551,0.824,0.777) # Use this color to denote a team that is a member in all sports except for football id:AssocF value:rgb(0.98,0.5,0.445) # Use this color to denote a team that is a member for football only id:AssocOS value:rgb(0.5,0.691,0.824) # Use this color to denote a team that is a member in some sports, but not all (consider identifying in legend or a footnote) id:OtherC1 value:rgb(0.996,0.996,0.699) # Use this color to denote a team that has moved to another conference id:OtherC2 value:rgb(0.988,0.703,0.383) # Use this color to denote a team that has moved to another conference where OtherC1 has already been used, to distinguish the two PlotData= width:15 textcolor:black shift:(5,-5) anchor:from fontsize:s bar:1 color:Full from:1913 till:end text: Wisconsin–La Crosse (1913–present) bar:1 color:OtherC1 from:1918 till:1919 bar:1 color:Full from:1919 till:1943 bar:1 color:OtherC1 from:1943 till:1946 bar:1 color:Full from:1946 till:end bar:2 color:Full from:1913 till:1918 text: Wisconsin–Milwaukee (1913–1964) bar:2 color:OtherC1 from:1918 till:1919 bar:2 color:Full from:1919 till:1943 bar:2 color:OtherC1 from:1943 till:1946 bar:2 color:Full from:1946 till:1964 bar:2 color:OtherC1 from:1964 till:1993 text:Independent bar:2 shift:(-30) color:OtherC2 from:1993 till:1994 text: Mid-Con bar:2 color:OtherC1 from:1994 till:end text: MCC/Horizon bar:3 color:Full from:1913 till:1918 text: Wisconsin–Oshkosh (1913–present) bar:3 color:OtherC1 from:1918 till:1919 bar:3 color:Full from:1919 till:1943 bar:3 color:OtherC1 from:1943 till:1946 bar:3 color:Full from:1946 till:end bar:4 color:Full from:1913 till:1918 text: Wisconsin–Platteville (1913–present) bar:4 color:OtherC1 from:1918 till:1919 bar:4 color:Full from:1919 till:1943 bar:4 color:OtherC1 from:1943 till:1946 bar:4 color:Full from:1946 till:end bar:5 color:Full from:1913 till:1918 text: Wisconsin–River Falls (1913–present) bar:5 color:OtherC1 from:1918 till:1919 bar:5 color:Full from:1919 till:1943 bar:5 color:OtherC1 from:1943 till:1946 bar:5 color:Full from:1946 till:end bar:6 color:Full from:1913 till:1918 text: Wisconsin–Stevens Point (1913–present) bar:6 color:OtherC1 from:1918 till:1919 bar:6 color:Full from:1919 till:1943 bar:6 color:OtherC1 from:1943 till:1946 bar:6 color:Full from:1946 till:end bar:7 color:Full from:1913 till:1918 text: Wisconsin–Superior (1913–2015) bar:7 color:OtherC1 from:1918 till:1919 bar:7 color:Full from:1919 till:1943 bar:7 color:OtherC1 from:1943 till:1946 bar:7 color:Full from:1946 till:1993 bar:7 color:FullxF from:1993 till:2015 bar:7 shift:(-160) color:AssocOS from:2015 till:end text: UMAC (2015–present; WIAC men's & women's ice hockey) bar:8 color:Full from:1913 till:1918 text: Wisconsin–Whitewater (1913–present) bar:8 color:OtherC1 from:1918 till:1919 bar:8 color:Full from:1919 till:1943 bar:8 color:OtherC1 from:1943 till:1946 bar:8 color:Full from:1946 till:end bar:9 color:FullxF from:1914 till:1915 text: Wisconsin–Stout (1914–present) bar:9 color:Full from:1915 till:1918 bar:9 color:OtherC1 from:1918 till:1919 bar:9 color:Full from:1919 till:1943 bar:9 color:OtherC1 from:1943 till:1946 bar:9 color:Full from:1946 till:end bar:10 color:Full from:1917 till:end text: Wisconsin–Eau Claire (1917–present) bar:10 color:OtherC1 from:1918 till:1919 bar:10 color:Full from:1919 till:1943 bar:10 color:OtherC1 from:1943 till:1946 bar:10 color:Full from:1946 till:end bar:11 color:AssocOS from:2001 till:2009 text: Lawrence (2001–2009; wrestling) bar:12 shift:(-30) color:AssocOS from:2004 till:end text:

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(2004–present; gymnastics) bar:13 color:AssocOS from:2004 till:end text: Hamline (2004–present; gymnastics) bar:14 color:AssocOS from:2004 till:end text: Winona State (2004–present; gymnastics) bar:15 shift:(-100) color:AssocOS from:2009 till:2014 text: Finlandia (2009–2014; men's soccer, 2018–present; baseball) bar:15 color:AssocOS from:2018 till:end bar:16 shift:(-80) color:AssocOS from:2017 till:2018 text: Illinois Tech (2017–2018;baseball) bar:17 shift:(-100) color:AssocOS from:2019 till:end text: Northland (2019–present;ice hockey) bar:N color:blue from:1913 till:1926 text:WSNC bar:N color:powderblue from:1926 till:1951 text:WSTCC bar:N color:blue from:1951 till:1964 text:WSCC bar:N color:powderblue from:1964 till:1997 text:WSUAC bar:N color:blue from:1997 till:end text:WIAC ScaleMajor = gridcolor:line unit:year increment:5 start:1915

Sports

Member institutions field men's and women's teams in cross country,

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice ...

track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping eve ...

, and

swimming Swimming is the self-propulsion of a person through water, or other liquid, usually for recreation, sport, exercise, or survival. Locomotion is achieved through coordinated movement of the limbs and the body to achieve hydrodynamic thrust that r ...

and diving. Men's teams are fielded for

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly ...

, and

wrestling Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat s ...

. Women's teams are fielded for

golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standardized playing area, and coping wi ...

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

softball Softball is a game similar to baseball played with a larger ball on a smaller field. Softball is played competitively at club levels, the college level, and the professional level. The game was first created in 1887 in Chicago by George Hanc ...

tennis Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent (singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball cov ...

and

volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Sum ...

. The WIAC is the only NCAA Division III all-sports conference that does not sponsor men's soccer.

National championship teams

*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
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 *Women's Outdoor Track & Field UW-La Crosse: 1983, 1984, 2015
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

Conference facilities

References

External links

* {{Navboxes , titlestyle = {{CollegePrimaryStyle, Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, color=white , list = {{NCAA Division III conference navbox {{NCAA Division III football conference navbox {{NCAA Division III hockey conferences College sports in Wisconsin