Great Midwest Athletic Conference

The Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) was named the 24th 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.

Not to be confused with Great Midwest Conference.
Great Midwest Athletic Conference
Established2011 (began play in 2012)
AssociationNCAA
DivisionDivision II
Members12 (13 in 2021)
Sports fielded
  • 23
    • men's: 12 (1 emerging)
    • women's: 11
RegionGreat Lakes and East South Central
HeadquartersIndianapolis, Indiana
CommissionerTom Daeger[1] (since 2011)
Websiteg-macsports.com
Locations

History
Great Midwest Athletic Conference
Location of G-MAC members: full, affiliate, and future

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 20, 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 2018, 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 19th, 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.

On June 9th, 2020, Alderson Broaddus announced that they'll be leaving the Great Midwest Athletic Conference to join the Mountain East Conference for the 2020-21 school year.

Members

Current members
Institution Location Founded Type Enrollment Nickname Colors Joined
Cedarville University Cedarville, Ohio 1887 Private (Baptist) 4,160 Yellow Jackets     2012
University of Findlay Findlay, Ohio 1882 Private (Churches of God) 4,870 Oilers     2017
Hillsdale College Hillsdale, Michigan 1844 Private (Nonsectarian) 1,521 Chargers     2017
Kentucky Wesleyan College Owensboro, Kentucky 1858 Private (United Methodist) 830 Panthers     2012
Lake Erie College Painesville, Ohio 1856 Private (Nonsectarian) 1,177 Storm     2017
Malone University Canton, Ohio 1892 Private (Evangelical) 1,684 Pioneers     2016
Ohio Dominican University Columbus, Ohio 1911 Private (Catholic) 1,716 Panthers     2017
Ohio Valley University Vienna, West Virginia 1960 Private (Church of Christ) 509 Fighting Scots     2013
Tiffin University Tiffin, Ohio 1888 Private (Nonsectarian) 3,096 Dragons     2018
Trevecca Nazarene University Nashville, Tennessee 1901 Private (Nazarene) 3,927 Trojans     2012
Ursuline College Pepper Pike, Ohio 1871 Private (Catholic) 1,073 Arrows     2012
Walsh University North Canton, Ohio 1960 Private (Catholic) 2,779 Cavaliers     2017
  • Ursuline College — women's institution, does not field men's sports.

Affiliate members
Institution Location Founded Type Enrollment Nickname Colors Joined Sport Primary
Conference
Alderson Broaddus University Philippi, West Virginia 1871 Private (Baptist) 2,306 Battlers     2020[lower-alpha 1] lacrosse (M) Mountain East
Davis & Elkins College Elkins, West Virginia 1904 Private (Presbyterian) 837 Senators     2019[lower-alpha 2] lacrosse (M) Mountain East
Mercyhurst University Erie, Pennsylvania 1926 Private (Catholic) 2,705 Lakers     2016 lacrosse (M) Pennsylvania State
Seton Hill University Greensburg, Pennsylvania 1883 Private (Catholic) 2,080 Griffins     2016 lacrosse (M) Pennsylvania State
Wheeling University Wheeling, West Virginia 1954 Private (Catholic) 1,171 Cardinals     2017 lacrosse (M) Mountain East
  1. Alderson Broaddus was a full G-MAC member from 2013 to 2020.
  2. Davis & Elkins was a full G-MAC member from 2013 to 2019.

Future member
Institution Location
(Population)		 Founded Type Enrollment Joining Nickname Current
Conference		 Colors
Ashland University[16] Ashland, Ohio 1878 Private (Brethren) 6,626 2021 Eagles GLIAC          

Former members

School names and nicknames reflect those used during G-MAC membership.

Institution Location Founded Type Nickname Joined Left Current
Conference
Alderson Broaddus University Philippi, West Virginia 1871 Private (Baptist) Battlers 2013 2020[lower-alpha 1] Mountain East
Central State University Wilberforce, Ohio 1887 Public Marauders & Lady Marauders 2012 2015 Southern Intercollegiate
Davis & Elkins College Elkins, West Virginia 1904 Private (Presbyterian) Senators 2013 2019[lower-alpha 1] Mountain East
Salem International University[lower-alpha 2] Salem, West Virginia 1888 Private (For-profit) Tigers 2013 2016 Independent
Urbana University Urbana, Ohio 1850 Private (Nonsectarian) Blue Knights 2012 2013 Closed in 2020
University of Virginia's College at Wise Wise, Virginia 1954 Public Highland Cavaliers[lower-alpha 3] 2012 2013 South Atlantic
  1. Alderson Broaddus and Davis & Elkins maintain G-MAC membership in men's lacrosse.
  2. Known as Salem University since 2017.
  3. UVA–Wise dropped "Highland" from its athletic branding in 2017.

Membership timeline

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

Sports
SportMen'sWomen's
BaseballY
BasketballYY
Cross CountryYY
FootballY
GolfYY
LacrosseYY
SoccerYY
SoftballY
Swimming & DivingYY
TennisYY
Track & Field IndoorYY
Track & Field OutdoorYY
VolleyballY
WrestlingY

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.[17]

Men's sponsored sports by school
School Baseball Basketball Cross
Country		 Football Golf Lacrosse Soccer Swimming
& Diving		 Tennis Track
& Field
Indoor		 Track
& Field
Outdoor		 Wrestling † Total
GMAC
Sports
Alderson Broaddus 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 8
Lake Erie Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y 9
Malone Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y 9
Ohio Dominican Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y 8
Ohio Valley Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y 9
Tiffin Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y 10
Trevecca Nazarene Y Y Y Y Y Y Y 7
Walsh Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y 10
Totals 12 12 12 8 11 4 11 3 5 12 12 4 108
Affiliate Members
Davis & Elkins Y 10
Mercyhurst Y 1
Seton Hill Y 1
Wheeling Y 1
    • † — Emerging sport; teams currently compete in Independents

    Women's sponsored sports by school
    School Basketball Cross
    Country    		 Golf Lacrosse Soccer Softball Swimming
    & Diving    		 Tennis Track
    & Field
    Indoor    		 Track
    & Field
    Outdoor    		 Volleyball Total
    GMAC
    Sports
    Alderson Broaddus 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 8
    Malone Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y 9
    Ohio Dominican Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y 8
    Ohio Valley Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y 9
    Tiffin Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y 10
    Trevecca Nazarene Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y 8
    Ursuline Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y 11
    Walsh Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y 10
    Totals 13 13 10 7 12 13 5 8 13 13 13 120

    A divisional format is used for volleyball.

    East
    • Alderson Broaddus
    • Lake Erie
    • Malone
    • Ohio Valley
    • Ursuline
    • Walsh
    West
    • Cedarville
    • Findlay
    • Hillsdale
    • Kentucky Wesleyan
    • Ohio Dominican
    • Trevecca Nazarene

    Other sponsored sports by school
    School Men Women
    Sprint football[lower-alpha 1] Volleyball[lower-alpha 2] Bowling[lower-alpha 3] Field hockey
    Alderson Broaddus CSFL[lower-alpha 4] IND IND
    Kentucky Wesleyan IND
    Ursuline IND
    Walsh IND
    1. Not sanctioned by the NCAA.
    2. De facto Division I sport. The NCAA conducts a national championship tournament open to schools in Divisions I and II.
    3. De facto Division I sport. The NCAA conducts a national championship tournament open to schools in all three divisions.
    4. Collegiate Sprint Football League, the governing body for sprint football.

    Championships
    See also: Great Midwest Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Tournament

    References
    1. 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. "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. 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. 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. 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. G-MAC admits Cumberland for provisional membership. Great Midwest Athletic Conference. 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. "Ashland University To Join Great Midwest Athletic Conference In Summer Of 2021". Richland Source. 19 May 2020. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
    17. "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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