Northwest Conference

The Northwest Conference (NWC) is an athletic conference which competes in the NCAA's Division III. Member teams are located in the states of Oregon and Washington.

For other uses, see Northwest Conference (disambiguation).
Northwest Conference
NWC
Established1926
AssociationNCAA
DivisionDivision III
Members9
Sports fielded
  • 20
    • men's: 9
    • women's: 11
RegionPacific Northwest
HeadquartersForest Grove, Oregon
CommissionerKimberly Wenger
Websitenwcsports.com

History
Griswold Stadium at Lewis & Clark
McCulloch Stadium at Willamette

The NWC was formed in 1926, making it one of the oldest continuously existing athletics conferences in the western United States. For 60 years, the Northwest Conference sponsored sports exclusively for men, but in 1984 it joined with the Women's Conference of Independent Colleges to become the Northwest Conference of Independent Colleges, shortening the name to its current moniker in 1996 when it joined the NCAA.

The charter members included Willamette University, Pacific University, Whitman College, the College of Puget Sound (now the University of Puget Sound), Linfield College and the College of Idaho. In 1931, Albany College joined, left in 1938, and re-joined in 1949 using its present name of Lewis & Clark College. Pacific Lutheran University was added in 1965, and Whitworth University in 1970. In 1978, the College of Idaho dropped out of the conference. Whitworth also left in 1984, but then returned in 1988. In 1996, George Fox University joined when the conference moved to the NCAA and Puget Sound re-joined in that same year since 1948. From 2006 to 2010, Menlo College was also a part of the conference as an associate member in football.

The College of Idaho dropped out in 1978 and is now a member of the NAIA's Cascade Collegiate Conference. Whitworth left the NWC in 1984 but returned in 1988. George Fox University and Seattle University joined the conference in 1997. Seattle dropped out again in 1999 to become members of NCAA Division II.[1] Menlo College joined the conference in 2005 as a football-only member.

Member schools

Current members

The league currently has 9 full members:

Institution Location Nickname Founded Type Enrollment Joined
George Fox University Newberg, Oregon Bruins 1885 Private/Quaker 4,140[2] 1996
Lewis & Clark College Portland, Oregon Pioneers 1867 Private/Non-sectarian 3,433 1931,
19491
Linfield College McMinnville, Oregon Wildcats 1849 Private/Baptist 2,664[3] 1926
Pacific University Forest Grove, Oregon Boxers 1849 Private/United Church of Christ 3,302[4] 1926
Pacific Lutheran University Parkland, Washington Lutes 1890 Private/Lutheran 3,461[5] 1965
University of Puget Sound Tacoma, Washington Loggers 1888 Private/Non-sectarian 2,600[6] 1926,
19962
Whitman College Walla Walla, Washington Blues 1859 Private/Non-sectarian 1,475[7] 1926
Whitworth University Spokane, Washington Pirates 1890 Private/Presbyterian 2,886[8] 1970,
19883
Willamette University Salem, Oregon Bearcats 1842 Private/Non-sectarian 2,815[9] 1926
Notes
  1. - Lewis & Clark left the NWC after the 1937–38 season, and later re-joined back in the 1949–50 season.
  2. - Puget Sound left the NWC after the 1947–48 season, and later re-joined back in the 1996–97 season.
  3. - Whitworth left the NWC after the 1983–84 season, and later re-joined back in the 1988–89 season.

Former members
Institution Location Nickname Founded Type Joined Left Current
conference
College of Idaho Caldwell, Idaho Yotes 1891 Private/Non-sectarian 1926 1978 Cascade
(NAIA)
Seattle University Seattle, Washington Redhawks 1891 Private/Jesuit 1997 1999 WAC
(NCAA Division I)

Former associate members
Institution Location Nickname Founded Type Joined Left Current
conference		 NWC sport
Menlo College† Atherton, California Oaks 1927 Private/Non-sectarian 2006 2010 GSAC
(NAIA)		 football

Membership timeline
Menlo CollegeSeattle UniversityGeorge Fox UniversityWhitworth UniversityPacific Lutheran UniversityLewis %26 Clark CollegeWillamette UniversityWhitman CollegeUniversity of Puget SoundPacific UniversityLinfield CollegeCollege of Idaho

Sports sponsored
See also: Northwest Conference Men's Basketball Tournament

The Northwest Conference sponsors championships in baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis, track and field, and volleyball.

All Sports Trophy

Each year the NWC awards one of its member institutions the NWC All Sports Trophy. In each sport the Conference Champion is awarded 18 points, second place is awarded 16 points, and so on. The school with the most points at the conclusion of the academic year wins the trophy. Football, women's volleyball, men's and women's cross country, men's and women's soccer, men's and women's swimming, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's tennis, men's and women's golf, men's baseball, women's softball, and men's and women's track and field are the 18 sports in which points are awarded.

Most recently, Whitworth won the NWC All Sports Trophy for 2017-18, their twelfth overall and eleventh in a row. Pacific Lutheran has won the award 15 times, more than any other school. Linfield has won the trophy three times while Puget Sound has won it twice.[10]

National championships
Year Sport Institution Location Association/Division
2018 Women's Track & Field George Fox La Crosse, Wisconsin NCAA Division III (Co-Champions with UMass Boston)
2013 Baseball Linfield Appleton, Wisconsin NCAA Division III
2012 Softball Pacific Lutheran Salem, Virginia NCAA Division III
2011 Softball Linfield Salem, Virginia NCAA Division III
2009 Women's Basketball George Fox Holland, Michigan NCAA Division III
2007 Softball Linfield Salem, Virginia NCAA Division III
2004 Football Linfield Salem, Virginia NCAA Division III
2004 Baseball George Fox Appleton, Wisconsin NCAA Division III
1999 Football Pacific Lutheran Salem, Virginia NCAA Division III
1999 Women's Swimming Puget Sound Federal Way, Washington NAIA
1998 Women's Swimming Puget Sound Federal Way, Washington NAIA
1997 Men's Soccer Seattle Birmingham, Alabama NAIA
1997 Men's Swimming Puget Sound Federal Way, Washington NAIA
1996 Men's Swimming Puget Sound San Antonio, Texas NAIA
1996 Women's Swimming Puget Sound San Antonio, Texas NAIA
1995 Men's Swimming Puget Sound San Antonio, Texas NAIA
1995 Women's Cross Country Puget Sound Kenosha, Wisconsin NAIA
1994 Women's Cross Country Puget Sound Kenosha, Wisconsin NAIA
1993 Football Pacific Lutheran Portland, Oregon NAIA Division II
1993 Women's Cross Country Puget Sound Kenosha, Wisconsin NAIA
1993 Volleyball Puget Sound San Diego, California NAIA
1993 Men's Basketball Willamette Nampa, Idaho NAIA Division II
1992 Women's Cross Country Puget Sound Kenosha, Wisconsin NAIA
1992 Softball Pacific Lutheran Pensacola, Florida NAIA
1991 Women's Soccer Pacific Lutheran Boca Raton, Florida NAIA
1990 Women's Swimming Puget Sound Canton, Ohio NAIA
1989 Women's Soccer Pacific Lutheran Due West, South Carolina NAIA
1989 Women's Swimming Puget Sound Brown Deer, Wisconsin NAIA
1988 Women's Cross Country Pacific Lutheran Kenosha, Wisconsin NAIA
1988 Women's Soccer Pacific Lutheran Abilene, Texas NAIA
1988 Softball Pacific Lutheran Pensacola, Florida NAIA
1987 Football Pacific Lutheran Tacoma, Washington NAIA Division II
1986 Football Linfield McMinnville, Oregon NAIA Division II
1984 Football Linfield McMinnville, Oregon NAIA Division II
1982 Football Linfield McMinnville, Oregon NAIA Division II
1980 Football Pacific Lutheran Tacoma, Washington NAIA Division II
1971 Baseball Linfield Phoenix, Arizona NAIA
1966 Baseball Linfield St. Joseph, Missouri NAIA
1960 Baseball Whitworth† Sioux City, Iowa NAIA

† - Whitworth was not a member of the NWC until 1970.

Football champions

References
  1. http://static.psbin.com/4/6/wfos4lctbf4dq3/NorthwestConferenceHistory.pdf
  2. "About George Fox". Retrieved 23 May 2019.
  3. "About Linfield: Facts and Figures". Retrieved 29 May 2012.
  4. "Pacific University Facts". Retrieved 29 May 2012.
  5. "About PLU: Quick Facts". Retrieved 29 May 2012.
  6. "Puget Sound Facts and Figures". Archived from the original on 28 May 2012. Retrieved 29 May 2012.
  7. "Whitman College Fast Facts". Archived from the original on 13 October 2009. Retrieved 29 May 2012.
  8. "About Whitworth University". Retrieved 29 May 2012.
  9. "About Willamette: Quick Facts". Retrieved 29 May 2012.
  10. "Whitworth Wins Fifth Straight All-Sports Trophy". NWC. Retrieved 21 May 2012.
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