Frontier Conference

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Template:Short description Template:About Template:Infobox sports league

The Frontier Conference is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). The conference was founded in 1934. Member institutions are located in the U.S. states of Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota, with associate members in the states of Arizona, Idaho, and Oregon.

The Frontier Conference sponsors athletic competition in men's and women's basketball, men's and women's cross country, men's football, men's and women's indoor and outdoor track and field, and women's volleyball.

History

The Montana Small College Conference (MSCC) was established in 1934 by the five smaller schools (Montana Technological University, the University of Montana Western, Montana State University–Northern, Intermountain Union College and Billings Polytechnic Institute) in the state. The MSCC was renamed as the Montana Collegiate Conference (MCC) in 1936, with the additions of Montana State University Billings and Carroll College joining. The merger of Intermountain Union and Billings Poly to become Rocky Mountain College occurred in 1947. After nearly three decades, the conference reestablished itself under its current moniker in November 1966, containing the same six schools until 1974.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The University of Providence (then the College of Great Falls) joined that year, however would only stay for a decade. MSU Billings left for the first incarnation of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference in 1988, leaving the Frontier at five members for another decade. The conference opened up outside of Montana for the first time in 1998, with schools from Idaho (Lewis–Clark State College) and Utah (Westminster College) joining. Great Falls rejoined in 1999. Dickinson State University joined in 2012, only to leave in 2014 to join the North Star Athletic Association (NSAA). Westminster (Utah) left for the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division II ranks and rejoined the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) in 2015. Lewis–Clark State left for the Cascade Collegiate Conference as a full member in 2020.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Recent changes

On September 8, 2022, Arizona Christian University received an invitation to join the conference as an associate member for football, beginning the 2023 fall season of the 2023–24 academic year.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

On December 12, 2023, the Frontier Conference had offered an invitation to former member Dickinson State University;<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref> while on May 21, 2024, it extended additional invitations to Bellevue University, Dakota State University, Mayville State University and Valley City State University.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref> All five schools would come from the North Star Athletic Association, which announced it would be disbanding that year. This was followed up with an invitation to Bismarck State College, an institution transitioning to the NAIA from the junior college ranks, on October 24, 2024.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref> All of these invitations were effective beginning the 2025–26 academic year.

On May 30, 2024, Simpson University accepted an invitation to join the conference as an associate member for football, beginning the 2025 fall season of the 2025–26 academic year.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref>

Chronological timeline

Template:OSM Location map

Member schools

The Frontier Conference has 12 full members with football, 3 full members without football, and 5 football-only affiliate members. Bellevue, Bismarck State, and the University of Providence do not field football teams. Arizona Christian, College of Idaho, Eastern Oregon, Simpson, and Southern Oregon are the football-only affiliates.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Current members

The Frontier currently has twelve full members, four are private schools:

Institution Location Founded Affiliation Enrollment Nickname JoinedTemplate:Efn
Bellevue University Bellevue, Nebraska 1966 Nonsectarian 14,476 Bruins 2025
Bismarck State College Bismarck, North Dakota 1939 PublicTemplate:Efn 4,065 Mystics 2025
Carroll College Helena, Montana 1909 Catholic
Template:Small 		1,103 Fighting Saints 1935
Dakota State University Madison, South Dakota 1881 Public 3,508 Trojans 2025
Dickinson State University Dickinson, North Dakota 1918 PublicTemplate:Efn 1,453 Blue Hawks 2012;
2025Template:Efn
Mayville State University Mayville, North Dakota 1889 PublicTemplate:Efn 1,025 Comets 2025
Montana State University–Northern Havre, Montana 1929 PublicTemplate:Efn 1,021 Lights &
Skylights 		1935
Montana Technological University Butte, Montana 1889 PublicTemplate:Efn 1,622 Orediggers 1934
Template:Sort Dillon, Montana 1893 PublicTemplate:Efn 1,458 Bulldogs 1934
Template:SortTemplate:Efn Great Falls, Montana 1932 Catholic
Template:Small 		677 Argonauts 1974;
1999Template:Efn
Rocky Mountain CollegeTemplate:Efn Billings, Montana 1878 variousTemplate:Efn 991 Battlin' Bears 1947
Valley City State University Valley City, North Dakota 1890 PublicTemplate:Efn 1,754 Vikings 2025
Notes

Template:Notelist

Affiliate members

The Frontier currently has five affiliate members, three of them are private schools:

Institution Location Founded Affiliation Enrollment Nickname JoinedTemplate:Efn Frontier
sport 		Primary
conference
Arizona Christian University Glendale, Arizona 1960 Nondenominational 1,233 Firestorm 2023 Football Great Southwest (GSAC)
Template:Sort Caldwell, Idaho 1891 Presbyterian
Template:Small 		1,076 Coyotes 2014 Cascade (CCC)
Eastern Oregon University La Grande, Oregon 1929 Public 2,798 Mountaineers 2008
Simpson University Redding, California 1921 Christian &
Missionary Alliance 		907 Red Hawks 2025 California Pacific (CalPac)
Southern Oregon University Ashland, Oregon 1872 Public 5,371 Raiders 2012 Cascade (CCC)
Notes

Template:Notelist

Notes

Template:Notelist

Former members

The Frontier had three former full members, only one was a private school:

Institution Location Founded Affiliation Enrollment Nickname JoinedTemplate:Efn LeftTemplate:Efn Subsequent
conference(s) 		Current
conference
Lewis–Clark State College Lewiston, Idaho 1893 Public 3,706 Warriors &
Lady Warriors 		1998 2020 Cascade (CCC)
(2020–present)
Eastern Montana CollegeTemplate:Efn Billings, Montana 1927 4,092 Yellowjackets 1933 1980 variousTemplate:Efn Great Northwest (GNAC)Template:Efn
(2007–present)
Westminster CollegeTemplate:Efn Salt Lake City, Utah 1875 Nonsectarian 1,214 Griffins 1998 2015 Rocky Mountain (RMAC)Template:Efn
(2015–present)
Notes

Template:Notelist

Membership timeline

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         id:bg value:white
         id:Full value:rgb(0.7,0.9,0.8) # Use this color to denote a team that is a member in all sports
         id:FullxF value:rgb(0.9,0.8,0.7) # Use this color to denote a team that is a member in all sports except for football
         id:AssocF value:rgb(0.9,0.7,0.8) # Use this color to denote a team that is a member for football only
         id:AssocOS value:rgb(0.8,0.9,0.7) # Use this color to denote a team that is a member for another sport only
         id:OtherC1 value:rgb(0.996,0.996,0.699) # Use this color to denote a team that has moved in another conference
         id:OtherC2 value:rgb(0.988,0.703,0.383) # Use this color to denote a team that has moved in another conference when the other color has already been used

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width:15 textcolor:black shift:(5,-5) anchor:from fontsize:s

bar:1 color:FullxF from:1933 till:1934 text:Billings Poly (1933–47)
bar:1 color:Full from:1934 till:1947

bar:2 color:FullxF from:1933 till:1934 text:Intemountain Union (1933–47)
bar:2 color:Full from:1934 till:1947

bar:3 color:FullxF from:1933 till:1934 text:Eastern Montana (1933–80) 
bar:3 color:Full from:1934 till:1979
bar:3 color:FullxF from:1979 till:1980

bar:4 color:FullxF from:1933 till:1934 text:Montana Mines (1933–65)
bar:4 color:Full from:1934 till:1965
bar:4 color:Full from:1965 till:end text:Montana Tech (1965–present)

bar:5 color:FullxF from:1933 till:1934 text:Montana Normal (1933–49)
bar:5 color:Full from:1934 till:1949
bar:5 color:Full from:1949 till:2001 text:Western Montana (1949–2001)
bar:5 color:Full from:2001 till:end text:Montana–Western (2001–present)

bar:6 color:Full from:1935 till:end text:Carroll (MT) (1935–present)

bar:7 color:Full from:1935 till:1972 text:Northern Montana (1935–94) 
bar:7 color:FullxF from:1972 till:1994
bar:7 color:FullxF from:1994 till:1999 text:Montana State–Northern (1994–present) 
bar:7 color:Full from:1999 till:end

bar:8 color:Full from:1947 till:end text:Rocky Mountain (1947–present)

bar:9 color:FullxF from:1974 till:1984 text:Great Falls (1974–84, 1999–2017)
bar:9 color:FullxF from:1999 till:2017
bar:9 color:FullxF from:2017 till:end text:Univ. of Providence (2017–present)

bar:10 color:FullxF from:1998 till:2020 text:Lewis–Clark State (1998–2020)

bar:11 color:FullxF from:1998 till:2015 text:Westminster (UT) (1998–2015)

bar:12 color:AssocF from:2008 till:end text:Eastern Oregon (2008–present)

bar:13 color:Full from:2012 till:2014 text:Dickinson State (2012–14, 2025–present)
bar:13 color:Full from:2025 till:end 

bar:14 color:AssocF from:2012 till:end text:Southern Oregon (2012–present)

bar:15 color:AssocF from:2014 till:end text:College of Idaho (2014–present)

bar:16 color:AssocF from:2023 till:end text:Arizona Christian (2023–present)

bar:17 color:FullxF from:2025 till:end text:Bellevue (2025–present)

bar:18 color:FullxF from:2025 till:2027 text:Bismarck State (2025–present)
bar:18 color:Full from:2027 till:end

bar:19 color:Full from:2025 till:end text:Dakota State (2025–present)

bar:20 color:Full from:2025 till:end text:Mayville State (2025–present)

bar:21 color:Full from:2025 till:end text:Valley City State (2025–present)

bar:22 color:AssocF from:2025 till:end text:Simpson (2025–present)

bar:N color:powderblue from:1933 till:1936 text:MSCC
bar:N shift:(20) color:red from:1936 till:1966 text:Montana Collegiate Conference
bar:N color:powderblue from:1966 till:end text:Frontier Conference

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Template:Font color Template:Font color Template:Font color <# </timeline>

Template:Font color Template:Font color Template:Font color

National championships

Basketball

Montana Western won the NAIA national title in Division I Women's basketball, in 2019.

Rocky Mountain won the national title in men's basketball, NAIA Division I, in 2009.

Montana State-Northern won the national title in women's basketball, NAIA Division II, in 1993.

Carroll reached the semi-finals in men's basketball in 2005, as did Lewis-Clark State in women's basketball in 2001.

University of Providence reached finals in women's basketball in 2024, Providence defeated Carroll College in the semi finals.This marked the first time two Frontier teams meet in the national tournament.

Football

Carroll has won the NAIA national championship six times: four straight, from 2002 to 2005, also in 2007 and 2010, and has been runner-up twice.

Southern Oregon won the NAIA national championship in the 2014 season.

Montana Tech was the national runner-up in 1996.

Wrestling

Montana State-Northern has won six wrestling titles: 1991, 1992, 1998-2000, 2004, and was runner-up in 1990, 1993, and 2002.

Montana Western was co-champion in 1994.

In 2014, the University of Great Falls was second and Montana State-Northern took third at the NAIA national wrestling championship.

Bowling

College of Great Falls (now University of Providence) was the 1973 Men's NAIA National Bowling Champion.

Conference champions

Football

By team
Team Conference Division
Titles Last
title 		Titles Last
title
Template:LeftCarroll 39 2022 0 N/A
Template:LeftMontana Western 21 2024 0 N/A
Template:LeftMontana Tech 15 2016 1 2025
Template:LeftRocky Mountain 11 2021 0 N/A
Template:LeftMSU Billings 11 1975 0 N/A
Template:LeftCollege of Idaho 4 2022 1 2025
Template:LeftSouthern Oregon 2 2017 0 N/A
Template:LeftEastern Oregon 1 2020 0 N/A
By year

Template:Col-start Template:Col-break

Year Team
1935 Montana Western
1936 Montana Tech
Montana Western
1937 Rocky Mountain
1938 Rocky Mountain
1939 Montana Tech
1940 Caroll
1941 Caroll
1942 No games, WWII
1943 No games, WWII
1944 No games, WWII
1945 No games, WWII
1946 Montana Western
1947 Montana Western
1948 MSU Billings
1949 Montana Western
1950 Carroll
1951 Carroll
1952 Carroll
1953 Carroll
1954 Carroll
1955 Rocky Mountain
1956 Rocky Mountain
1957 MSU Billings
1958 MSU Billings
1959 Carroll
MSU Billings
1960 MSU Billings
Rocky Mountain

Template:Col-break

Year Team
1961 Montana Western
1962 Montana Western
1963 Montana Western
1964 MSU Billings
1965 MSU Billings
1966 MSU Billings
1967 Montana Western
1968 MSU Billings
1969 Montana Western
1970 Montana Tech
1971 MSU Billings
1972 Carroll
Montana Tech
1973 Carroll
1974 Carroll
1975 MSU Billings
1976 Carroll
1977 Montana Western
1978 Carroll
1979 Montana Tech
1980 Carroll
Montana Western
1981 Carroll
1982 Carroll
Montana Western
1983 Montana Tech
1984 Rocky Mountain
1985 Carroll

Template:Col-break

Year Team
1986 Carroll
1987 Carroll
1988 Carroll
1989 Carroll
1990 Carroll
1991 Rocky Mountain
1992 Montana Tech
1993 Carroll
Montana Western
1994 Montana Western
1995 Montana Western
1996 Montana Tech
1997 Montana Tech
1998 Rocky Mountain
1999 Rocky Mountain
2000 Carroll
2001 Carroll
2002 Carroll
Montana Western
2003 Carroll
2004 Carroll
Montana Tech
Montana Western
2005 Carroll
2006 Carroll
2007 Carroll
2008 Carroll
2009 Carroll
2010 Carroll

Template:Col-break

Year Team
2011 Carroll
2012 Montana Tech
Southern Oregon
2013 Carroll
2014 Carroll
2015 Montana Tech
2016 Montana Tech
2017 Southern Oregon
2018 Rocky Mountain
2019 College of Idaho
2020 Carroll
College of Idaho
Eastern Oregon
2021 College of Idaho
Montana Western
Rocky Mountain
2022 Carroll
College of Idaho
2023 Montana Western
2024 Montana Western

Template:Col-end <ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Men's basketball

Frontier championships won per school
School Conference Tournament
Titles Last
Title 		Titles Last
Title
Template:LeftMontana Western 22 2017–18 3 1991
Template:LeftCarroll 20 2021–22 8 2018
Template:LeftMSU Billings 15 1979–80 3 1980
Template:LeftRocky Mountain 14 2013–14 7 2014
Template:LeftMontana Tech 10 2024–25 11 2025
Template:LeftLewis–Clark State 8 2019–20 9 2020
Template:LeftWestminster 7 2009–10 2 2010
Template:LeftMontana State–Northern 5 2011–12 4 2012
Template:LeftProvidence 4 2020–21 3 2021

<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Women's basketball

Frontier championships won per school
School Conference Tournament
Titles Last
Title 		Titles Last
Title
Template:LeftMontana State–Northern 15 1998–99 14 1999
Template:LeftCarroll 8 2023–24 6 2023
Template:LeftLewis–Clark State 7 2016–17 8 2017
Template:LeftWestminster 7 2014–15 3 2015
Template:LeftMontana Western 4 2018–19 5 2006
Template:LeftRocky Mountain 4 2024–25 3 2022
Template:LeftProvidence 3 2021–22 4 2025
Template:LeftMontana Tech 2 1982–83 1 1983
Template:LeftMSU Billings 2 1977–78 0 N/A

<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Volleyball

Frontier championships won per school
School Conference Tournament
Titles Last
Title 		Titles Last
Title
Template:LeftCarroll 15 2016 13 2016
Template:LeftMontana Tech 12 2023 6 2017
Template:LeftLewis–Clark State 9 2012 6 2010
Template:LeftProvidence 6 2025 5 2024
Template:LeftRocky Mountain 5 2018 7 2022
Template:LeftMontana State–Northern 5 2013 3 1991
Template:LeftMontana Western 3 2002 2 2023
Template:LeftWestminster 1 2005 1 2005
Template:LeftMSU Billings 1 1977 1 1977

<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

See also

References

Template:Reflist

Template:Ccat

Template:Frontier Conference navbox Template:NAIA conference navbox

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