Midwest Conference

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Template:Short description Template:More citations needed Template:Infobox sports league

The Midwest Conference (MWC) is an intercollegiate athletic conference affiliated with the NCAA's Division III. Member institutions are located in the Midwestern United States in the states of Illinois, Iowa, and Wisconsin. The Midwest Conference was created in 1994 with the merger of the Midwest Collegiate Athletic Conference, which had been sponsoring men's sports since 1921, and the Midwest Athletic Conference for Women, which was formed in 1977.

History

Template:OSM Location map

The organization of the Midwest Collegiate Athletic Conference (MCAC) was conceived at a meeting at Coe College on May 12, 1921. Charter members were Beloit College, Carleton College, Coe College, Cornell College, Knox College (Illinois) and Lawrence University. Hamline University and Millikin University joined the league in December 1921, but both of them later withdrew: Hamline after the 1929–30 academic year, and Millikin after the 1924–25 academic year.

Ripon College joined the conference in 1923, followed by Monmouth College in 1924, Grinnell College in 1940 and Lake Forest College in 1974. Illinois College and St. Norbert College joined in 1982 and Carroll University followed in 1992. Carleton withdrew following the 1982–83 academic year. St. Olaf College also competed in the conference from 1952 to 1974, as did the University of Chicago from 1976 to 1987. Coe and Cornell withdrew following the 1996–97 academic year with Cornell rejoining the league starting in the 2012–13 year. Macalester College joined as a football-only member starting in 2014. The University of Chicago returned as a football-only member in 2017, and added baseball to its conference membership in the 2019 season (2018–19 school year).

The MWC split into North and South divisions for football, men's and women's tennis, baseball, and softball from 2012 through 2016. Divisional play ended with the departure of Carroll after the 2015–16 school year,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and resumed for football only with the addition of the University of Chicago as an affiliate member for the 2017–18 season.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> St. Norbert left in 2021 for the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref>

On March 11, 2025, the Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSoE) announced that it would join the MWC as an affiliate member for men's and women's swimming & diving, beginning the 2025–26 winter season.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref>

Chronological timeline

  • 1921 – The Midwest Conference (MWC) was founded as the Midwest Collegiate Athletic Conference (MCAC). Charter members included Beloit College, Carleton College, Coe College, Cornell College, Knox College and Lawrence College (now Lawrence University), beginning the 1921–22 academic year.
  • 1922 – Hamline University and Millikin College (now Millikin University) joined the MCAC in the 1922–23 academic year.
  • 1923 – Ripon College joined the MCAC in the 1923–24 academic year.
  • 1924 – Monmouth College joined the MCAC in the 1924–25 academic year.
  • 1925 – Millikin left the MCAC after the 1924–25 academic year.
  • 1930 – Hamline left the MCAC to fully align with the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) after the 1929–30 academic year.
  • 1940 – Grinnell College joined the MCAC in the 1940–41 academic year.
  • 1941 – Carleton left the MCAC after the 1940–41 academic year; as the school withdrew from the conference in June 1941.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
  • 1945 – Carleton rejoined the MCAC during the 1946 spring season of the 1945–46 academic year; specifically for track & field.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
  • 1952 – St. Olaf College joined the MCAC in the 1952–53 academic year.
  • 1974:
    • St. Olaf left the MCAC after the 1973–74 academic year.
    • Lake Forest College joined the MCAC in the 1974–75 academic year.
  • 1976 – The University of Chicago joined the MCAC in the 1976–77 academic year.
  • 1982 – Illinois College and St. Norbert College joined the MCAC in the 1982–83 academic year.
  • 1983 – Carleton left the MCAC to rejoin the MIAC after the 1982–83 academic year.
  • 1987 – U. of Chicago left the MCAC to join the University Athletic Association (UAA) after the 1986–87 academic year.
  • 1992 – Carroll College (now Carroll University) joined the MCAC in the 1992–93 academic year.
  • 1994 – The MCAC has rebranded when the conference merged with the women's-only Midwest Athletic Conference for Women (MACW; founded since the 1977–78 school year) to become the Midwest Conference (MWC), effective beginning the 1994–95 academic year.
  • 1997 – Coe and Cornell left the MWC to join the Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (now the American Rivers Conference [A-R-C]) after the 1996–97 academic year.
  • 2012 – Cornell rejoined the MWC in the 2012–13 academic year.
  • 2014 – Macalester College joined the MWC as an affiliate member for football in the 2014 fall season (2014–15 academic year).
  • 2016 – Carroll left the MWC to join the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) after the 2015–16 academic year.
  • 2017 – The University of Chicago rejoined the MWC, but as an affiliate member for football in the 2017 fall season (2017–18 academic year).
  • 2018 – U. of Chicago added baseball into its MWC affiliate membership in the 2019 spring season (2018–19 academic year).
  • 2021:
    • St. Norbert left the MWC as a full member to join the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC) after the 2020–21 academic year. St. Norbert would remain as an affiliate member for men's and women's swimming & diving.
    • Macalester left the MWC as an affiliate member for football after the 2020 fall season (2020–21 academic year).
  • 2024 – U. of Chicago left the MWC as an affiliate member for baseball after the 2024 spring season (2023–24 academic year).
  • 2025 – The Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSoE) joined the MWC as an affiliate member for men's and women's swimming & diving in the 2025–26 academic year.
  • 2026 – Luther College will join the MWC, beginning the 2026–27 academic year.

Member schools

Every member in the history of the MWC and its predecessor conferences, whether full, affiliate, current, or former, has been a private school.

Current members

Former Midwest Conference until spring 2022

The MWC currently has nine full members.

Institution Location Founded Affiliation Enrollment Nickname JoinedTemplate:Efn Colors
Beloit College Beloit, Wisconsin 1846 Nonsectarian 1,358 Buccaneers 1921 Template:Color box Template:Color box
College Blue & Vegas Gold
Cornell College Mount Vernon, Iowa 1853 United Methodist 1,176 Rams 1921,
2012Template:Efn 		Template:Color box Template:Color box
Purple & White
Grinnell College Grinnell, Iowa 1846 Nonsectarian 1,638 Pioneers 1940 Template:Color box Template:Color box
Scarlet & Black
Illinois College Jacksonville, Illinois 1829 UCC & PCUSA 1,029 Blueboys &
Lady Blues 		1982 Template:Color box Template:Color box Template:Color box
Blue & Grey & White
Knox College Galesburg, Illinois 1837 Nonsectarian 1,058 Prairie Fire 1921 Template:Color box Template:Color box
Purple & Gold
Lake Forest College Lake Forest, Illinois 1857 Nonsectarian 1,395 Foresters 1974 Template:Color box Template:Color box
Red & Black
Lawrence University Appleton, Wisconsin 1847 Nonsectarian 1,489 Vikings 1921 Template:Color box Template:Color box Template:Color box
Blue & Grey & White
Monmouth College Monmouth, Illinois 1853 Presbyterian
Template:Small 		767 Fighting Scots 1924 Template:Color box Template:Color box
Red & White
Ripon College Ripon, Wisconsin 1851 Nonsectarian 766 Red Hawks 1923 Template:Color box Template:Color box
Red & White
Notes

Template:Notelist

Future member

The MWC will have one future member.

Institution Location Founded Affiliation Enrollment Nickname JoiningTemplate:Efn Colors Current
conference
Luther College Decorah, Iowa 1861 Lutheran ELCA 2,573 Norse 2026 Template:Color box Template:Color box
Blue & white 		American Rivers (A-R-C)
Notes

Template:Notelist

Affiliate members

The MWC currently has three affiliate members.

Institution Location Founded Affiliation Enrollment Nickname JoinedTemplate:Efn MWC
sport(s) 		Primary
conference
Template:SortTemplate:EfnTemplate:Efn Chicago, Illinois 1890 Nonsectarian 13,400 Maroons 2017 Football University (UAA)
Milwaukee School of Engineering Milwaukee, Wisconsin 1903 Nonsectarian 2,122 Raiders 2025 Men's swimming & diving Northern (NACC)
2025 Women's swimming & diving
Template:SortTemplate:Efn De Pere, Wisconsin 1898 Catholic
Template:Small 		2,095 Green Knights 2021 Men's swimming & diving Northern (NACC)
2021 Women's swimming & diving
Notes

Template:Notelist

Former members

The MWC had eight former full members.

Institution Location Founded Affiliation Enrollment Nickname JoinedTemplate:Efn LeftTemplate:Efn Current
conference
Carleton College Northfield, Minnesota 1866 Nonsectarian 2,105 Knights 1921;
1946 		1941;
1983 		Minnesota (MIAC)
Carroll University Waukesha, Wisconsin 1846 Presbyterian (PCUSA) 2,789 Pioneers 1992 2016 Illinois–Wisconsin (CCIW)
Template:SortTemplate:Efn Chicago, Illinois 1890 Nonsectarian 7,559 Maroons 1976 1987 University (UAA)
Coe College Cedar Rapids, Iowa 1851 Presbyterian (PCUSA) 1,355 Kohawks 1921 1997 American Rivers (ARC)
Hamline University St. Paul, Minnesota 1854 United Methodist 1,944 Pipers 1922 1930 Minnesota (MIAC)
Millikin University Decatur, Illinois 1901 Presbyterian (PCUSA) 2,200 Big Blue 1922 1925 Illinois–Wisconsin (CCIW)
Template:SortTemplate:Efn De Pere, Wisconsin 1898 Catholic
Template:Small 		2,095 Green Knights 1982 2021 Northern (NACC)
Template:Sort Northfield, Minnesota 1874 Lutheran ELCA 2,900 Oles 1955 1974 Minnesota (MIAC)
Notes

Template:Notelist

Former affiliate members

The MWC had two former affiliate members.

Institution Location Founded Affiliation Enrollment Nickname JoinedTemplate:Efn LeftTemplate:Efn MWC
sport 		Primary
conference
Template:SortTemplate:EfnTemplate:Efn Chicago, Illinois 1890 Nonsectarian 13,400 Maroons 2018 2024 Baseball University (UAA)
Macalester College Saint Paul, Minnesota 1874 Presybterian
Template:Small 		2,221 Scots 2014 2021 Football Minnesota (MIAC)
Notes

Template:Notelist

Membership timeline

<timeline> DateFormat = yyyy ImageSize = width:900 height:auto barincrement:20 Period = from:1921 till:2031 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal PlotArea = right:5 left:5 bottom:40 top:5

Colors = 

         id:line value:black
         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

PlotData= 

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

 bar:1  color:FullxF from:1921 till:1922  text:Beloit (1921–present)
 bar:1  color:Full from:1922 till:1951 
 bar:1  color:FullxF from:1951 till:1959 
 bar:1  color:Full from:1959 till:end

 bar:2  color:FullxF from:1921 till:1922  text:Carleton (1921–1941)
 bar:2  color:Full from:1922 till:1941
 bar:2  color:Full from:1946 till:1983  text:(1946–1983)

 bar:3  color:FullxF from:1921 till:1922  text:Coe (1921–1997)
 bar:3  color:Full from:1922 till:1997

 bar:4  color:FullxF from:1921 till:1922  text:Cornell (Ia.) (1921–1997)
 bar:4  color:Full from:1922 till:1997 
 bar:4  color:Full from:2012 till:end  text:(2012–present)

 bar:5  color:FullxF from:1921 till:1922  text:Knox (Ill.) (1921–present)
 bar:5  color:Full from:1922 till:end

 bar:6  color:FullxF from:1921 till:1922  text:Lawrence (1921–present)
 bar:6  color:Full from:1922 till:end

 bar:7  color:Full from:1922 till:1930  text:Hamline (1922–1930)

 bar:8  color:Full from:1922 till:1925  text:Millikin (1922–1925)

 bar:9  color:Full from:1923 till:end  text:Ripon (Wisc.) (1923–present)

 bar:10  color:Full from:1924 till:1974  text:Monmouth (Ill.) (1924–present)
 bar:10  color:FullxF from:1974 till:1976 
 bar:10  color:Full from:1976 till:end

 bar:11  color:Full from:1940 till:end  text:Grinnell (1940–present)

 bar:12  color:Full from:1952 till:1974  text:St. Olaf (1952–1974)

 bar:13  color:Full from:1974 till:end  text:Lake Forest (1974–present)

 bar:14 color:Full from:1976 till:1987  text:Chicago (1976–1987)
 bar:14 color:AssocF from:2017 till:end text:(2017–present)

 bar:15  color:FullxF from:1982 till:1983  text:Illinois College (1982–present)
 bar:15  color:Full from:1983 till:end

 bar:16  color:FullxF from:1982 till:1983  text:St. Norbert (1982–present)
 bar:16  color:Full from:1983 till:1998 
 bar:16  color:FullxF from:1998 till:1999 
 bar:16  color:Full from:1999 till:2021
 bar:16  color:AssocOS from:2021 till:end

 bar:17  color:Full from:1992 till:2016 text:Carroll (Wisc.) (1992–2016)

 bar:18  color:AssocF from:2014 till:2021 text:Macalester (2014–2021)

 bar:19  shift:(-60) color:AssocOS from:2025 till:end  text:MSOE (2025–present)

 bar:20  shift:(-60) color:Full from:2026 till:end  text:Luther (2026–future)

 bar:N color:powderblue from:1921 till:1994  text:Midwest Collegiate Athletic Conference (MCAC)
 bar:N color:blue from:1994 till:end  text:Midwest Conference

ScaleMajor = gridcolor:line unit:year increment:5 start:1921

TextData = 

fontsize:M
textcolor:black
pos:(0,20) tabs:(400-center)
text:^"Midwest Conference membership history"
  1. > If the chart uses more than one bar color, add a legend by selecting the appropriate fields from the following three options (use only the colors that are used in the graphic.) Leave a blank line after the end of the timeline, then add a line with the selected values from the list, separated by a space.

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

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

Sports

Conference sports
Sport Men's Women's
Baseball Template:Center
Basketball Template:Center Template:Center
Cross Country Template:Center Template:Center
Football Template:Center
Soccer Template:Center Template:Center
Softball Template:Center
Swimming & Diving Template:Center Template:Center
Tennis Template:Center Template:Center
Track & Field (Indoor) Template:Center Template:Center
Track & Field (Outdoor) Template:Center Template:Center
Volleyball Template:Center

Men's Sports

School Baseball Basketball Cross Country Football Soccer Swimming & Diving Tennis Track & Field (Indoor) Track & Field (Outdoor) Total Midwest Sports
Beloit Template:Aye Template:Aye Template:Aye Template:Aye Template:Aye Template:Aye Template:Nay Template:Aye Template:Aye 8
Cornell Template:Aye Template:Aye Template:Aye Template:Aye Template:Aye Template:Nay Template:Aye Template:Aye Template:Aye 8
Grinnell Template:Aye Template:Aye Template:Aye Template:Aye Template:Aye Template:Aye Template:Aye Template:Aye Template:Aye 9
Illinois College Template:Aye Template:Aye Template:Aye Template:Aye Template:Aye Template:AyeTemplate:Efn Template:Aye Template:Aye Template:Aye 9
Knox Template:Aye Template:Aye Template:Aye Template:Aye Template:Aye Template:Nay Template:Nay Template:Aye Template:Aye 7
Lake Forest Template:Nay Template:Aye Template:Aye Template:Aye Template:Aye Template:Aye Template:Aye Template:Aye Template:Aye 8
Lawrence Template:Aye Template:Aye Template:Aye Template:Aye Template:Aye Template:Aye Template:Aye Template:Aye Template:Aye 9
Monmouth Template:Aye Template:Aye Template:Aye Template:Aye Template:Aye Template:Aye Template:Aye Template:Aye Template:Aye 9
Ripon Template:Aye Template:Aye Template:Aye Template:Aye Template:Aye Template:Aye Template:Aye Template:Aye Template:Aye 9
Totals 8 9 9 9+1 9 7+2 7 9 9 76+3
Affiliate Members
Chicago Template:Aye 1
MSOE Template:Aye 1
St. Norbert Template:Aye 1

Men's varsity sports not sponsored by the Midwest that are played by Midwest schools

School Clay Target Fencing Golf Handball Ice Hockey Lacrosse Volleyball Wrestling
Beloit WIAC NACC
Cornell NACC IND
Grinnell SLIAC
Illinois College Template:AyeTemplate:Efn SLIAC
Knox SLIAC
Lake Forest SLIAC Template:Aye NCHA NACC 2026-27
Lawrence IND NCHA NACC
Monmouth SLIAC

Women's Sports

School Basketball Cross Country Soccer Softball Swimming & Diving Tennis Track & Field (Indoor) Track & Field (Outdoor) Volleyball Total Midwest Sports
Beloit Template:Aye Template:Aye Template:Aye Template:Aye Template:Aye Template:Nay Template:Aye Template:Aye Template:Aye 8
Cornell Template:Aye Template:Aye Template:Aye Template:Aye Template:Nay Template:Aye Template:Aye Template:Aye Template:Aye 8
Grinnell Template:Aye Template:Aye Template:Aye Template:Aye Template:Aye Template:Aye Template:Aye Template:Aye Template:Aye 9
Illinois College Template:Aye Template:Aye Template:Aye Template:Aye Template:AyeTemplate:Efn Template:Aye Template:Aye Template:Aye Template:Aye 9
Knox Template:Aye Template:Aye Template:Aye Template:Aye Template:Nay Template:Nay Template:Aye Template:Aye Template:Aye 7
Lake Forest Template:Aye Template:Aye Template:Aye Template:Aye Template:Aye Template:Aye Template:Aye Template:Aye Template:Aye 9
Lawrence Template:Aye Template:Aye Template:Aye Template:Aye Template:Aye Template:Aye Template:Aye Template:Aye Template:Aye 9
Monmouth Template:Aye Template:Aye Template:Aye Template:Aye Template:Aye Template:Aye Template:Aye Template:Aye Template:Aye 9
Ripon Template:Aye Template:Aye Template:Aye Template:Aye Template:Aye Template:Aye Template:Aye Template:Aye Template:Aye 9
Totals 9 9 9 9 7+2 7 9 9 9 77+2
Affiliate Members
MSOE Template:Aye 1
St. Norbert Template:Aye 1

Women's varsity sports not sponsored by the Midwest that are played by Midwest schools

School Clay Target Fencing Flag Football Golf Handball Ice Hockey Lacrosse Wrestling
Beloit Template:Aye WIAC NACC
Cornell NACC Template:Aye
Grinnell SLIAC
Illinois College Template:AyeTemplate:Efn Template:Aye SLIAC
Knox SLIAC
Lake Forest SLIAC Template:Aye NCHA NACC
Lawrence IND NCHA NACC
Monmouth SLIAC
Ripon 2026-27

Conference facilities

School Football field Capacity Basketball arena Capacity Baseball field
Beloit Strong Stadium 3,000 Flood Arena 2,500 Ballpark at Strong Stadium
Chicago Stagg Field 1,650 Member only in football
Cornell Ash Park Stadium 2,500 Multi-Sport Center 2,000 Ash Park Field
Grinnell Rosenbloom Field 5,000 Darby Gym 1,250 Grinnell Baseball Diamond
Illinois College England Stadium 3,000 Sherman Gymnasium 1,600 Joe Brooks Field
Knox Knosher Bowl 4,000 Memorial Gym 3,000 Blodgett Field
Lake Forest Farwell Field 1,000 Lake Forest Sports Center 1,200 No Baseball Team
Lawrence Banta Bowl 5,255 Alexander Gym 1,280 Whiting Field
Monmouth Bobby Woll Memorial Field 2,000 Glennie Gymnasium 1,600 Glasgow Field
Ripon Hopp Stadium 2,000 Willmore Center 1,200 Francis Field

See also

Footnotes

Template:Notelist

References

Template:Reflist

Template:Ccat

Template:Midwest Conference navbox Template:NCAA Division III conference navbox Template:NCAA Division III football conference navbox

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