Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
The Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) is a competitive collegiate athletic conference affiliated with the NCAA's Division II.
| Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | |
|---|---|
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| Established | 1972 |
| Association | NCAA |
| Division | Division II |
| Members | 11 (10 in 2022) |
| Sports fielded |
|
| Region | Great Lakes |
| Headquarters | Bay City, Michigan |
| Commissioner | Kris Dunbar (since 2018) |
| Website | www |
| Locations | |
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The GLIAC was founded in June 1972. Its eleven member institutions are located in the midwestern United States in the U.S. states of Michigan, Indiana, and Wisconsin. There are three affiliate members who compete in the GLIAC for sports not sponsored by their home conference.
Sponsorship of football was dropped by the GLIAC after the 1989 season. Conference schools sponsoring football joined with members of the Heartland Football Conference to form the Midwest Intercollegiate Football Conference (MIFC), which began play in 1990. The MIFC merged with the GLIAC in July 1999 and the GLIAC resumed sponsorship of football that fall.
Member schools
Current members
| Institution | Location | Founded | Type | Enrollment | Nickname | Colors | Joined |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Davenport University | Grand Rapids, Michigan | 1866 | Private (Nonsectarian) | 6,456 | Panthers | 2017 | |
| Ferris State University | Big Rapids, Michigan | 1884 | Public | 12,472 | Bulldogs | 1972 | |
| Grand Valley State University | Allendale, Michigan | 1960 | Public | 24,033 | Lakers | 1972 | |
| Lake Superior State University | Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan | 1946 | Public | 1,984 | Lakers | 1972 | |
| Michigan Technological University | Houghton, Michigan | 1885 | Public | 7,041 | Huskies | 1980 | |
| Northern Michigan University | Marquette, Michigan | 1899 | Public | 7,732 | Wildcats | 1975; 1987 | |
| Northwood University | Midland, Michigan | 1959 | Private (Nonsectarian) | 1,522 | Timberwolves | 1972; 1992 | |
| Purdue University Northwest | Hammond, Indiana | 1946 | Public | 8,617 | Pride | 2017 | |
| Saginaw Valley State University | University Center, Michigan | 1963 | Public | 8,265 | Cardinals | 1972 | |
| Wayne State University | Detroit, Michigan | 1868 | Public | 26,844 | Warriors | 1975 | |
| University of Wisconsin-Parkside | Somers, Wisconsin | 1968 | Public | 4,420 | Rangers | 2018 |
- Notes
- Northwood will leave for the G-MAC in 2022.[2]
Affiliate members
| Institution | Location | Founded | Type | Enrollment | Nickname | Colors | Joined | Sport | Primary conference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Augustana University | Sioux Falls, South Dakota | 1860 | Private (ELCA) | 2,113 | Vikings | 2021 | swimming & diving (M) | Northern Sun | |
| Concordia University–St. Paul | Saint Paul, Minnesota | 1893 | Private (LCMS) | 5,139 | Golden Bears | 2017 | lacrosse (W) | Northern Sun | |
| St. Cloud State University | St. Cloud, Minnesota | 1869 | Public | 12,608 | Huskies | 2018 | swimming & diving (M), soccer (M) | Northern Sun | |
| Upper Iowa University | Fayette, Iowa | 1857 | Private (Nonsectarian) | 3,661 | Peacocks | 2019 | lacrosse (W), soccer (M) | Northern Sun |
Former members
Former affiliate members
School names and nicknames reflect those in use in the final season each school was an affiliate.
| Institution | Location | Founded | Type | Nickname | Joined | Left | Sport | Primary conference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alderson Broaddus University | Philippi, West Virginia | 1871 | Private (Baptist) | Battlers | 2012 | 2015 | lacrosse (W) | Mountain East |
| University of Indianapolis | Indianapolis, Indiana | 1902 | Private (United Methodist) | Greyhounds | 1999/2015 | 2013/2019 | football (1999–2012); lacrosse (W) (2015–2019); swimming & diving (M/W) (2000–2013) |
Great Lakes Valley |
| Lewis University | Romeoville, Illinois | 1932 | Private (Catholic) | Flyers | 2004/2018 | 2013/2019 | lacrosse (W) (2018–2019); swimming & diving (M/W) (2004-2013) |
Great Lakes Valley |
| Maryville University | Town and Country, Missouri | 1872 | Private (Catholic) | Saints | 2018 | 2019 | lacrosse (W) | Great Lakes Valley |
| McKendree University | Lebanon, Illinois | 1828 | Private (United Methodist) | Bearcats | 2014 | 2019 | lacrosse (W) | Great Lakes Valley |
| Notre Dame College | South Euclid, Ohio | 1922 | Private (Catholic) | Falcons | 2012 | 2013 | football; lacrosse (W); soccer (M); soccer (W); wrestling |
Mountain East |
| Urbana University | Urbana, Ohio | 1850 | Private (Nonsectarian) | Blue Knights | 2012 | 2014 | lacrosse (W) | N/A (school closed in 2020) |
| Ursuline College | Pepper Pike, Ohio | 1850 | Private (Catholic) | Arrows | 2013 | 2015 (lacrosse); 2016 (swimming) |
lacrosse (W); swimming & diving (W) |
Great Midwest |
| Wheeling Jesuit University[lower-alpha 1] | Wheeling, West Virginia | 1954 | Private (Catholic) | Cardinals | 2012 | 2014 | lacrosse (W) | Mountain East |
- Known as Wheeling University since 2019.
Membership timeline
The GLIAC dropped football after the 1989 season and resumed it for the 1999 season.

Full member (all sports) Full member (non-football) Associate member (football-only) Associate member (sport)
Sports
The GLIAC sponsors the following 21 sports:[3]
| Sport | Men's | Women's |
|---|---|---|
| Baseball | ||
| Basketball | ||
| Cross Country | ||
| Football | ||
| Golf | ||
| Lacrosse | ||
| Soccer | ||
| Softball | ||
| Swimming & Diving | ||
| Tennis | ||
| Track & Field Indoor | ||
| Track & Field Outdoor | ||
| Volleyball |
Men's sponsored sports by school
| School | Baseball | Basketball | Cross Country |
Football | Golf | Soccer | Swimming & Diving |
Tennis | Track & Field Indoor |
Track & Field Outdoor |
Total GLIAC Sports | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Davenport | 9 | |||||||||||
| Ferris State | 7 | |||||||||||
| Grand Valley State | 9 | |||||||||||
| Lake Superior State | 6 | |||||||||||
| Michigan Tech | 5 | |||||||||||
| Northern Michigan | 5 | |||||||||||
| Northwood | 9 | |||||||||||
| Parkside | 7 | |||||||||||
| Purdue Northwest | 6 | |||||||||||
| Saginaw Valley State | 9 | |||||||||||
| Wayne State | 7 | |||||||||||
| Totals | 7 | 11 | 10 | 8 | 10 | 6 | 4 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 89 | |
| Affiliate Members | ||||||||||||
| Augustana | 1 | |||||||||||
| St. Cloud State | 1 | |||||||||||
| Upper Iowa | 1 | |||||||||||
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 GLIAC Sports |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Davenport | 11 | |||||||||||
| Ferris State | 9 | |||||||||||
| Grand Valley State | 11 | |||||||||||
| Lake Superior State | 7 | |||||||||||
| Michigan Tech | 6 | |||||||||||
| Northern Michigan | 9 | |||||||||||
| Northwood | 9 | |||||||||||
| Parkside | 7 | |||||||||||
| Purdue Northwest | 7 | |||||||||||
| Saginaw Valley State | 11 | |||||||||||
| Wayne State | 9 | |||||||||||
| Totals | 11 | 11 | 9 | 4 | 9 | 8 | 5 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 121 | 106 |
| Affiliate Members | ||||||||||||
| Concordia–St. Paul | 1 | |||||||||||
| Upper Iowa | 1 | |||||||||||
Other sponsored sports by school
| School | Men | Women | Co-ed | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ice Hockey[lower-alpha 1] | Lacrosse | Wrestling | Wrestling[lower-alpha 2] | Fencing[lower-alpha 1] | Skiing[lower-alpha 1] | ||||
| Davenport | GLVC | GLVC | IND | ||||||
| Ferris State | CCHA | ||||||||
| Lake Superior State | CCHA | ||||||||
| Michigan Tech | CCHA | CCSA | |||||||
| Northern Michigan | CCHA | [lower-alpha 3] | IND | CCSA[lower-alpha 4] | |||||
| Parkside | NSIC[4] | ||||||||
| Wayne State | MFC | ||||||||
- De facto Division I sport. In men's ice hockey, the NCAA Division I championship is open to Division II members. In fencing and skiing, the NCAA sponsors single championship events open to members of all three divisions.
- Part of the NCAA Emerging Sports for Women program.
- Northern Michigan houses an official U.S. Olympic training center for the non-NCAA discipline of Greco-Roman wrestling. All trainees are enrolled at NMU, and are recognized as NMU varsity athletes.
- Northern Michigan only competes in NCAA-sponsored events in Nordic skiing. Its Alpine skiing squad is recognized as a varsity team, but does not compete in NCAA events.
In addition to the above:
- Davenport has varsity teams in esports (coeducational) and the women-only cheerleading discipline of STUNT.
- Michigan Tech and Purdue Northwest have coeducational varsity esports teams.
- Northern Michigan recognizes esports (fully coeducational) as a varsity sport. Also, the university hosts an official U.S. Olympic training center for men's and women's weightlifting; all participants in this program are enrolled at NMU, and are recognized as varsity athletes.
Championships
National Championships
GLIAC schools have won 42 NCAA National Championships:
| Year | Sport | School |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | football | Northern Michigan |
| 1980 | men's swimming & diving | Oakland |
| 1990 | women's swimming & diving | Oakland |
| 1991 | women's swimming & diving | Oakland |
| 1992 | women's swimming & diving | Oakland |
| 1993 | women's swimming & diving | Oakland |
| 1993 | women's volleyball | Northern Michigan |
| 1994 | men's swimming & diving | Oakland |
| 1994 | women's swimming & diving | Oakland |
| 1994 | women's volleyball | Northern Michigan |
| 1995 | men's swimming & diving | Oakland |
| 1996 | men's swimming & diving | Oakland |
| 1997 | men's swimming & diving | Oakland |
| 2002 | football | Grand Valley State |
| 2003 | football | Grand Valley State |
| 2005 | football | Grand Valley State |
| 2005 | women's volleyball | Grand Valley State |
| 2006 | women's basketball | Grand Valley State |
| 2006 | football | Grand Valley State |
| 2009 | men's basketball | Findlay |
| 2009 | women's soccer | Grand Valley State |
| 2010 | women's cross country | Grand Valley State |
| 2010 | women's soccer | Grand Valley State |
| 2011 | women's track & field (I) | Grand Valley State |
| 2011 | women's track & field (O) | Grand Valley State |
| 2012 | women's cross country | Grand Valley State |
| 2012 | women's swimming & diving | Wayne State (MI) |
| 2012 | women's track & field (I) | Grand Valley State |
| 2012 | women's track & field (O) | Grand Valley State |
| 2013 | women's basketball | Ashland |
| 2013 | women's cross country | Grand Valley State |
| 2013 | women's soccer | Grand Valley State |
| 2014 | women's cross country | Grand Valley State |
| 2014 | women's soccer | Grand Valley State |
| 2015 | women's soccer | Grand Valley State |
| 2016 | women's cross country | Grand Valley State |
| 2016 | men's track & field (I) | Tiffin |
| 2017 | women's basketball | Ashland |
| 2017 | men's track & field (I) | Tiffin |
| 2018 | men's basketball | Ferris State |
| 2018 | men's cross country | Grand Valley State |
| 2018 | women's cross country | Grand Valley State |
| 2019 | men's track & field (I) | Ashland |
| 2019 | men's track & field (O) | Ashland |
| 2019 | women's soccer | Grand Valley State |
| 2021 | men’s track & field (O) | Ashland |
| 2021 | women’s track & field (O) | Grand Valley State |
Football facilities
| Institution | Stadium | Capacity[5] | Surface |
|---|---|---|---|
| Davenport | Meyering Field | 2,300 | Artificial |
| Ferris State | Top Taggart Field | 6,200 | Artificial |
| Grand Valley State | Lubbers Stadium | 10,444 | Artificial |
| Michigan Tech | Sherman Field | 3,000 | Artificial |
| Northern Michigan | Superior Dome | 8,000 | Artificial |
| Northwood | Hantz Stadium | 3,000 | Artificial |
| Saginaw Valley State | Wickes Memorial Stadium | 6,300 | Artificial |
| Wayne State | Adams Field | 6,000 | Artificial |
References
- "GLIAC Membership History". Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. Retrieved October 29, 2011.
- "Northwood University Athletics Changing Conference Affiliation". Richland Source. April 29, 2021. Retrieved April 29, 2021.
- "Official GLIAC Athletic Site". Official GLIAC Athletic Site. Retrieved October 29, 2011.
- "NSIC to add UW-Parkside as associated member in wrestling starting in 2021-22" (Press release). Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference. June 4, 2020. Retrieved March 23, 2021.
- "GLIAC Stadiums". D2Football.com. Retrieved October 31, 2011.


