Great Plains Athletic Conference

Great Plains Athletic Conference
Established 1969
Association NAIA
Members 12
Sports fielded
  • 21
    • men's: 11
    • women's: 10
Region Central United States
Former names Nebraska Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (1969–1992)
Nebraska-Iowa Athletic Conference (1992–2000)
Headquarters Sioux City, Iowa
Commissioner Corey Westra (since 2003)
Website www.gpacsports.com
Locations

The Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). Member institutions are located in Iowa, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota. The conference was founded in 1969 as the Nebraska Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, later becoming the Nebraska-Iowa Athletic Conference (1992) before being renamed the Great Plains Athletic Conference (2000).

History

The Great Plains Athletic Conference was founded in 1969 as the Nebraska Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. The six charter members were Concordia University, Dana College, Doane College, Hastings College, Midland Lutheran College, and Nebraska Wesleyan University.[1] With the addition of Northwestern College in 1992, the NIAC was renamed the Nebraska-Iowa Athletic Conference. The NIAC became the Great Plains Athletic Conference in 2000 with the addition of Dakota Wesleyan University, Dordt College, Mount Marty College, and University of Sioux Falls. Later, Briar Cliff University and Morningside College joined the GPAC in 2002 and 2003 respectively. In 2018, University of Jamestown joined the conference as a full-member, while Presentation College joined the conference as an associate member. All former members of the NIAC remain affiliated with the GPAC except for Dana College, which closed in 2010, and Nebraska Wesleyan University, which left the conference in 2016. Corey Westra in Sioux City, Iowa, is the commissioner of the league.[2]

Member schools

Current members

Institution Location Founded Enrollment Nickname Joined
Briar Cliff University Sioux City, Iowa 1930 1,150 Chargers 2002
Concordia University, Nebraska Seward, Nebraska 1894 2,200 Bulldogs 1969
Dakota Wesleyan University Mitchell, South Dakota 1885 895 Tigers 2000
Doane University Crete, Nebraska 1872 1,000 Tigers 1969
Dordt College Sioux Center, Iowa 1955 1,454 Defenders 2000
Hastings College Hastings, Nebraska 1882 1,150 Broncos 1969
University of Jamestown Jamestown, North Dakota 1883 1,000 Jimmies 2018
Midland University Fremont, Nebraska 1883 1,394 Warriors 1969
Morningside College Sioux City, Iowa 1894 2,824 Mustangs 2003
Mount Marty College Yankton, South Dakota 1936 1,100 Lancers 2000
Northwestern College Orange City, Iowa 1882 1,099 Red Raiders 1992
College of Saint Mary Omaha, Nebraska 1923 1,070 Flames 2015
  • College of Saint Mary — women's institution, does not field men's sports.

Associate Member

Institution Location Founded Enrollment Nickname Joined Primary
Conference
Presentation College[3] Aberdeen, South Dakota 1951 786 Saints 2018 North Star
  • Presentation College will only field men's and women's soccer in the GPAC.

Former members

Institution Location Founded Nickname Joined Left Current
Conference
Dana College Blair, Nebraska 1884 Vikings 1969 2010 Closed in 2010
Nebraska Wesleyan University Lincoln, Nebraska 1887 Prairie Wolves 1969 2016 Iowa
(NCAA D-III)
University of Sioux Falls Sioux Falls, South Dakota 1883 Cougars 2000 2011 Northern Sun
(NCAA D-II)

Membership timeline

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

Conference sports
SportMen'sWomen's
BaseballGreen tick
BasketballGreen tickGreen tick
Cross CountryGreen tickGreen tick
FootballGreen tick
GolfGreen tickGreen tick
SoccerGreen tickGreen tick
SoftballGreen tick
TennisGreen tickGreen tick
Track & Field IndoorGreen tickGreen tick
Track & Field OutdoorGreen tickGreen tick
VolleyballGreen tick
WrestlingGreen tick

References

  1. ↑ History of the GPAC
  2. ↑ About Commissioner Corey Westra
  3. ↑ Presentation College to join GPAC as affiliate member in soccer | GPACSports.com
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