Great Northwest Athletic Conference

Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC)
Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC)
Established	2001
Association	NCAA
Division	Division II
Members	10
Sports fielded	16 men's: 8; women's: 8; ;
Region	Northwestern United States, British Columbia, Alaska
Headquarters	Portland, Oregon
Commissioner	David Haglund (since 2011)
Website	www.gnacsports.com
Locations

The Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) is a collegiate athletic conference that historically operates in the northwestern United States, but also currently includes four schools in areas not usually considered part of that region—two in Alaska (neither of which resides in Southeast Alaska, an area often considered part of the Northwest), one in eastern Montana (almost never considered part of the region), and one in the Canadian province of British Columbia (an area included with the Northwest U.S. in the larger Pacific Northwest region).

It participates in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)'s Division II level, and is the only NCAA conference in any division with a Canadian university as a member.

History

The conference formed in 2001 when its original ten members split from the Pacific West Conference.

Great Northwest Athletic Conference (Continental US)

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Location of GNAC members:

current

Great Northwest Athletic Conference (Alaska)

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Location of GNAC members:

current

Chronological timeline

2001 - The Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) was founded. Charter members included the University of Alaska at Fairbanks, the University of Alaska at Anchorage, Central Washington University, Humboldt State University (now California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt), Northwest Nazarene University, Saint Martin's, Seattle University, Seattle Pacific University, Western Oregon University and Western Washington, effective beginning the 2001-02 academic year.
2006 - Humboldt State left the GNAC to join the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA), effective after the 2005-06 academic year.
2007 - Montana State University at Billings joined the GNAC, effective in the 2007-08 academic year.
2008 - Seattle left the GNAC to join the Division I ranks of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) as an NCAA D-I Independent (who would later join the Western Athletic Conference (WAC), effective beginning the 2012-13 academic year), effective after the 2007-08 academic year.
2008 - Dixie State University (to be renamed Utah Tech University in July 2022) joined the GNAC as an affiliate member for football (with Humboldt State returning for that sport), effective with the 2008 fall season (2008-09 academic year).
2010 - Simon Fraser University joined the GNAC, effective in the 2010-11 academic year.
2012 - Three institutions joined the GNAC as affiliate members: Azusa Pacific University for football, and the University of Mary and the University of Sioux Falls for men's soccer, all effective with the 2012-13 academic year.
2013 - South Dakota School of Mines and Technology (South Dakota Mines) joined the GNAC as an affiliate member for men's soccer, effective in the 2013 fall season (2013-14 academic year).
2014 - South Dakota Mines added football to its GNAC affiliate membership, effective in the 2014 fall season (2014-15 academic year).
2015 - South Dakota Mines left the GNAC as an affiliate member for men's soccer, effective after the 2014 fall season (2014-15 academic year).
2015 - Concordia University–Portland joined the GNAC, effective in the 2015-16 academic year.
2016 - Dixie State and South Dakota Mines left the GNAC as affiliate members for football, effective after the 2015 fall season (2015-16 academic year).
2019 - Humboldt State left the GNAC as an affiliate member for football as the school announced it was dropping the sport after the 2018 fall season (2018-19 academic year).
2019 - The University of California San Diego (UC San Diego) and the University of Central Oklahoma (along with Humboldt State returning for that sport), joined the GNAC as affiliate members for women's rowing, effective in the 2020 spring season (2019-20 academic year).
2020 - Concordia–Portland left the GNAC as the school announced that it would close, effective after the 2019-20 academic year.
2020 - UC San Diego left the GNAC as an affiliate member for women's rowing, effective after the 2020 spring season (2019-20 academic year), coinciding with the start of its transition to NCAA Division I.
2022 - Central Washington, Western Oregon and Simon Fraser, the only 3 football-sponsoring schools remaining in the GNAC, announce that they will be joining the Lone Star Conference as football affiliates, bringing an end to the GNAC as a football conference, effective after the 2021-22 academic year.

Member schools

Current members

The GNAC currently has ten full members, all but three are public schools:

Institution	Location	Founded	Affiliation	Enrollment	Nickname	Joined
University of Alaska Anchorage	Anchorage, Alaska	1954	Public	16,242	Seawolves	2001
University of Alaska Fairbanks	Fairbanks, Alaska	1917	Public	9,380	Nanooks	2001
Central Washington University	Ellensburg, Washington	1891	Public	10,145	Wildcats	2001
Montana State University Billings	Billings, Montana	1927	Public	4,600	Yellowjackets	2007
Northwest Nazarene University	Nampa, Idaho	1913	Nazarene	2,000	Nighthawks	2001
Saint Martin's University	Lacey, Washington	1895	Catholic	1,628	Saints	2001
Seattle Pacific University	Seattle, Washington	1891	Free Methodist	3,773	Falcons	2001
Simon Fraser University	Burnaby, British Columbia	1965	Public	35,604	Athletics[lower-alpha 1]	2010
Western Oregon University	Monmouth, Oregon	1856	Public	6,233	Wolves	2001
Western Washington University	Bellingham, Washington	1893	Public	13,070	Vikings	2001

Notes

Simon Fraser's former nickname as the "Clansmen" or the "Clan" was retired in 2020 until they will find a new nickname to replace with.

Affiliate members

The GNAC currently has two affiliate members, both are public schools:

Institution	Location	Founded	Affiliation	Enrollment	Nickname	Joined	Colors	GNAC sport	Primary conference
University of Central Oklahoma	Edmond, Oklahoma	1890	Public	16,910	Bronchos	2019–20		women's rowing	Mid-America (MIAA)
California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt[lower-alpha 1][lower-alpha 2][lower-alpha 3]	Arcata, California	1913	Public	6,983	Lumberjacks	2019–20		women's rowing	California (CCAA)

Notes

Cal Poly Humboldt was a full member of the GNAC from 2001–02 to 2005–06.
Cal Poly Humboldt competed as an affiliate member of the GNAC for football from the 2008 to 2018 fall seasons (2008–09 to 2018–19 school years).
Formerly known as Humboldt State University until January 26, 2022.

Former members

The GNAC had three former full members, all but one were private schools:

Institution	Location	Founded	Affiliation	Enrollment	Nickname	Joined	Left	Current conference
Concordia University–Portland	Portland, Oregon	1905	Lutheran LCMS	N/A	Cavaliers	2015–16	2019–20	Closed in 2020
California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt[lower-alpha 1][lower-alpha 2]	Arcata, California	1913	Public	7,774	Lumberjacks	2001–02	2005–06	California (CCAA)
Seattle University	Seattle, Washington	1891	Catholic	7,755	Redhawks	2001–02	2007–08	Western (WAC) (NCAA D-I)

Notes

Cal Poly Humboldt remains in the GNAC as an affiliate in women's rowing.
Formerly known as Humboldt State University until January 26, 2022.

Former affiliate members

The GNAC had seven former affiliate members, all but three were public schools:

Institution	Location	Founded	Affiliation	Enrollment	Nickname	Joined	Left	GNAC sport	Primary conference
Azusa Pacific University	Azusa, California	1899	Evangelical Christian	8,539	Cougars	2012–13	2019–20	football	Pacific West (PacWest)
Dixie State University	St. George, Utah	1911	Public	12,650	Red Storm	2008–09	2015–16	football	Western (WAC) (NCAA D-I)
California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt[lower-alpha 1][lower-alpha 2]	Arcata, California	1913	Public	7,774	Lumberjacks	2006–07	2017–18	football	California (CCAA)
University of Mary	Bismarck, North Dakota	1959	Catholic	3,804	Marauders	2012–13	2015–16	men's soccer	Northern Sun (NSIC)
University of Sioux Falls	Sioux Falls, South Dakota	1883	Baptist	1,628	Cougars	2012–13	2012–13	men's soccer	Northern Sun (NSIC)
South Dakota School of Mines and Technology	Rapid City, South Dakota	1885	Public	2,640	Hardrockers	2014–15^fb.; 2013–14^m.soc.	2015–16^fb.; 2014–15^m.soc.	football; men's soccer	Rocky Mountain (RMAC)
University of California, San Diego	San Diego, California	1960	Public	33,735	Tritons	2019–20	2019–20	women's rowing	Big West (NCAA D-I)

Notes

Cal Poly Humboldt was a full member of the GNAC from 2001–02 to 2005–06. However it remains in the GNAC as an affiliate in women's rowing.
Formerly known as Humboldt State University until January 2022.

Membership timeline

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

The GNAC did not sponsor football in the 2006–07 and 2007-08 seasons. Therefore, Central Washington and Western Washington competed in the North Central Conference (NCC); while Dixie State, Humboldt State and Western Oregon were Independents.
With Central Washington, Simon Fraser, and Western Oregon becoming football-only affiliates of the Lone Star Conference effective for the 2022 season, the GNAC has once again become a non-football conference.[1]

Sports sponsored

**Conference sports**
Sport	Men's	Women's
Baseball	Y
Basketball	Y	Y
Cross Country	Y	Y
Golf	Y	Y
Rowing		Y
Soccer	Y	Y
Softball		Y
Track & Field Indoor	Y	Y
Track & Field Outdoor	Y	Y
Volleyball		Y

Men's sponsored sports by school

School	Baseball	Basketball	Cross Country	Golf	Soccer	Track & Field Indoor	Track & Field Outdoor	Total GNAC Sports
Alaska		Y	Y					2
Alaska-Anchorage		Y	Y			Y	Y	4
Central Washington	Y	Y	Y			Y	Y	5
Montana State-Billings	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	7
Northwest Nazarene	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	7
Saint Martin's	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	7
Seattle Pacific		Y	Y		Y	Y	Y	5
Simon Fraser		Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	6
Western Oregon	Y	Y	Y			Y	Y	5
Western Washington		Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	6
Totals	5	10	10	5	6	9	9	57

Women's sponsored sports by school

School	Basketball	Cross Country	Golf	Rowing	Soccer	Softball	Track & Field Indoor	Track & Field Outdoor	Volleyball	Total GNAC Sports
Alaska	Y	Y							Y	3
Alaska-Anchorage	Y	Y					Y	Y	Y	5
Central Washington	Y	Y			Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	7
Montana State-Billings	Y	Y	Y		Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	8
Northwest Nazarene	Y	Y	Y		Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	8
Saint Martin's	Y	Y	Y		Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	8
Seattle Pacific	Y	Y		Y	Y		Y	Y	Y	7
Simon Fraser	Y	Y	Y		Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	8
Western Oregon	Y	Y			Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	7
Western Washington	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	9
Affiliate Members
Cal Poly Humboldt				Y						1
Central Oklahoma				Y						1
UC San Diego				Y						1
Totals	11	11	6	5	9	8	10	10	11	81

Other sponsored sports by school

School	Men				Women		Co-ed
School	Football	Ice Hockey[lower-alpha 1]	Swimming & Diving	Wrestling	Swimming & Diving	Wrestling	Rifle[lower-alpha 1]	Skiing[lower-alpha 1]
Alaska		IND			PCSC		PRC	RMISA
Alaska-Anchorage		IND
Central Washington	LSC
Simon Fraser	LSC		IND	IND	IND	IND
Western Oregon	LSC

De facto Division I sport. The NCAA holds a combined national championship event in men's ice hockey open to both Division I and Division II members, and single championship events open to members of all three divisions in the coeducational sports of rifle and skiing.

Football champions

Year	Champion	Conf. Record
2001	Western Washington	3-0
2002	Central Washington	3-0
2003	Western Washington	3-0
2004	Central Washington	5-1
2005	Central Washington	6-0
2006	Not Sponsored	N/A
2007	Not Sponsored	N/A
2008	Central Washington	8-0
2009	Central Washington	6-0

Year	Champion	Conf. Record
2010	Central Washington	7-1
2011	Humboldt State	7-1
2012	Central Washington	7-3
2013	Azusa Pacific	9-1
2014	Azusa Pacific	6-0
2015	Humboldt State	6-0
2016	Azusa Pacific	8-0
2017	Central Washington	8-0
2018	Azusa Pacific & Central Washington	7-1
2019	Central Washington & Western Oregon	5-1
2020	Cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic	N/A
2021	Central Washington	4-0

Basketball champions

Conference Facilities


School	Basketball Arena	Capacity
Alaska Fairbanks	Alaska Airlines Court	1,648
Alaska Anchorage	Alaska Airlines Center	5,000
Central Washington	Nicholson Pavilion	2,519
Montana State - Billings	Alterowitz Gymnasium	2,330
Northwest Nazarene	Johnson Sports Center
Saint Martin's	Marcus Pavilion
Seattle Pacific	Royal Brougham Pavilion	2,650
Simon Fraser	West Gym	1,500
Western Oregon	PE Gym	2,473
Western Washington	Sam Carver Gym	2,534

References

"Central Washington, GNAC football members to join Lone Star Conference". Yakima Herald-Republic. November 18, 2021. Retrieved November 18, 2021.

External links

Official website

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[1] Simon Fraser's former nickname as the "Clansmen" or the "Clan" was retired in 2020 until they will find a new nickname to replace with.

[2] Cal Poly Humboldt was a full member of the GNAC from 2001–02 to 2005–06.

[3] Cal Poly Humboldt competed as an affiliate member of the GNAC for football from the 2008 to 2018 fall seasons (2008–09 to 2018–19 school years).

[4] Formerly known as Humboldt State University until January 26, 2022.

[5] Cal Poly Humboldt remains in the GNAC as an affiliate in women's rowing.

[6] Formerly known as Humboldt State University until January 26, 2022.

[7] Cal Poly Humboldt was a full member of the GNAC from 2001–02 to 2005–06. However it remains in the GNAC as an affiliate in women's rowing.

[8] Formerly known as Humboldt State University until January 2022.

[DI-10] De facto Division I sport. The NCAA holds a combined national championship event in men's ice hockey open to both Division I and Division II members, and single championship events open to members of all three divisions in the coeducational sports of rifle and skiing.

[9] "Central Washington, GNAC football members to join Lone Star Conference". Yakima Herald-Republic. November 18, 2021. Retrieved November 18, 2021.

Great Northwest Athletic Conference
Members	Alaska Nanooks Alaska Anchorage Seawolves Central Washington Wildcats Montana State Billings Yellowjackets Northwest Nazarene Nighthawks Saint Martin's Saints Seattle Pacific Falcons Simon Fraser (no new nickname yet) Western Oregon Wolves Western Washington Vikings
Rowing affiliates	Cal Poly Humboldt Lumberjacks Central Oklahoma Bronchos
Men's soccer affiliate	Mary Marauders

NCAA Division II all-sports conferences
Atlantic	Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association Mountain East Conference Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Independent — Bluefield State College Salem University
Central	Great American Conference Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference
East	Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference East Coast Conference Northeast-10 Conference
Midwest	Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Great Lakes Valley Conference Great Midwest Athletic Conference
South	Gulf South Conference Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Sunshine State Conference
South Central	Lone Star Conference Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference
Southeast	Conference Carolinas Peach Belt Conference South Atlantic Conference
West	California Collegiate Athletic Association Great Northwest Athletic Conference Pacific West Conference
Division II	Independents

NCAA Division II football conferences
Super Region 1	Great Midwest Athletic Conference Mountain East Conference Northeast-10 Conference Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference
Super Region 2	Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association Gulf South Conference South Atlantic Conference Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
Super Region 3	Great American Conference Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Great Lakes Valley Conference Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association
Super Region 4	Lone Star Conference Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference
Division II	Independents
NCAA	Conferences Institutions Football (Championship)