Midwest Collegiate Conference
The Midwest Collegiate Conference (MCC) was a college athletic conference, consisting of colleges and universities located in Iowa and Wisconsin. Founded in 1988, the conference's member schools competed on the NAIA level in 15 different sports.
| Midwest Collegiate Conference | |
|---|---|
| MCC | |
 | |
| Established | 1988 |
| Dissolved | 2015 |
| Association | NAIA |
| Members | 7 (final), 12 (total) |
| Sports fielded |
|
| Region | Midwestern United States Region VII |
| Former names | Midwest Catholic Conference (1988–1989) Midwest Classic Conference (1989–2007) |
| Website | midwestcollegiateconference.com |
| Locations | |
 | |
History
When the Midwest Collegiate Conference was originally formed in 1988, it consisted of six Roman Catholic colleges and universities situated across the Midwestern United States. Dubbed the Midwest Catholic Conference, member schools originally competed in only men's and women's basketball, women's volleyball, and men's soccer.
The charter members of the conference were Clarke College, Edgewood College, Marycrest University, Mount Mercy College, Mount St. Clare College and Viterbo College. Edgewood left the conference before the start of the 1989–90 season. With the inclusion of Grand View College that year, the conference changed its name to the Midwest Classic Conference.
St. Ambrose University's basketball teams joined the conference for the 1990 season, and the school's other sports joined the MCC in 1991. Iowa Wesleyan College joined the conference for the 1995–96 season. The following year, Clarke University left the MCC to participate in NCAA Division III athletics. William Penn University became a member of the Conference in 2001. Marycrest International University ceased operations after the 2001–02 season. Waldorf College joined the conference for the 2003–04 season, completing the current nine school lineup. Clarke University returned to the conference in 2007, and the conference has officially taken the name of the Midwest Collegiate Conference.
Members Ashford University and Waldorf College were voted out of the conference on May 17, 2011, effective at the end of the 2011–12 season.[1] On October 14, 2011, Iowa Wesleyan College announced they would join National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division III.[2] On January 10, 2014, Grand View University and William Penn University announced they would join the Heart of America Athletic Conference after the 2014–15 season.[3] On February 5, 2015, AIB College of Business announced they would end their athletic programs as the school prepared to be coming a part of the University of Iowa.[4]
Chronological timeline
- 1988 - The MCC was founded as the Midwest Catholic Conference (MCC). Charter members included Clarke College (now Clarke University), Edgewood College, Marycrest University (later Marycrest International University), Mount Mercy College (now Mount Mercy University), Mount St. Clare College (later Ashford University) and Viterbo College (now Viterbo University), effective beginning the 1988-89 academic year.
- 1989 - Edgewood left the Midwest Catholic after spending just one season, only to fully align in the Division III ranks of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Lake Michigan Conference, effective after the 1988-89 academic year.
- 1989 - Grand View College (now Grand View University) joined the Midwest Catholic, effective the 1989-90 academic year.
- 1989 - The MCC has been renamed as the Midwest Classic Conference (MCC), effective the 1989-90 academic year.
- 1990 - St. Ambrose College (now St. Ambrose University) joined the Midwest Classic (with the rest of their other sports joining the following season), effective the 1990-91 academic year
- 1995 - Iowa Wesleyan College (now Iowa Wesleyan University) joined the Midwest Classic, effective the 1995-96 academic year.
- 1996 - Clarke left the Midwest Classic and the NAIA to join the NCAA Division III ranks and the Northern Illinois-Iowa Conference (NIIC), effective after the 1995-96 academic year.
- 2001 - William Penn University joined the Midwest Classic, effective the 2001-02 academic year.
- 2002 - Marycrest Internaitonal left the Midwest Classic as the school announced that it would close, effective after the 2001-02 academic year.
- 2003 - Waldorf College (now Waldorf University) joined the Midwest Classic, effective the 2003-04 academic year.
- 2007 - Clarke re-joined back to the Midwest Classic, effective the 2007-08 academic year.
- 2007 - The MCC has been renamed as the Midwest Collegiate Conference (MCC), effective the 2007-08 academic year.
- 2010 - AIB College of Business joined the Midwest Collegiate, effective the 2010-11 academic year.
- 2012 - Three institutions left the Midwest Collegiate to join their respective new home primary conferences: Ashford and Iowa Wesleyan as NAIA Independents (Iowa Wesleyan would later apply to join the NCAA Division III ranks and the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC), effective beginning the 2013-14 academic year), and Waldorf to join the Midlands Collegiate Athletic Conference (MCAC), all effective after the 2011-12 academic year.
- 2015 - The Midwest Collegiate ceased operations as an athletic conference, effective after the 2014-15 academic year; as many schools left to join their respective new home primary conferences, effective beginning the 2015-16 academic year: Grand View and William Penn to the Heart of America Athletic Conference (HAAC), Clarke and Mount Mercy as NAIA Independents (although both would later follow Grand View and William Penn to join the HAAC, effective the 2016-17 academic year), St. Ambrose to the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC), and Viterbo to the North Star Athletic Association (NSAA).
Member schools
Final members
The MCC ended with seven full members, all were private schools:
- Notes
- AIB dropped athletics after the 2014–15 school year; and later closed after the 2015–16 school year.
Former members
The MCC had five former full members, all were private schools:
| Institution | Location | Founded | Affiliation | Enrollment | Nickname | Joined | Left | Subsequent conference(s) |
Current conference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ashford University | Clinton, Iowa | 1918 | For-profit | N/A | Saints | 1988–89 | 2011–12 | NAIA Independent (2012–13 to 2015–16) |
N/A[lower-alpha 1] |
| Edgewood College | Madison, Wisconsin | 1927 | Catholic | 1,570 | Eagles | 1988–89 | 1988–89 | Lake Michigan (NCAA D-III) (1989–90 to 2005–06) |
Northern (NACC) (NCAA D-III) (2006–07 to present) |
| Iowa Wesleyan College[lower-alpha 2] | Mount Pleasant, Iowa | 1842 | United Methodist | 570 | Tigers | 1995–96 | 2011–12 | NAIA Independent (2012–13) St. Louis (SLIAC) (NCAA D-III) (2013–14 to 2020–21) |
Continental (2021–22 to present) |
| Marycrest International University | Davenport, Iowa | 1939 | Catholic | N/A | Eagles | 1988–89 | 2001–02 | Closed in 2002 | |
| Waldorf College[lower-alpha 3] | Forest City, Iowa | 1903 | For-profit | 580 | Warriors | 2003–04 | 2011–12 | Midlands Collegiate (MCAC) (2012–13 to 2014–15) |
North Star (NSAA) (2015–16 to present) |
- Notes
- Ashford's physical campus was closed after the 2015–16 school year.
- Currently known as Iowa Wesleyan University since 2015.
- Currently known as Waldorf University since 2016.
Membership timeline
Full member (non-football)
Sports
The Midwest Collegiate Conference oversaw the following sports:
| Sport | Men's | Women's |
|---|---|---|
| Baseball |  | |
| Basketball | | |
| Cross Country | | |
| Golf | | |
| Soccer | | |
| Softball | | |
| Track & Field Indoor | | |
| Track & Field Outdoor | | |
| Volleyball | |
Member schools also participated in a number of sports not affiliated with the MCC, including competitive dance, tennis, men's volleyball, and wrestling. Several football teams from Midwest Collegiate Conference schools competed in the Mid-States Football Association.