Upper Midwest Athletic Conference
The Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) is a college-level athletic conference. The UMAC is a conference of NCAA Division III since the 2008–09 season. Prior to that, the UMAC was formerly affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). Corey Borchardt is the current commissioner of the UMAC, and was appointed to the position in 2008. The UMAC was started in 1972 as the Twin Rivers Conference, and assumed its current name in 1983. Member institutions are located in Minnesota and Wisconsin.
| Upper Midwest Athletic Conference | |
|---|---|
| UMAC | |
 | |
| Established | 1972 |
| Association | NCAA |
| Division | Division III |
| Members | 8 full, 3 associate |
| Sports fielded |
|
| Region | Upper Midwest |
| Former names | Twin Rivers Conference |
| Headquarters | Saint Paul, Minnesota |
| Commissioner | Corey Borchardt (since 2008) |
| Website | umacathletics.com |
| Locations | |
 | |
The UMAC sponsors intercollegiate competition in men's baseball, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's cross country, men's football, men's and women's golf, men's and women's soccer, women's softball, men's and women's tennis, men's and women's indoor and outdoor track and field, and women's volleyball.
Greenville College and Westminster College became associate members of the UMAC in football in 2009 and Finlandia University in 2021.
History
Chronological timeline
- 1972 - The UMAC was founded as the Twin Rivers Conference (TRC), originally an athletic conference affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). Charter members included Concordia College, Saint Paul (now Concordia University, Saint Paul), Dr. Martin Luther College, Loras College, Mount Senario College, Northwestern College of Minnesota (now the University of Northwestern – St. Paul), Northwestern College of Wisconsin and Pillsbury Baptist Bible College, effective the 1972-73 academic year.
- 1974 - Maranatha Baptist Bible College (now Maranatha Baptist University) joined the TWC as an associate member for football, effective the 1974 fall season (1974-75 academic year).
- 1976 - Viterbo College (now Vitberbo University) joined the TWC, effective the 1976-77 academic year.
- 1983 - The TRC was renamed as the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference, effective the 1983-84 academic year.
- 1986 - Loras left the UMAC, effective the 1985-86 academic year.
- 1988 - Pillsbury Baptist Bible and Viterbo left the UMAC, effective the 1987-88 academic year.
- 1994 - Crown College joined the UMAC, effective the 1994-95 academic year.
- 1995 - Dr. Martin Luther and Northwestern (Wisc.) merged to become Martin Luther College. Both institutions therefore left the UMAC as a result of the merger, effective after the 1994-95 academic year. And immediately Martin Luther joined the UMAC, effective beginning the 1995-96 academic year.
- 1995 - The College of St. Scholastica joined the UMAC, effective the 1995-96 academic year.
- 1997 - Trinity Bible College joined the UMAC as an associate member for football, effective the 1997 fall season (1997-98 academic year).
- 1998 - Northland College of Wisconsin joined the UMAC, effective the 1998-99 academic year.
- 1999 - Concordia Saint Paul left the UMAC to join the Division II ranks of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC), effective the 1998-99 academic year.
- 2002 - Mount Scenario disbanded its athletics program in December 2001 without completing the rest of the 2001-02 academic year. Later on, the school closed on 31 August 2002.
- 2002 - Presentation College of South Dakota joined the UMAC, effective the 2002-03 academic year.
- 2002 - Blackburn College, Principia College, Rockford College (now Rockford University) and Westminster College joined the UMAC as associate members for football, effective the 2002 fall season (2002-03 academic year).
- 2003 - The University of Minnesota Morris joined the UMAC, effective the 2003-04 academic year.
- 2004 - Bethany Lutheran College joined the UMAC, effective the 2004-05 academic year.
- 2008 - Blackburn, Principia, Maranatha Baptist, Rockford, Trinity Bible and Westminster (Mo.) left the UMAC as associate members for football, effective the 2007 fall season (2007-08 academic year).
- 2008 - The UMAC had become affiliated with the Division III ranks of the NCAA, effective the 2008-09 academic year.
- 2008 - North Central University joined the UMAC as an associate member for certain sports, effective the 2008-09 academic year.
- 2009 - Eureka College, Greenville College (now Greenville University) and MacMurray College joined the UMAC as associate members for football (with Westminster (Mo.) re-joining ), effective the 2009 fall season (2009-10 academic year).
- 2012 - Presentation left the UMAC to join the NAIA and the North Star Athletic Association (NSAA), effective the 2011-12 academic year.
- 2013 - North Central (Minn.) became a full member of the UMAC for all sports, effective the 2013-14 academic year.
- 2013 - Iowa Wesleyan College (now Iowa Wesleyan University) joined the UMAC as an associate member for football, effective the 2013 fall season (2013-14 academic year).
- 2015 - The University of Wisconsin–Superior joined the UMAC, effective the 2015-16 academic year.
- 2018 - Eureka left the UMAC as an associate member for football, effective the 2017 fall season (2017-18 academic year).
- 2020 - MacMurray left the UMAC as an associate member for football as the school would later drop its athletics program and be closed, effective the 2019-20 academic year.
- 2021 - Iowa Wesleyan left the UMAC as an associate member for football, effective the 2020 fall season (2020-21 academic year).
- 2021 - St. Scholastica left the UMAC to join the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC), effective the 2020-21 academic year.
- 2021 - Finlandia University joined the UMAC as an associate member for football, effective the 2021 fall season (2021-22 academic year).
Member schools
Full members
The UMAC currently has eight full members, which most of them are private schools:
| Institution | Nickname | Location | Founded | Affiliation | Enrollment | Varsity teams |
Joined |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bethany Lutheran College | Vikings | Mankato, Minnesota | 1927 | Lutheran (ELS) | 550 | 15 | 2004 |
| Crown College | Storm | St. Bonifacius, Minnesota | 1916 | Christian and Missionary Alliance | 1,300 | 18 | 1994 |
| Martin Luther College | Knights | New Ulm, Minnesota | 1995 | Lutheran (WELS) | 800 | 15 | 1995 |
| University of Minnesota Morris | Cougars | Morris, Minnesota | 1960 | Public | 1,900 | 16 | 2003 |
| North Central University | Rams | Minneapolis, Minnesota | 1930 | Assemblies of God | 1,200 | 15 | 2013[lower-alpha 1] |
| Northland College | LumberJacks (men's) LumberJills (women's) |
Ashland, Wisconsin | 1906 | United Church of Christ | 700 | 12 | 1998 |
| University of Northwestern – St. Paul | Eagles | Roseville, Minnesota | 1902 | Nondenominational | 2,944 | 16 | 1972 |
| University of Wisconsin–Superior | Yellowjackets | Superior, Wisconsin | 1893 | Public | 2,589 | 15 | 2015 |
- Notes
- North Central was an associate member for several sports from the 2008–09 to the 2012–13 school years.
Associate members
| Institution | Nickname | Location | Founded | Type | Enrollment | Varsity teams |
Joined | Primary conference |
UMAC sport |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Finlandia University | Lions | Hancock, Michigan | 1896 | Lutheran (ELCA) | 550 | 10 | 2021–22 | Coast to Coast | football |
| Greenville University | Panthers | Greenville, Illinois | 1892 | Free Methodist | 1,200 | 14 | 2009–10 | SLIAC | football |
| Westminster College | Blue Jays | Fulton, Missouri | 1851 | Presbyterian | 1,050 | 8 | 2009–10[lower-alpha 1] | SLIAC | football |
- Notes
- Westminster was formerly an associate member for football from the 2002 to 2007 fall seasons (2002–03 to 2007–08 school years).
Full members
The UMAC had nine former full members, which all were private schools:
| Institution | Nickname | Location | Founded | Affiliation | Enrollment | Joined | Left | Current conference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Concordia University, Saint Paul | Golden Bears | St. Paul, Minnesota | 1893 | Lutheran (LCMS) | 2800 | 1972 | 1999 | NSIC (NCAA D-II) |
| Dr. Martin Luther College | Lancers | New Ulm, Minnesota | 1884 | Lutheran (WELS) | N/A | 1972 | 1995 | N/A[lower-alpha 1] |
| Loras College | Duhawks | Dubuque, Iowa | 1839 | Catholic | 1,610 | 1972 | 1986 | ARC |
| Mount Senario College | Fighting Saints | Ladysmith, Wisconsin | 1930 | Nonsectarian | N/A | 1972 | 2002 | N/A[lower-alpha 2] |
| Northwestern College (Wisconsin) | Trojans | Watertown, Wisconsin | 1865 | Lutheran (WELS) | N/A | 1972 | 1995 | N/A[lower-alpha 1] |
| Pillsbury Baptist Bible College | Comets | Owatonna, Minnesota | 1877 | Independent Baptist | 142 | 1972 | 1988 | closed in 2008 |
| Presentation College | Saints | Aberdeen, South Dakota | 1922 | Catholic | 786 | 2002 | 2012 | NSAA (NAIA) |
| The College of St. Scholastica | Saints | Duluth, Minnesota | 1912 | Catholic | 3,309 | 1995 | 2021 | MIAC |
| Viterbo University | V-Hawks | La Crosse, Wisconsin | 1890 | Catholic | 3,192 | 1976 | 1988 | NSAA (NAIA) |
- Notes
- Dr. Martin Luther and Northwestern (Wis.) were merged to form Martin Luther College in 1995.
- Mount Scenario disbanded its athletics program in December 2001 without completing the rest of the 2001–02 school year, before closing the school on August 31, 2002.
Associate members
The UMAC had eight associate members, which all were private schools. School names and nicknames reflect those in use during the final school year in which each competed in the UMAC.
- Notes
- Known as Maranatha Baptist University since 2013.
- Nickname changed in 2014 to Sabercats.
- Known as Rockford University since 2013.
Membership timeline
Full member (all sports) Full member (non-football) Associate member (football-only) Associate member (sport)
Conference sports
| Sport | Men's | Women's |
|---|---|---|
| Baseball |  | |
| Basketball | | |
| Cross Country | | |
| Football | | |
| Golf | | |
| Indoor Track and field | | |
| Soccer | | |
| Softball | | |
| Tennis | | |
| Track and field | | |
| Volleyball | |
Conference facilities
| School | Football stadium | Capacity | Basketball arena | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bethany Lutheran | Non-football school | N/A | Sports and Fitness Center | 800 |
| Crown | Old National Bank Stadium | 1,400 | Wild Athletic Center | 700 |
| Finlandia | McAfee Field | 1000 | Football-only member | |
| Greenville | Francis Stadium | 2,000 | Football-only member | |
| Martin Luther | MLC Bowl | 2,200 | Luther Student Center | 700 |
| Minnesota–Morris | Big Cat Stadium | 3,500 | Cougar Sports Center (CSC) | 4,000 |
| North Central | Non-football school | N/A | Clark-Danielson Gymnasium | NA |
| Northland | Non-football school | N/A | Kendrigan Gymnasium | 1,000 |
| Northwestern | Reynolds Field | 1,500 | Ericksen Center | 1,500 |
| Westminster | Priest Field | 1,000 | Football-only member | |
| Wisconsin–Superior | Non-football school | N/A | Mertz Mortorelli Gymnasium | 2,500 |
Football champions
| Year | Champion(s) |
|---|---|
| 1974 | Northwestern (MN) |
| 1975 | Northwestern (MN) |
| 1976 | Concordia-Saint Paul Loras Maranatha Baptist Bible College Northwestern (MN) Northwestern (WI) |
| 1977 | Concordia-Saint Paul Dr. Martin Luther College |
| 1978 | Northwestern (WI) |
| 1979 | Northwestern (MN) |
| 1980 | Mount Senario |
| 1981 | Concordia-Saint Paul Northwestern (MN) |
| 1982 | Concordia-Saint Paul Mount Senario Northwestern (MN) |
| 1983 | Mount Senario Northwestern (MN) |
| 1984 | Northwestern (MN) |
| 1985 | Mount Senario |
| 1986 | Northwestern (WI) |
| 1987 | Mount Senario |
| 1988 | Concordia-Saint Paul |
| 1989 | Mount Senario |
| 1990 | Maranatha Baptist Bible College Northwestern (MN) |
| 1991 | Concordia-Saint Paul |
| 1992 | Mount Senario |
| 1993 | Mount Senario |
| 1994 | Mount Senario |
| 1995 | Northwestern |
| 1996 | Maranatha Baptist Bible College Martin Luther |
| 1997 | Mount Senario |
| 1998 | Maranatha Baptist Martin Luther Mount Senario |
| 1999 | Mount Senario |
| 2000 | Mount Senario |
| 2001 | Northwestern |
| 2002 | Northwestern |
| 2003 | Westminster |
| 2004 | Westminster |
| 2005 | Northwestern |
| 2006 | Minnesota-Morris |
| 2007 | Northwestern |
| 2008 | Northwestern |
| 2009 | North Division: Martin Luther South Division: Greenville |
| 2010 | Greenville |
| 2011* | St. Scholastica |
| 2012 | Greenville Northwestern St. Scholastica |
| 2013 | St. Scholastica |
| 2014 | St. Scholastica |
| 2015 | St. Scholastica |
| 2016 | Northwestern |
| 2017 | Eureka |
| 2018 | Martin Luther |
| 2019 | Martin Luther |
| 2020 | No season COVID-19 |
| 2021 | Greenville |
*- 2011 was the first year the UMAC Champion received an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Playoffs.[1]
Ice hockey affiliations
The UMAC does not sponsor ice hockey. Two UMAC member schools sponsor men's and women's ice hockey as a varsity sport. Northland College and UW-Superior are members of the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.
References
- "UMAC: A Division III playoff bid for the first time". Star Tribune. August 31, 2011. Retrieved June 21, 2012.
External links
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