Great Plains Athletic Conference

This article is about the current NAIA athletic conference. For the former NCAA college athletic conference that aligned with the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, see Great Plains Athletic Conference (NCAA).
Great Plains Athletic Conference
Established 1969
Association NAIA
Members 12
Sports fielded 19 (men's: 10; women's: 9)
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 NAIA. Member institutions are located in Iowa, Nebraska and South Dakota. The conference was originally 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 was transformed into 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. All former members of the NIAC remain affiliated with the GPAC except for Dana College, which closed in 2010. 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 780 Tigers 2000
Doane College Crete, Nebraska 1872 1,000 Tigers 1969
Dordt College Sioux Center, Iowa 1955 1,400 Defenders 2000
Hastings College Hastings, Nebraska 1882 1,150 Broncos 1969
Midland University Fremont, Nebraska 1883 946 Warriors 1969
Morningside College Sioux City, Iowa 1894 1,272 Mustangs 2003
Mount Marty College Yankton, South Dakota 1936 1,100 Lancers 2000
Nebraska Wesleyan University Lincoln, Nebraska 1887 1,600 Prairie Wolves 1969
Northwestern College Orange City, Iowa 1882 1,200 Red Raiders 1992
College of Saint Mary Omaha, Nebraska 1923 1,070 Flames 2015

Former members

Institution Location Founded Nickname Joined Left Current
Conference
Dana College Blair, Nebraska 1884 Vikings 1969 2010 Closed in 2010
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) 

Sponsored sports

Conference sports
SportMen'sWomen's
Baseball Green tick
Basketball Green tick Green tick
Cross Country Green tick Green tick
Football Green tick
Golf Green tick Green tick
Soccer Green tick Green tick
Softball Green tick
Tennis Green tick Green tick
Track & Field Indoor Green tick Green tick
Track & Field Outdoor Green tick Green tick
Volleyball Green tick
Wrestling Green tick

References

External links

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