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 (NIAC), 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 on September 22, 1969, as the Nebraska Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (NIAC).^[1] The first president of the conference was Art Nicolia (NWU) while Glen Hinkle (Doane) was the vice president and Roger Olsen (Dana) was the secretary/treasure. Jack Anderson (NWU) was named the first publicist on February 28, 1970.^[2] The six charter members were Concordia University, Dana College, Doane College, Hastings College, Midland Lutheran College, and Nebraska Wesleyan University.^[3] 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. College of Saint Mary, a women's only institution, joined in 2015. 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. Paul Clark was the commissioner of the GPAC when it formed in 2000. Corey Westra in Sioux City, Iowa, is the current commissioner of the league.^[4]

Member schools[]

Current members[]

• College of Saint Mary — women's institution, does not field men's sports.

Associate member[]

Former members[]

Membership timeline[]

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

Sponsored sports[]

Men's sponsored sports by school[]

School	Base­ball	Basket­ball	Cross Country	Football	Golf	Soccer	Tennis	Track & Field (indoor)	Track & Field (outdoor)	Wrest­ling	Total
Briar Cliff	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	Y	Y	Y	9
Concordia-Nebraska	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	10
Dakota Wesleyan	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	Y	Y	Y	9
Doane	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	10
Dordt	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	Y	Y	N	8
Hastings	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	10
Jamestown	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	Y	Y	Y	9
Midland	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	10
Morningside	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	10
Mount Marty	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	9
Northwestern College	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	10
Totals	11	11	11	11	11	11+1*	7	11	11	9	115

• Presentation College is an associate member

Women's sponsored sports by school[]

School	Basket­ball	Cheer and Dance	Cross Country	Golf	Soccer	Softball	Tennis	Track & Field (indoor)	Track & Field (outdoor)	Volleyball	Total
Briar Cliff	Y	N	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	Y	Y	Y	9
Concordia-Nebraska	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	10
Dakota Wesleyan	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	Y	Y	Y	9
Doane	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	10
Dordt	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	Y	Y	Y	9
Hastings	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	10
Jamestown	Y	N	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	Y	Y	Y	8
Midland	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	10
Morningside	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	10
Mount Marty	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	10
Northwestern College	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	10
College of Saint Mary	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	10
Totals	12	11	12	12	12	12+1*	8	12	12	12	116

• Presentation College is an associate member

References[]

External links[]

• Official website