Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
| Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | |
|---|---|
| WIAC | |
 | |
| Established | 1913 |
| Association | NCAA |
| Division | Division III |
| Members | 8 |
| Sports fielded |
|
| Region | Wisconsin |
| Former names | Inter-Normal Athletic Conference of Wisconsin (1913–1926) Wisconsin State Teachers College Conference (1926–1951) Wisconsin State College Conference (1951–1964) Wisconsin State University Athletic Conference (1964–1997) |
| Headquarters | Madison, Wisconsin |
| Commissioner | Danielle Harris (since July 2020) |
| Website | wiacsports.com |
| Locations | |
 | |
The Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) is a college athletic conference that competes in the NCAA's Division III. In women's gymnastics, it competes alongside Division I and II members, as the NCAA sponsors a single championship event open to members of all NCAA divisions. As the name implies, member teams are located in the state of Wisconsin, although there are three associate members from Minnesota and one from Illinois. All full members are part of the University of Wisconsin System.
History[]
In 1913, representatives from Wisconsin's eight normal schools—Superior Normal School (now the University of Wisconsin–Superior), River Falls State Normal School (now the University of Wisconsin-River Falls), Stevens Point Normal School (now the University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point), La Crosse State Normal School (now the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse), Oshkosh State Normal School (now the University of Wisconsin–Oshkosh), Whitewater Normal School (now the University of Wisconsin–Whitewater), Milwaukee State Normal School (now the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee) and Platteville Normal School (now the University of Wisconsin–Platteville)--met in Madison to organize the Inter-Normal Athletic Conference of Wisconsin. The Stout Institute (now the University of Wisconsin–Stout) joined in 1914, followed by Eau Claire State Normal School (now the University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire) in 1917.[1]
The conference evolved with the growing educational mission of its member schools. It changed its name to the Wisconsin State Teachers College Conference in 1926, and the Wisconsin State College Conference in 1951. Finally, in 1964, it became the Wisconsin State University Conference.
In 1971, the member schools of the WSUC joined with the University of Wisconsin–Madison, University of Wisconsin–Parkside and Carthage College to form the Wisconsin Women's Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. By 1975, UW–Milwaukee, Carroll College, the University of Wisconsin–Green Bay and Marquette University had also joined. With the dissolution of the Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women in 1982, the member schools joined their male counterparts in either the NCAA or NAIA. By 1993, the non-NCAA Division III members had all dropped out, resulting in the WWIAC having the same membership as the WSUC. Under the circumstances, a merger was inevitable. In 1996, Gary Karner was named commissioner of both the WSUC and the WWIAC. The two conferences formally merged in 1997 to form the current WIAC.[1]
Effective with the 2001–02 academic year, Lawrence University joined the conference in the sport of wrestling. Three Minnesota schools, Gustavus Adolphus College, Hamline University and Winona State University, became members of the conference in the sport of women's gymnastics during the 2004–05 academic year. In 2009–10, the conference added men’s soccer as a sponsored sport with the announcement of Michigan school Finlandia University as an affiliate member. Lawrence discontinued its affiliation with the WIAC in wrestling.[1]
The conference remained unusually stable over the years; the only changes in full membership being the departures of UW–Milwaukee in 1964 and UW–Superior in 2015.
Centennial celebration[]
The ninth-oldest conference in the nation, the WIAC celebrated its centennial year during the 2012–13 academic year.[2] Additionally, the WIAC is the most successful NCAA Division III conference in history, boasting NCAA National Championships in 15 different sports.[3] At the beginning of the 2011–12 academic year, the conference had claimed a nation-leading 92 NCAA National Championships.[4]
To celebrate its centennial, the conference named All-Time Teams in each sport that is currently or was previously recognized as a "championship" sport within the conference.[5] Furthermore, the WIAC commissioned a commemorative work of art, created by Tim Cortes,[6] and has also created a two-year calendar in celebration of its centennial.[7]
The celebration was headlined by its Centennial Banquet held on August 4, 2012, at the Alliant Energy Center in Madison, Wisconsin. Among the honorees at the event were the All-Time Team members and the inaugural class to the WIAC Hall of Fame.
Member schools[]
Current members[]
| Institution | Nickname | Location (all in Wisconsin) |
Founded | Type | Undergraduate enrollment |
Colors | Joined |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire | Blugolds | Eau Claire | 1916 | Public | 10,043[8] | 1917–18 | |
| University of Wisconsin–La Crosse | Eagles | La Crosse | 1909 | Public | 9,708[8] | 1913–14 | |
| University of Wisconsin–Oshkosh | Titans | Oshkosh | 1871 | Public | 15,111[8] | 1913–14 | |
| University of Wisconsin–Platteville | Pioneers | Platteville | 1866 | Public | 8,134[8] | 1913–14 | |
| University of Wisconsin–River Falls | Falcons | River Falls | 1874 | Public | 5,725[8] | 1913–14 | |
| University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point | Pointers | Stevens Point | 1894 | Public | 8,792[8] | 1913–14 | |
| University of Wisconsin–Stout | Blue Devils | Menomonie | 1891 | Public | 7,555[8] | 1914–15 | |
| University of Wisconsin–Whitewater | Warhawks | Whitewater | 1868 | Public | 11,722[8] | 1913–14 |
Affiliate members[]
| Institution | Nickname | Location | Founded | Type | Undergraduate Enrollment |
Colors | Joined | Primary conference |
WIAC sport(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gustavus Adolphus College | Golden Gusties | St. Peter, Minnesota | 1862 | Private | 2,600 | 2004–05 | MIAC | gymnastics | |
| Hamline University | Pipers | Saint Paul, Minnesota | 1854 | Private | 2,100 | 2004–05 | MIAC | gymnastics | |
| Northland College | LumberJacks (men's) LumberJills (women's) |
Ashland, Wisconsin | 1906 | Private/United Church of Christ | 700 | 2019–20 | UMAC | men's and women's ice hockey | |
| University of Wisconsin–Superior | Yellowjackets | Superior, Wisconsin | 1893 | Public | 2,294[8] | 2015–16[aff 1] | UMAC | men's and women's ice hockey | |
| Winona State University | Warriors | Winona, Minnesota | 1858 | Public | 8,896 | 2004–05 | NSIC (NCAA Division II) |
gymnastics |
- Notes
Former members[]
| Institution | Nickname | Location (all in Wisconsin) |
Founded | Type | Undergraduate enrollment |
Joined | Left | Current conference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee[a] | Cardinals[b] | Milwaukee, Wisconsin | 1885 | Public | 22,767[8] | 1913–14 | 1963–64 | Horizon (NCAA Division I) |
| University of Wisconsin–Superior | Yellowjackets | Superior, Wisconsin | 1893 | Public | 2,294[8] | 1913–14 | 2014–15 | UMAC |
- Notes
Former affiliate members[]
| Institution | Nickname | Location | Founded | Type | Undergraduate enrollment |
Joined | Left | Current conference |
WIAC sport |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lawrence University | Vikings | Appleton, Wisconsin | 1847 | Private | 1,555 | 2001–02 | 2008–09 | Midwest | wrestling |
| Finlandia University | Lions | Hancock, Michigan | 1896 | Private | 500 | 2009–10 (soccer) 2018–19 (baseball) |
2015–16 (soccer) 2019–20 (baseball) |
C2C | baseball, men's soccer[a] |
| Illinois Institute of Technology | Scarlet Hawks | Chicago, Illinois | 1890 | Private | 2,977 | 2017–18 | 2017–18 | NACC | baseball |
- Notes
- ^ While Finlandia's current home of the Coast to Coast Athletic Conference sponsors both of the school's former WIAC sports, it does not conduct regular-season competition in any of its sponsored sports. All C2C members make their own regular-season schedules, with NCAA championship bids awarded in conference tournaments or championship meets.
Membership timeline[]
Sports[]
Member institutions field men's and women's teams in cross country, basketball, ice hockey, track and field, and swimming and diving. Men's teams are fielded for baseball, football, and wrestling. Women's teams are fielded for golf, gymnastics, soccer, softball, tennis and volleyball. The WIAC is the only NCAA Division III all-sports conference that does not sponsor men's soccer.
National championship teams[]
- Baseball
UW-Oshkosh: 1985, 1994
UW-Whitewater: 2005, 2014
- Men's basketball
UW-Whitewater: 1984, 1989, 2012, 2014
UW-Platteville: 1991, 1995, 1998, 1999
UW-Stevens Point: 2004, 2005, 2010, 2015
UW-Oshkosh: 2019
- Women's Basketball
UW-Stevens Point: 1987, 2002
UW-Oshkosh: 1996
- Men's Cross Country
UW-Oshkosh: 1988, 1989, 1990, 2002
UW-La Crosse: 1996, 2001, 2005
UW-Eau Claire: 2015
- Women's Cross Country
UW-La Crosse: 1983
UW-Oshkosh: 1987, 1988, 1991, 1996
UW-Eau Claire: 2009
- Football
UW-La Crosse: 1992, 1995
UW-Whitewater: 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014
- Men's Golf
UW-Eau Claire: 2001
- Men's Ice Hockey
UW-River Falls: 1988, 1994
UW-Stevens Point: 1989, 1990, 1991, 1993, 2016, 2019
UW-Superior: 2002
UW-Eau Claire: 2013
- Softball
UW-Stevens Point: 1998
UW-Eau Claire: 2008
- Men's Indoor Track & Field
UW-La Crosse: 1987, 1988, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1997, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2013, 2014, 2017
UW-Oshkosh: 2009
UW-Eau Claire: 2015, 2016
- Men's Outdoor Track & Field
UW-La Crosse: 1988, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1997, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017
UW-Oshkosh: 2009
- Women's Indoor Track & Field
UW-Oshkosh: 1994-96, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2011, 2013, 2014
UW-La Crosse: 2015
- Women's Outdoor Track & Field
UW-La Crosse: 1983, 1984, 2015
UW-Oshkosh: 1990, 1991, 1995, 1996, 1997, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2011
UW-River Falls: 2008
- Women's Volleyball
UW-Whitewater: 2002, 2005
UW-Eau Claire: 2021
Conference facilities[]
| School | Football stadium | Capacity | Basketball arena | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UW–Eau Claire | Carson Park | 6,500 | W. L. Zorn Arena | 2,450 |
| UW–La Crosse | Veterans Memorial Stadium | 10,000 | 2,880 | |
| UW–Oshkosh | Titan Stadium | 9,800 | Kolf Sports Center | 5,800 |
| UW–Platteville | Ralph E. Davis Pioneer Stadium | 10,000 | Williams Fieldhouse | 2,300 |
| UW–River Falls | Ramer Field | 4,800 | 2,149 | |
| UW–Stevens Point | Goerke Field | 4,000 | 3,281 | |
| UW–Stout | Don and Nona Williams Stadium | 5,000 | 1,800 | |
| UW–Whitewater | Forrest Perkins Stadium | 13,200 | Williams Center | 3,000 |
References[]
- ^ a b c "History". wiacsports.com.
- ^ "WIAC Announces Plans For Celebrating Its Centennial". wiacsports.com.
- ^ "Quick Facts". wiacsports.com.
- ^ "National Championship Teams". wiacsports.com.
- ^ "All-Time Teams". wiacsports.com.
- ^ "WIAC Centennial Artwork Now Available". wiacsports.com.
- ^ "WIAC Centennial Calendars Now Available". wiacsports.com.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "The University of Wisconsin System Education Reports & Statistics, Enrollments". University of Wisconsin System. Retrieved November 30, 2019.
- ^ a b "UW-Superior To Depart The WIAC". wiacsports.com.
External links[]
- Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
- College sports in Wisconsin