St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
 | |
| Association | NCAA |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1989 |
| Commissioner | Dr. Dick Kaiser |
| Sports fielded |
|
| Division | Division III |
| No. of teams | 9 |
| Headquarters | St. Louis, Missouri |
| Region | Midwest and South |
| Official website | sliac.org |
| Locations | |
 | |
The St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC) is an intercollegiate athletic conference that competes in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III which is located in the Midwestern and Southern United States. There are 9 full member institutions as of the 2025–26 academic year.
History
[edit]
Key milestones
[edit]- February 1991: The first SLIAC men's basketball tournament is held.
- February 1995: Westminster wins the men's basketball tournament title to earn the SLIAC's first automatic bid to an NCAA Division III national championship event.
- March 1996: MacMurray wins the women's basketball tournament title to earn the conference's first automatic bid to an NCAA Division III women's national championship event.
- November 1996: Blackburn, MacMurray, and Westminster share the first-ever SLIAC football title.
- September 1999: The SLIAC begins its tenth year of operation.
- November 1999: The fourth and final (until 2008) conference football title is awarded (six teams needed for conference to sponsor a sport).
- May 2007: William Wolper hired as the Conference's first full-time Commissioner (officially started in July).
- September 2008: Football begins play as the 13th conference sport after a nine-year hiatus.
- April 2009: The SLIAC announced it would cease its sponsorship of football; five football-playing schools join the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) as associate members for the sport. Huntingdon and LaGrange end football affiliation with the conference.
Recent events
[edit]On April 16, 2009, the SLIAC announced it would cease its sponsorship of football; five football-playing schools join the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) as associate members for the sport. Huntingdon and LaGrange ended their football affiliation with the conference.[1]
On June 9, 2020, Iowa Wesleyan University announced that it would leave the NCAA and return to the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) after the 2020–21 academic year.[2]
On June 17, 2021, Mississippi University for Women (MUW) was admitted to join the SLIAC as a full member, beginning the 2023–24 academic year.[3]
On August 22, 2022, Lyon College was admitted to join the SLIAC as a full member, beginning the 2023–24 academic year.[4]
Chronological timeline
[edit]Source:[5]
- 1989 – In September 1989, the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC) was founded. Charter members included Blackburn College of Illinois, Fontbonne College (later Fontbonne University), Maryville College of the Sacred Heart (now Maryville University), Parks College, Principia College and Webster University, beginning the 1989–90 academic year.
- 1990 – MacMurray College and Westminster College of Missouri joined the SLIAC in the 1990–91 academic year; also conference competition for all sports began along the way.
- 1995 – Greenville University joined the SLIAC in the 1995 86 academic year.
- 1996 – Parks left the SLIAC after the 1995–96 academic year; as it ceased operations and its academic programs were moved to the Saint Louis University campus.
- 2006 – Eureka College and Lincoln Christian College (later Lincoln Christian University) joined the SLIAC in the 2006–07 academic year.
- 2007 – Lincoln Christian left the SLIAC at the end of the fall 2007 semester, during the 2007–08 academic year.
- 2008 – Huntingdon College and LaGrange College joined the SLIAC as affiliate members for football in the 2008 fall season (2008–09 academic year); as the conference announced the return of football after a nine-year hiatus.
- 2009:
- Huntingdon and LaGrange left the SLIAC as affiliate members for football after the 2008 fall season (2008–09 academic year).
- Spalding University joined the SLIAC in the 2009–10 academic year.
- 2010 – The University of Dallas joined the SLIAC as an affiliate member for men's golf and men's and women's cross country in the 2010–11 academic year.
- 2011 – U. of Dallas left the SLIAC as an affiliate member for men's golf (after spending one season) to join as a full member of the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) after the 2010–11 academic year.
- 2013 – Iowa Wesleyan College (later Iowa Wesleyan University) joined the SLIAC in the 2013–14 academic year.
- 2019 – Grinnell College, Illinois College, Knox College of Illinois, Lake Forest College and Monmouth College joined the SLIAC as affiliate members for men's and women's golf in the 2019–20 academic year.
- 2020 – MacMurray left the SLIAC after the 2019–20 academic year; as the school ceased operations due to financial struggles.
- 2021 – Iowa Wesleyan left the SLIAC and the NCAA to return to the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) as an Independent within the Association of Independent Institutions (AII) after the 2020–21 academic year.
- 2023:
- Lyon College and the Mississippi University for Women (MUW) joined the SLIAC in the 2023–24 academic year.
- The University of the Ozarks and Schreiner University joined the SLIAC as affiliate members for men's and women's wrestling in the 2023–24 academic year.
- 2025:
- Fontbonne left the SLIAC after the 2024–25 academic year; as the school ceased operations.
- McMurry University joined the SLIAC as an affiliate member for men's and women's wrestling (alongside Huntingdon returning for those sports) in the 2025–26 academic year.
Member schools
[edit]Current members
[edit]The SLIAC currently has nine full members; all but one are private schools:
| Institution | Location | Founded | Affiliation | Enrollment | Nickname | Varsity teams |
Joined[a] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blackburn College | Carlinville, Illinois | 1837 | Presbyterian (PCUSA) |
382 | Beavers | 12 | 1989[b] |
| Eureka College | Eureka, Illinois | 1855 | Disciples of Christ | 559 | Red Devils | 16 | 2006 |
| Greenville University | Greenville, Illinois | 1892 | Free Methodist | 1,088 | Panthers | 14 | 1995 |
| Lyon College | Batesville, Arkansas | 1872 | Presbyterian (PCUSA) |
496 | Scots | 21 | 2023 |
| Mississippi University for Women (MUW) |
Columbus, Mississippi | 1884 | Public | 2,339 | Owls | 17 | 2023 |
| Principia College | Elsah, Illinois | 1912 | Scientist | 323 | Panthers | 12 | 1989[b] |
| Spalding University | Louisville, Kentucky | 1814 | Catholic (S.C.N.) |
1,692 | Golden Eagles | 11 | 2009 |
| Webster University | Webster Groves, Missouri | 1915 | Catholic (Sisters of Loretto) |
5,000 | Gorloks | 11 | 1989[b] |
| Westminster College | Fulton, Missouri | 1851 | Presbyterian (PCUSA) |
610 | Blue Jays | 8 | 1990 |
- Notes
Affiliate members
[edit]The SLIAC has nine affiliate members, all are private schools:
| Institution | Location | Founded | Affiliation | Enrollment | Nickname | Joined[a] | SLIAC sport(s) |
Primary conference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grinnell College | Grinnell, Iowa | 1846 | Nonsectarian | 1,638 | Pioneers | 2019 | Men's golf | Midwest (MWC) |
| 2019 | Women's golf | |||||||
| Huntingdon College | Montgomery, Alabama | 1854 | United Methodist | 900 | Hawks | 2025 | Men's wrestling | USA South |
| 2025 | Women's wrestling | |||||||
| Illinois College | Jacksonville, Illinois | 1829 | UCC & PCUSA | 1,029 | Blueboys & Lady Blues |
2019 | Men's golf | Midwest (MWC) |
| 2019 | Women's golf | |||||||
| Knox College | Galesburg, Illinois | 1837 | Nonsectarian | 1,058 | Prairie Fire | 2019 | Men's golf | Midwest (MWC) |
| 2019 | Women's golf | |||||||
| Lake Forest College | Lake Forest, Illinois | 1857 | Nonsectarian | 1,395 | Foresters | 2019 | Men's golf | Midwest (MWC) |
| 2019 | Women's golf | |||||||
| McMurry University | Abilene, Texas | 1923 | United Methodist | 1,430 | War Hawks | 2025 | Men's wrestling | Southern (SCAC) |
| 2025 | Women's wrestling | |||||||
| Monmouth College | Monmouth, Illinois | 1853 | Presbyterian (PCUSA) |
767 | Fighting Scots | 2019 | Men's golf | Midwest (MWC) |
| 2019 | Women's golf | |||||||
| University of the Ozarks | Clarksville, Arkansas | 1834 | Presbyterian | 630 | Eagles | 2023 | Men's wrestling | Southern (SCAC) |
| 2025 | Women's wrestling | |||||||
| Schreiner University | Kerrville, Texas | 1923 | Presbyterian | 1,103 | Mountaineers | 2023 | Men's wrestling | Southern (SCAC) |
| 2025 | Women's wrestling |
- Notes
- ^ Represents the calendar year when fall sports competition begins.
Former members
[edit]The SLIAC had six former full members; all were private schools. Only one remains in operation as a standalone institution.
| Institution | Location | Founded | Affiliation | Enrollment | Nickname | Varsity teams |
Joined[a] | Left[b] | Current conference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fontbonne University | Clayton, Missouri | 1923 | Catholic (C.S.J.) |
944 | Griffins | 10 | 1989[c] | 2025 | Closed in 2025 |
| Iowa Wesleyan University | Mount Pleasant, Iowa | 1842 | United Methodist | 571 | Tigers | 12 | 2013 | 2021 | Closed in 2023 |
| Lincoln Christian University | Lincoln, Illinois | 1944 | Christian Churches and Churches of Christ |
1,000 | Red Lions[d] | 10 | 2006 | 2008[e] | Closed in 2024 |
| MacMurray College | Jacksonville, Illinois | 1846 | United Methodist | 683 | Highlanders | 10 | 1990 | 2020 | Closed in 2020 |
| Maryville University | Town and Country, Missouri[f] | 1872 | Catholic (R.S.C.J.) |
2,500 | Saints | 14 | 1989[c] | 2009 | Great Lakes Valley (GLVC)[g] |
| Parks College | Cahokia, Illinois[h] | 1927 | Catholic (Jesuit) |
N/A | Falcons | N/A | 1989[c] | 1996 | N/A[i] |
- Notes
- ^ Represents the calendar year when fall sports competition begins.
- ^ Represents the calendar year when spring sports competition ends.
- ^ a b c Charter member. But SLIAC competition for all sports began in the 1990–91 school year.
- ^ Lincoln Christian's former athletic nicknames were the Preachers (men's) and the Angels (women's).
- ^ Lincoln Christian left the SLIAC after the end of the 2007 fall season without completing the rest of the 2007–08 school year.
- ^ The campus mailing address is St. Louis.
- ^ Currently an NCAA Division II athletic conference.
- ^ Parks College's academic programs were moved to Saint Louis University main campus in August 1996.
- ^ Parks discontinued its athletics program after the 1995–96 school year, and ceased to be a separate college in 2022, although it continues as a department within Saint Louis University
Former affiliate members
[edit]The SLIAC had three former affiliate members, all were private schools:
| Institution | Location | Founded | Affiliation | Enrollment | Nickname | Joined[a] | Left[b] | SLIAC sport(s) |
Primary conference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Dallas | Irving, Texas | 1956 | Catholic | 3,500 | Crusaders | 2010 | 2011 | Men's cross country | Southern (SCAC) |
| 2010 | 2011 | Women's cross country | |||||||
| 2010 | 2011 | Men's golf | |||||||
| Huntingdon College | Montgomery, Alabama | 1854 | United Methodist | 900 | Hawks | 2008 | 2009 | Football | USA South |
| LaGrange College | LaGrange, Georgia | 1831 | United Methodist | 1,137 | Panthers | 2008 | 2009 | Football | USA South |
- Notes
Membership timeline
[edit]
Full member (all sports) Full member (non-football) Associate member (football) Associate member (sport)
Sports
[edit]The SLIAC sponsors intercollegiate athletic competition in the following sports:
| Sport | Men's | Women's |
|---|---|---|
| Baseball | Yes | No |
| Basketball | Yes | Yes |
| Cross Country | Yes | Yes |
| Golf | Yes | Yes |
| Soccer | Yes | Yes |
| Softball | No | Yes |
| Track and field | Yes | Yes |
| Volleyball | No | Yes |
| Wrestling | Yes | Yes |
References
[edit]- ^ "SLIAC drops sponsorship of football". LaGrange Football. April 16, 2009. Archived from the original on May 28, 2010. Retrieved November 3, 2010.
- ^ "IW Tiger Athletics Update" (Press release). Iowa Wesleyan Tigers. June 9, 2020. Retrieved June 16, 2020.
- ^ "SLIAC Accepts MUW as Member" (Press release). Saint Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. June 17, 2021. Retrieved June 17, 2021.
- ^ "Lyon Accepted to Join SLIAC" (Press release). Saint Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. August 22, 2022. Retrieved August 23, 2022.
- ^ "Key Dates In SLIAC History". SLIAC. Retrieved July 17, 2013.
External links
[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.
