The Midlands Collegiate Athletic Conference (MCAC) was an intercollegiate athletic conference that competed in National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics. Members of the conference were located in the Midwest United States and were located in Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Iowa, Arkansas, and Oklahoma.
History Commissioners From 1994 when MCAC was established, to the time it dissolved in 2015, the conference only had two commissioners.
Carl R. Clapp (1994–1995) Al Waller (1996–2015)
Conference presidents The conference has board made up of representatives from the member institutions, and one person from a school is selected as the board's president for two years.
Larry Kramer, Avila College (1994–96) Paul Mills, Wesleyan College (1996–98) Sr. Tarcisia Roths, Newman University (1998–2000) Wayne Baker, York College (2000–02) Aidan Dunleavy, Newman University (2002–04) Ben Johnson, Peru State College (2004–06) Wayne Baker, York College (2006–08) Maryanne Stevens, College of Saint Mary (2008–10) Steve Eckman, York College (2010–12) Hal Hoxie Central Christian College (2012–15)
Chronological timeline 1994 – The Midlands Collegiate Athletic Conference (MCAC) was founded. Charter members included Avila College (now Avila University), Bellevue College (now Bellevue University), Bartlesville Wesleyan College (now Oklahoma Wesleyan University), the School of the Ozarks (now the College of the Ozarks), Park College (now Park University), the Saint Mary College of Kansas (now the University of Saint Mary of Kansas), the College of Saint Mary of Nebraska and York College (now York University), beginning the 1994–95 academic year. 1999 – Saint Mary (Ks.) left the MCAC to join the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) after the 1998–99 academic year. 1999 – Newman University of Kansas joined the MCAC in the 1999–2000 academic year. 2000 – Avila left the MCAC to join the Heart of America Athletic Conference (HAAC) after the 1999–2000 academic year. 2000 – Peru State College joined the MCAC in the 2000–01 academic year. 2001 – Haskell Indian Nations University joined the MCAC in the 2001–02 academic year. 2002 – Central Christian College of Kansas joined the MCAC in the 2002–03 academic year. 2006 – Newman left the MCAC to join the Division II ranks of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Heartland Conference after the 2005–06 academic year. 2009 – Park U. left the MCAC to join the American Midwest Conference after the 2008–09 academic year. 2010 – Southwestern Christian University joined the MCAC in the 2010–11 academic year. 2011 – Peru State left the MCAC to join the HAAC after the 2010–11 academic year. 2011 – Central Baptist College joined the MCAC in the 2011–12 academic year. 2012 – Waldorf College (later Waldorf University) joined the MCAC in the 2012–13 academic year. 2013 – Southwestern Christian left the MCAC to join the Sooner Athletic Conference (SAC) after the 2012–13 academic year. 2015 – The MCAC ceased operations as an athletic conference after the 2014–15 academic year; as many schools left to join their respective new home primary conferences, beginning the 2015–16 academic year: Central Baptist to the American Midwest Saint Mary (Neb.) to the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) Central Christian (who would later join the SAC in the 2017–18 school year) and the CofO to the Association of Independent Institutions (AII) and Oklahoma Wesleyan and York (Neb.) to the KCAC (York joined later in the 2016–17 school year after spending a season as a member of the AII) and Bellevue and Waldorf to the North Star Athletic Association (NSAA)
Member schools Final members The MCAC had nine full members in the conference's final season, most were private schools:
Institution Location Founded Affiliation Enrollment Nickname Joined Left Subsequentconference Currentconference Bellevue University Bellevue, Nebraska 1966 Nonsectarian 10,407 Bruins 1994 2015 North Star (NSAA)(2015–25) Frontier (2025–present) Central Baptist College Conway, Arkansas 1952 Baptist Missionary 739 Mustangs 2011 2015 American Midwest(2015–present) Central Christian College of Kansas McPherson, Kansas 1884 Free Methodist 1,013 Tigers 2002 2015 NAIA Independent/AII(2015–17) Sooner (SAC)(2017–present) Haskell Indian Nations University Lawrence, Kansas 1884 Public 958 FightingIndians 2001 2015 NAIA Independent/AII(2015–present) Oklahoma Wesleyan University Bartlesville, Oklahoma 1959 Wesleyan Church 1,103 Eagles 1994 2015 Kansas (KCAC)(2015–present) Point Lookout, Missouri 1906 Presbyterian 1,508 Bobcats 1994 2015 NAIA Independent/AII(2015–21; 2015–21)NCCAA Independent(2021–23) Sooner (SAC)(2024–present) Omaha, Nebraska 1923 Catholic 1,070 Flames 1994 2015 Great Plains (GPAC)(2015–present) Waldorf College Forest City, Iowa 1903 For-profit 580 Warriors 2012 2015 North Star (NSAA)(2015–24) Great Plains (GPAC)(2024–present) York College York, Nebraska 1890 Churches of Christ 459 Panthers 1994 2015 NAIA Independent/AII(2015–16) Kansas (KCAC)(2016–present)
Notes
Former members The MCAC had six other full members during the conference's tenure, most were private schools:
Institution Location Founded Affiliation Enrollment Nickname Joined Left Subsequentconference Currentconference Avila University Kansas City, Missouri 1916 Catholic 1,676 Eagles 1994 2000 Heart of America (HAAC)(2000–18) Kansas (KCAC)(2018–present) Newman University Wichita, Kansas 1933 Catholic 3,170 Jets 1999 2006 Heartland(2006–19) Mid-America (MIAA)(2019–present) Park University Parkville, Missouri 1875 Nonsectarian 2,340 Pirates 1994 2009 American Midwest(2009–20) Heart of America (HAAC)(2020–present) Peru State College Peru, Nebraska 1865 Public 2,422 Bobcats 2000 2011 Heart of America (HAAC)(2011–present) University of Saint Mary Leavenworth, Kansas 1859 Catholic 750 Spires 1994 1999 Kansas (KCAC)(1999–present) Southwestern Christian University Bethany, Oklahoma 1946 Pentecostal 764 Eagles 2010 2013 Sooner (SAC)(2013–present)
Notes
Membership timeline
Conference sports
The Midlands Collegiate Athletic Conference fielded 11 sports (5 men's and 6 women's), which includes:
+ Conference sportsSportMen'sWomen'sBaseball Basketball Cross Country Golf Soccer Softball Volleyball
References