The Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level.
The GLIAC was founded in June 1972. Its eleven member institutions are located in the Midwestern United States in the states of Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin. There are three affiliate members who compete in the GLIAC for sports not sponsored by their home conference.
Sponsorship of football was dropped by the GLIAC after the 1989 season. Conference schools sponsoring football joined with members of the Heartland Football Conference to form the Midwest Intercollegiate Football Conference (MIFC), which began play in 1990. The MIFC merged with the GLIAC in July 1999, and the GLIAC resumed sponsorship of football that fall.
History Chronological timeline 1972: The GLIAC began competition in the 1972–73 academic year. The charter members were Ferris State University, Grand Valley State University, Lake Superior State University, Northwood Institute (now Northwood University) and Saginaw Valley State University. Initially the GLIAC competed in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). 1974: Women's programs became part of the GLIAC beginning the 1974–75 academic year. Oakland University joined the GLIAC in the 1974–75 academic year. 1975: Hillsdale College, Northern Michigan University and Wayne State University joined the GLIAC in the 1975–1976 academic year. Northern Michigan continued to play football as an NCAA D-II independent. 1977: Northern Michigan left the GLIAC after the 1976–77 academic year. 1980: Michigan Technological University (Michigan Tech) joined the GLIAC in the 1980–81 academic year. 1986: Michigan Tech left GLIAC football in the 1986–87 academic year, but remained in the conference in other sports. 1987: Northwood left the GLIAC after the 1986–87 academic year. Northern Michigan rejoined the GLIAC in the 1987–88 academic year. 1990: The GLIAC dropped football as a sponsored sport after the 1989 fall season (1989–90 academic year). 1992: Northwood rejoined the GLIAC in the 1992–93 academic year. 1994: On December 14, 1994, Ashland University, Gannon University and Mercyhurst College (now Mercyhurst University) joined the GLIAC, all effective beginning the 1995–1996 academic year. 1997: Oakland left the GLIAC to become an NCAA D-I Independent after the 1996–97 academic year. (which would later joined the Mid-Continent Conference (now the Summit League), beginning the 1998–99 school year). The University of Findlay joined the GLIAC in the 1997–98 academic year. 1999: The GLIAC reinstated football as a sponsored sport by merging with the Midwest Intercollegiate Football Conference (MIFC). The only non-GLIAC member of the MIFC, the University of Indianapolis (UIndy) became a football-only affiliate of the GLIAC, all effective in the 1999 fall season (1999–00 academic year). 2001: Indianapolis (UIndy) added men's and women's swimming & diving to its GLIAC affiliate membership in the 2001–02 academic year. 2004: Lewis University joined the GLIAC as an affiliate member for men's and women's swimming and diving in the 2004–05 academic year. 2007: On June 20, 2007, Tiffin University joined the GLIAC, effective beginning the 2008–09 academic year. 2008: Gannon and Mercyhurst left the GLIAC to join the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) after the 2007–08 academic year. 2010: Lake Erie College and Ohio Dominican University joined the GLIAC in the 2010–11 academic year. 2012: Malone University and Walsh University joined the GLIAC in the 2012–13 academic year. Four institutions joined the GLIAC as affiliate members, all effective in the 2012–13 academic year: Notre Dame College for football, women's lacrosse, men's and women's soccer, and wrestling and Alderson Broaddus University, Urbana University and Wheeling Jesuit University (now Wheeling University) for women's lacrosse 2013: Notre Dame (Oh.) left the GLIAC as an affiliate member to move its sports into its new primary conference home in the Mountain East Conference (MEC) after the 2012–13 academic year. UIndy and Lewis left the GLIAC as affiliate members for men's and women's swimming & diving after the 2012–13 academic year. Ursuline College joined the GLIAC as an affiliate member for women's lacrosse and women's swimming & diving in the 2012–13 academic year. 2014: Urbana and Wheeling Jesuit left the GLIAC as affiliate members for women's lacrosse after the 2014 spring season (2013–14 academic year). McKendree University joined the GLIAC as an affiliate member for women's lacrosse in the 2015 spring season (2014–15 academic year). 2015: Alderson Broaddus and Ursuline left the GLIAC as affiliate members for women's lacrosse after the 2015 spring season (2014–15 academic year). UIndy rejoined the GLIAC as an affiliate member in women's lacrosse in the 2016 spring season (2015–16 academic year). 2016: Malone left the GLIAC to join the Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) after the 2015–16 academic year. Ursuline left the GLIAC as an affiliate member for women's swimming & diving after the 2015–16 academic year. 2017: Findlay, Hillsdale, Lake Erie, Ohio Dominican and Walsh left the GLIAC to join the G-MAC after the 2016–17 academic year. Davenport University and Purdue University–Northwest joined the GLIAC in the 2017–18 academic year. Concordia University, St. Paul joined the GLIAC as an affiliate member for women's lacrosse in the 2018 spring season (2017–18 academic year). 2018: Tiffin left the GLIAC to join the G-MAC after the 2017–18 academic year. The University of Wisconsin–Parkside joined the GLIAC in the 2018–19 academic year. It also adopted the new athletic brand name of Parkside. Three institutions joined the GLIAC as affiliate members (and/or added other single sports into their affiliate memberships), all effective in the 2018–19 academic year: Lewis and Maryville University for women's lacrosse and St. Cloud State University for men's swimming & diving 2019: UIndy, Lewis, Maryville and McKendree left the GLIAC as affiliate members for women's lacrosse after the 2019 spring season (2018–19 academic year). Upper Iowa University joined the GLIAC as an affiliate member for men's soccer and women's lacrosse in the 2019–20 academic year. 2021: Ashland left the GLIAC to join the G-MAC after the 2020–21 academic year. Augustana University joined the GLIAC as an affiliate member for men's swimming & diving in the 2021–22 academic year. St. Cloud State added men's soccer to its GLIAC affiliate membership in the 2021 fall season (2021–22 academic year). 2022: Northwood left the GLIAC for a second time to join the G-MAC after the 2021–22 academic year. 2023: Roosevelt University joined the GLIAC in the 2023–24 academic year. Although Roosevelt would initially join the conference as a provisional member, it kept continuing to compete in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC) in 2023–24 before beginning competition as a full GLIAC member in July 2024. Upper Iowa announces its intent to move to the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) in all sports after the 2022–23 academic year, including its GLIAC affiliated sports of women's lacrosse and men's soccer. 2026: The GLIAC begins sponsoring women's flag football in the sport's first full year in the NCAA Emerging Sports for Women program.
Member schools Current members The GLIAC currently has 11 full members; all but two are public schools.
Institution Location Founded Affiliation Enrollment Nickname Joined Colors Davenport University Grand Rapids, Michigan 1866 Nonsectarian 4,848 Panthers 2017 Ferris State University Big Rapids, Michigan 1884 Public 9,959 Bulldogs 1972 Grand Valley State University Allendale, Michigan 1960 Public 22,011 Lakers 1972 Lake Superior State University Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan 1946 Public 1,669 Lakers 1972 Michigan Technological University Houghton, Michigan 1885 Public 7,430 Huskies 1980 Northern Michigan University Marquette, Michigan 1899 Public 6,958 Wildcats 1975;1987 Purdue University Northwest Hammond andWestville, Indiana 1946 Public 9,051 Lions 2017 Roosevelt University Chicago, Illinois 1945 Nonsectarian 4,281 Lakers 2023 Saginaw Valley State University University Center, Michigan 1963 Public 6,822 Cardinals 1972 Wayne State University Detroit, Michigan 1868 Public23,553 Warriors 1975 Somers, Wisconsin 1968 Public 3,947 Rangers 2018
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Affiliate members The GLIAC currently has four affiliate members; all but one are private schools.
Institution Location Founded Affiliation Enrollment Nickname Joined Colors GLIACsport(s) Primaryconference Augustana University Sioux Falls, South Dakota 1860 Lutheran ELCA 2,158 Vikings 2021 Northern Sun (NSIC) Concordia University–St. Paul Saint Paul, Minnesota 1893 Lutheran LCMS 5,928 Golden Bears 2017 Lewis University Romeoville, Illinois 1932 Catholic 7,011 Flyers 2026 Great Lakes Valley (GLVC) St. Cloud State University St. Cloud, Minnesota 1869 Public 10,164 Huskies 2018 Northern Sun (NSIC) 2021
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Future affiliate members Institution Location Founded Affiliation Enrollment Nickname Joining Colors GLIAC sport Currentconference University of Illinois Springfield Springfield, Illinois 1969 Public 4,367 Prairie Stars 2027 Great Lakes Valley (GLVC)
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Former members The GLIAC had 13 former full members; all but one are private schools:
Institution Location Founded Affiliation Enrollment Nickname Joined Left Currentconference Ashland University Ashland, Ohio 1878 Brethren 6,626 Eagles 1995 2021 Great Midwest (G-MAC) Findlay, Ohio 1882 Churches of God 4,870 Oilers 1997 2017 Great Midwest (G-MAC) Gannon University Erie, Pennsylvania 1925 Catholic 4,238 Golden Knights 1995 2008 Pennsylvania (PSAC) Hillsdale College Hillsdale, Michigan 1844 Nonsectarian 1,521 Chargers 1975 2017 Great Midwest (G-MAC) Lake Erie College Painesville, Ohio 1856 Nonsectarian 1,177 Storm 2010 2017 Great Midwest (G-MAC) Malone University Canton, Ohio 1892 Evangelical 1,684 Pioneers 2012 2016 Great Midwest (G-MAC) Mercyhurst University Erie, Pennsylvania 1926 Catholic 3,217 Lakers 1995 2008 Northeast (NEC) Northwood University Midland, Michigan 1959 Nonsectarian2,541 Timberwolves 1972;1992 1987;2022 Great Midwest (G-MAC) Oakland University Rochester, Michigan 1957 Public 20,519 Golden Grizzlies 1974 1997 Horizon Ohio Dominican University Columbus, Ohio 1911 Catholic 1,716 Panthers 2010 2017 Great Midwest (G-MAC) Tiffin University Tiffin, Ohio 1888 Nonsectarian 3,096 Dragons 2008 2018 Great Midwest (G-MAC) Walsh University North Canton, Ohio 1960 Catholic 2,779 Cavaliers 2012 2017 Great Midwest (G-MAC) Westminster College New Wilmington, Pennsylvania 1852 Presbyterian 1,482 Titans 1997 2000 Presidents' (PAC)
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Former affiliate members The GLIAC had nine former affiliate members, all were private schools. School names and nicknames reflect those in use in the final season each school was an affiliate: