Midwest Conference
The Midwest Conference is an intercollegiate athletic conference affiliated with the NCAA's Division III. Member institutions are located in the Midwestern United States in the states of Illinois, Iowa, and Wisconsin. The Midwest Conference was created in 1994 with the merger of the Midwest Collegiate Athletic Conference, which had been sponsoring men's sports since 1921, and the Midwest Athletic Conference for Women, which was formed in 1977.
History
The organization of the Midwest Collegiate Athletic Conference was conceived at a meeting at Coe College on May 12, 1921. Charter members were Beloit College, Carleton College, Coe College, Cornell College, Knox College (Illinois) and Lawrence University. Hamline University and Millikin University joined the league in December 1921, but both of them later withdrew: Hamline after the 1929–30 academic year, and Millikin after the 1924–25 academic year.Ripon College joined the conference in 1923, followed by Monmouth College in 1924, Grinnell College in 1940 and Lake Forest College in 1974. Illinois College and St. Norbert College joined in 1982 and Carroll University followed in 1992. Carleton withdrew following the 1982–83 academic year. St. Olaf College also competed in the conference from 1952 to 1974, as did the University of Chicago from 1976 to 1987. Coe and Cornell withdrew following the 1996–97 academic year with Cornell rejoining the league starting in the 2012–13 year. Macalester College joined as a football-only member starting in 2014. The University of Chicago returned as a football-only member in 2017, and added baseball to its conference membership in the 2019 season.
The MWC split into North and South divisions for football, men's and women's tennis, baseball, and softball from 2012 through 2016. Divisional play ended with the departure of Carroll after the 2015–16 school year, and resumed for football only with the addition of the University of Chicago as an affiliate member for the 2017–18 season. St. Norbert left in 2021 for the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference.
On March 11, 2025, the Milwaukee School of Engineering announced that it would join the MWC as an affiliate member for men's and women's swimming & diving, beginning the 2025–26 winter season.
Chronological timeline
- 1921 – The Midwest Conference was founded as the Midwest Collegiate Athletic Conference. Charter members included Beloit College, Carleton College, Coe College, Cornell College, Knox College and Lawrence College, beginning the 1921–22 academic year.
- 1922 – Hamline University and Millikin College joined the MCAC in the 1922–23 academic year.
- 1923 – Ripon College joined the MCAC in the 1923–24 academic year.
- 1924 – Monmouth College joined the MCAC in the 1924–25 academic year.
- 1925 – Millikin left the MCAC after the 1924–25 academic year.
- 1930 – Hamline left the MCAC to fully align with the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference after the 1929–30 academic year.
- 1940 – Grinnell College joined the MCAC in the 1940–41 academic year.
- 1941 – Carleton left the MCAC after the 1940–41 academic year; as the school withdrew from the conference in June 1941.
- 1945 – Carleton rejoined the MCAC during the 1946 spring season of the 1945–46 academic year; specifically for track & field.
- 1951 – Beloit College was expelled from the conference after from the faculty of the other members schools. The stated reason was that Beloit had athletic policies that ran "contrary to the spirit and principles of the conference" including the scheduling of large schools and participation in the National Invitation Tournament.
- 1952 – St. Olaf College joined the MCAC in the 1952–53 academic year.
- 1958 – Beloit College applied to return to the league and was subsequently reinstated as a founding member.
- 1974:
- * St. Olaf left the MCAC after the 1973–74 academic year.
- * Lake Forest College joined the MCAC in the 1974–75 academic year.
- 1976 – The University of Chicago joined the MCAC in the 1976–77 academic year.
- 1982 – Illinois College and St. Norbert College joined the MCAC in the 1982–83 academic year.
- 1983 – Carleton left the MCAC to rejoin the MIAC after the 1982–83 academic year.
- 1987 – University of Chicago left the MCAC to join the University Athletic Association after the 1986–87 academic year.
- 1992 – Carroll College joined the MCAC in the 1992–93 academic year.
- 1994 – The MCAC has rebranded when the conference merged with the women's-only Midwest Athletic Conference for Women to become the Midwest Conference, effective beginning the 1994–95 academic year.
- 1997 – Coe and Cornell left the MWC to join the Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference after the 1996–97 academic year.
- 2012 – Cornell rejoined the MWC in the 2012–13 academic year.
- 2014 – Macalester College joined the MWC as an affiliate member for football in the 2014 fall season.
- 2016 – Carroll left the MWC to join the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin after the 2015–16 academic year.
- 2017 – University of Chicago rejoined the MWC, but as an affiliate member for football in the 2017 season.
- 2018 – University of Chicago added baseball into its MWC affiliate membership in the 2019 season.
- 2021:
- * St. Norbert left the MWC as a full member to join the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference after the 2020–21 academic year. St. Norbert would remain as an affiliate member for men's and women's swimming & diving.
- * Macalester left the MWC as an affiliate member for football after the 2020 fall season.
- 2024 – University of Chicago left the MWC as an affiliate member for baseball after the 2024 season.
- 2025 – The Milwaukee School of Engineering joined the MWC as an affiliate member for men's and women's swimming & diving in the 2025–26 academic year.
- 2026 – Luther College will join the MWC, beginning in the 2026–27 academic year.
Member schools
Every member in the history of the MWC and its predecessor conferences, whether full, affiliate, current, or former, has been a private school.Current members
The MWC currently has nine full members.| Institution | Location | Founded | Affiliation | Enrollment | Nickname | Joined | Colors |
| Beloit College | Beloit, Wisconsin | 1846 | Nonsectarian | 1,358 | Buccaneers | 1921 | College Blue & Vegas Gold |
| Cornell College | Mount Vernon, Iowa | 1853 | United Methodist | 1,176 | Rams | 1921, 2012 | Purple & White |
| Grinnell College | Grinnell, Iowa | 1846 | Nonsectarian | 1,638 | Pioneers | 1940 | Scarlet & Black |
| Illinois College | Jacksonville, Illinois | 1829 | UCC & PCUSA | 1,029 | Blueboys & Lady Blues | 1982 | Blue & Grey & White |
| Knox College | Galesburg, Illinois | 1837 | Nonsectarian | 1,058 | Prairie Fire | 1921 | Purple & Gold |
| Lake Forest College | Lake Forest, Illinois | 1857 | Nonsectarian | 1,395 | Foresters | 1974 | Red & Black |
| Lawrence University | Appleton, Wisconsin | 1847 | Nonsectarian | 1,489 | Vikings | 1921 | Blue & Grey & White |
| Monmouth College | Monmouth, Illinois | 1853 | Presbyterian | 767 | Fighting Scots | 1924 | Red & White |
| Ripon College | Ripon, Wisconsin | 1851 | Nonsectarian | 766 | Red Hawks | 1923 | Red & White |
;Notes
Future member
The MWC will have one future member.| Institution | Location | Founded | Affiliation | Enrollment | Nickname | Joining | Colors | Current conference |
| Luther College | Decorah, Iowa | 1861 | Lutheran ELCA | 2,573 | Norse | 2026 | Blue & white | American Rivers (A-R-C) |
;Notes:
Affiliate members
The MWC currently has three affiliate members.| Institution | Location | Founded | Affiliation | Enrollment | Nickname | Joined | MWC sport | Primary conference |
| Chicago, Illinois | 1890 | Nonsectarian | 13,400 | Maroons | 2017 | Football | University (UAA) | |
| Milwaukee School of Engineering | Milwaukee, Wisconsin | 1903 | Nonsectarian | 2,122 | Raiders | 2025 | Men's swimming & diving | Northern (NACC) |
| Milwaukee School of Engineering | Milwaukee, Wisconsin | 1903 | Nonsectarian | 2,122 | Raiders | 2025 | Women's swimming & diving | Northern (NACC) |
| De Pere, Wisconsin | 1898 | Catholic | 2,095 | Green Knights | 2021 | Men's swimming & diving | Northern (NACC) | |
| De Pere, Wisconsin | 1898 | Catholic | 2,095 | Green Knights | 2021 | Women's swimming & diving | Northern (NACC) |
;Notes:
Former members
The MWC had eight former full members.| Institution | Location | Founded | Affiliation | Enrollment | Nickname | Joined | Left | Current conference |
| Carleton College | Northfield, Minnesota | 1866 | Nonsectarian | 2,105 | Knights | 1921; 1946 | 1941; 1983 | Minnesota (MIAC) |
| Carroll University | Waukesha, Wisconsin | 1846 | Presbyterian (PCUSA) | 2,789 | Pioneers | 1992 | 2016 | Illinois–Wisconsin (CCIW) |
| Chicago, Illinois | 1890 | Nonsectarian | 7,559 | Maroons | 1976 | 1987 | University (UAA) | |
| Coe College | Cedar Rapids, Iowa | 1851 | Presbyterian | 1,355 | Kohawks | 1921 | 1997 | American Rivers (ARC) |
| Hamline University | St. Paul, Minnesota | 1854 | United Methodist | 1,944 | Pipers | 1922 | 1930 | Minnesota (MIAC) |
| Millikin University | Decatur, Illinois | 1901 | Presbyterian | 2,200 | Big Blue | 1922 | 1925 | Illinois–Wisconsin (CCIW) |
| De Pere, Wisconsin | 1898 | Catholic | 2,095 | Green Knights | 1982 | 2021 | Northern (NACC) | |
| Northfield, Minnesota | 1874 | Lutheran ELCA | 2,900 | Oles | 1955 | 1974 | Minnesota (MIAC) |
;Notes:
Former affiliate members
The MWC had two former affiliate members.| Institution | Location | Founded | Affiliation | Enrollment | Nickname | Joined | Left | MWC sport | Primary conference |
| Chicago, Illinois | 1890 | Nonsectarian | 13,400 | Maroons | 2018 | 2024 | Baseball | University (UAA) | |
| Macalester College | Saint Paul, Minnesota | 1874 | Presybterian | 2,221 | Scots | 2014 | 2021 | Football | Minnesota (MIAC) |
;Notes:
Membership timeline
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