Midwest Conference Explained

The Midwest Conference (MWC) 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 (MCAC) 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 (2018–19 school year).

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,^[1] and resumed for football only with the addition of the University of Chicago as an affiliate member for the 2017–18 season.^[2] St. Norbert left in 2021 for the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference.^[3]

On March 11, 2025, the Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSoE) 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.^[4]

Chronological timeline

• 1921 – The Midwest Conference (MWC) was founded as the Midwest Collegiate Athletic Conference (MCAC). Charter members included Beloit College, Carleton College, Coe College, Cornell College, Knox College and Lawrence College (now Lawrence University), beginning the 1921–22 academic year.
• 1922 – Hamline University and Millikin College (now Millikin University) 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 (MIAC) 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.^[5]
• 1945 – Carleton rejoined the MCAC during the 1946 spring season of the 1945–46 academic year; specifically for track & field.^[6]
• 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 (NIT).^[7]
• 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.^[8]
• 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 (UAA) after the 1986–87 academic year.
• 1992 – Carroll College (now Carroll University) 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 (MACW; founded since the 1977–78 school year) to become the Midwest Conference (MWC), effective beginning the 1994–95 academic year.
• 1997 – Coe and Cornell left the MWC to join the Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (now the American Rivers Conference [ARC]) 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 (2014–15 academic year).
• 2016 – Carroll left the MWC to join the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) after the 2015–16 academic year.
• 2017 – University of Chicago rejoined the MWC, but as an affiliate member for football in the 2017 season (2017–18 academic year).
• 2018 – University of Chicago added baseball into its MWC affiliate membership in the 2019 season (2018–19 academic year).
• 2021:
  • St. Norbert left the MWC as a full member to join the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC) 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 (2020–21 academic year).
• 2024 – University of Chicago left the MWC as an affiliate member for baseball after the 2024 season (2023–24 academic year).
• 2025 – The Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSOE) 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 &<br />Lady Blues	1982	Blue & Grey & White
Knox College	Galesburg, Illinois	1837	Nonsectarian	1,058		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.

Notes:

Affiliate members

The MWC currently has three affiliate members.

Institution	Location	Founded	Affiliation	Enrollment	Nickname	Joined	MWC sport(s)	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)
						2025	Women's swimming & diving
	De Pere, Wisconsin	1898	Catholic	2,095	Green Knights	2021	Men's swimming & diving	Northern (NACC)
						2021	Women's swimming & diving

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 (PCUSA)	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 (PCUSA)	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

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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bar:1 color:FullxF from:1921 till:1922 text:Beloit (1921–present) bar:1 color:Full from:1922 till:1951 bar:1 color:FullxF from:1951 till:1959 bar:1 color:Full from:1959 till:end

bar:2 color:FullxF from:1921 till:1922 text:Carleton (1921–1941) bar:2 color:Full from:1922 till:1941 bar:2 color:Full from:1946 till:1983 text:(1946–1983)

bar:3 color:FullxF from:1921 till:1922 text:Coe (1921–1997) bar:3 color:Full from:1922 till:1997

bar:4 color:FullxF from:1921 till:1922 text:Cornell (Ia.) (1921–1997) bar:4 color:Full from:1922 till:1997 bar:4 color:Full from:2012 till:end text:(2012–present)

bar:5 color:FullxF from:1921 till:1922 text:Knox (Ill.) (1921–present) bar:5 color:Full from:1922 till:end

bar:6 color:FullxF from:1921 till:1922 text:Lawrence (1921–present) bar:6 color:Full from:1922 till:end

bar:7 color:Full from:1922 till:1930 text:Hamline (1922–1930)

bar:8 color:Full from:1922 till:1925 text:Millikin (1922–1925)

bar:9 color:Full from:1923 till:end text:Ripon (Wisc.) (1923–present)

bar:10 color:Full from:1924 till:1974 text:Monmouth (Ill.) (1924–present) bar:10 color:FullxF from:1974 till:1976 bar:10 color:Full from:1976 till:end

bar:11 color:Full from:1940 till:end text:Grinnell (1940–present)

bar:12 color:Full from:1952 till:1974 text:St. Olaf (1952–1974)

bar:13 color:Full from:1974 till:end text:Lake Forest (1974–present)

bar:14 color:Full from:1976 till:1987 text:Chicago (1976–1987) bar:14 color:AssocF from:2017 till:end text:(2017–present)

bar:15 color:FullxF from:1982 till:1983 text:Illinois College (1982–present) bar:15 color:Full from:1983 till:end

bar:16 color:FullxF from:1982 till:1983 text:St. Norbert (1982–present) bar:16 color:Full from:1983 till:1998 bar:16 color:FullxF from:1998 till:1999 bar:16 color:Full from:1999 till:2021 bar:16 color:AssocOS from:2021 till:end

bar:17 color:Full from:1992 till:2016 text:Carroll (Wisc.) (1992–2016)

bar:18 color:AssocF from:2014 till:2021 text:Macalester (2014–2021)

bar:19 shift:(-60) color:AssocOS from:2025 till:end text:MSOE (2025–present)

bar:20 shift:(-60) color:Full from:2026 till:end text:Luther (2026–future)

bar:N color:powderblue from:1921 till:1994 text:Midwest Collegiate Athletic Conference (MCAC) bar:N color:blue from:1994 till:end text:Midwest Conference

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Sports

Men's	Women's
Baseball
Basketball
Cross Country
Football
Soccer
Track & Field (Indoor)
Track & Field (Outdoor)
Volleyball

Men's Sports

Men's varsity sports not sponsored by the Midwest that are played by Midwest schools

!School!Clay Target!Fencing!Golf!Handball!Ice Hockey!Lacrosse!Volleyball!Wrestling

Beloit					WIAC	NACC
Cornell						NACC		IND
Grinnell			SLIAC
Illinois College			SLIAC
Knox			SLIAC
Lake Forest			SLIAC		NCHA	NACC	2026-27
Lawrence		IND			NCHA	NACC
Monmouth			SLIAC

Women's Sports

Women's varsity sports not sponsored by the Midwest that are played by Midwest schools

!School!Clay Target!Fencing!Flag Football!Golf!Handball!Ice Hockey!Lacrosse!Wrestling

Beloit						WIAC	NACC
Cornell							NACC
Grinnell				SLIAC
Illinois College				SLIAC
Knox				SLIAC
Lake Forest				SLIAC		NCHA	NACC
Lawrence		IND				NCHA	NACC
Monmouth				SLIAC
Ripon			2026-27

Conference facilities

School	Football field	Capacity	Basketball arena	Capacity	Baseball field
Beloit	Strong Stadium	3,000	Flood Arena	2,500	Ballpark at Strong Stadium
Chicago	Stagg Field	1,650	Member only in football
Cornell	Ash Park Stadium	2,500	Multi-Sport Center	2,000	Ash Park Field
Grinnell	Rosenbloom Field	5,000	Darby Gym	1,250	Grinnell Baseball Diamond
Illinois College	England Stadium	3,000	Sherman Gymnasium	1,600	Joe Brooks Field
Knox	Knosher Bowl	4,000	Memorial Gym	3,000	Blodgett Field
Lake Forest	Farwell Field	1,000	Lake Forest Sports Center	1,200	No Baseball Team
Lawrence	Banta Bowl	5,255	Alexander Gym	1,280	Whiting Field
Monmouth	Bobby Woll Memorial Field	2,000	Glennie Gymnasium	1,600	Glasgow Field
Ripon	Hopp Stadium	2,000	Willmore Center	1,200	Francis Field

See also

• Midwest Conference men's basketball tournament

Notes and References

1. Web site: Carroll University leaving Midwest Conference for CCIW. www.jsonline.com.
2. Web site: Football Season Preview. Midwest Conference. en. 2017-08-30.
3. NACC Welcomes St. Norbert College as Full Member in 2020-21 . Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference . April 3, 2019 . April 14, 2019.
4. MWC Welcomes Milwaukee School of Engineering as Affiliate Member in Swimming & Diving . Midwest Conference . March 11, 2025 . March 22, 2025.
5. News: McHugh . Roy . Carleton Still At Odds With Midwest . . . July 24, 1941 . 11 . March 13, 2024 . .
6. News: . Carleton Returns To Midwest Loop In All Athletics . . . March 16, 1946 . 3 . March 13, 2024 . .
7. https://digitalpublications.beloit.edu/?a=d&d=ROT19510525-01.1.8&e=-------en-20--1--txt-txIN-------
8. https://www.beloit.edu/live/news/2702-a-decade-of-dominance-and-half-a-century-of