Summit League
FormerlyAssociation of Mid-Continent Universities (1982–1989)
Mid-Continent Conference (1989–2007)
AssociationNCAA
FoundedJune 18, 1982 (1982-06-18)[1]
CommissionerJosh Fenton[2] (since 2021)
Sports fielded
  • 19
    • men's: 9
    • women's: 10
DivisionDivision I
Subdivisionnon-football
No. of teams9 full (7 associates)
HeadquartersSioux Falls, South Dakota
Region
Official websitethesummitleague.org
Locations
Location of teams in {{{title}}}

The Summit League, or The Summit, is an NCAA Division I intercollegiate athletic conference with its membership mostly located in the Midwestern United States, from Minnesota in the east, to the Dakotas and Nebraska to the West, and Missouri in the South, with additional members in the Western state of Colorado and the Southern state of Oklahoma. Founded as the Association of Mid-Continent Universities in 1982,[1] it rebranded as the Mid-Continent Conference in 1989,[3] then again as the Summit League on June 1, 2007.[4] The league headquarters are in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

The membership currently consists of 9 full members plus 7 associate members. The most recent change in the core conference membership is the 2021 arrival of the University of St. Thomas, which began an unprecedented transition from NCAA Division III to Division I.[5] A year earlier, the University of Missouri–Kansas City returned as a full member after a seven-year absence with the new athletic identity of the Kansas City Roos,[6] while Purdue University Fort Wayne left for the Horizon League.[7] A total of 32 schools have been full members; the last charter member remaining in the league, Western Illinois University, left for the Ohio Valley Conference on July 1, 2023, though it will remain in the Summit men's soccer league through the fall 2023 season.[8]

History

Summit League
🌍
Location of Summit League members:
full member
affiliate member

Early Days

The conference can trace its roots back to 1978, when the Mid-Continent Athletic Association was founded as a football-only conference playing in Division II at the time.[9] Its inaugural members were the University of Akron, Eastern Illinois University, University of Northern Iowa, Northern Michigan University, Western Illinois University, and Youngstown State University; Wayne State University had also expressed interest in joining, but ultimately never did.[10] Akron left after the 1979 season, while Northern Michigan and Youngstown State left the following year; they were replaced by Southwest Missouri State (now known as Missouri State University) in 1981. The 1981 season also saw the conference as a whole move from Division II to Division I-AA; this would be the conference's final season under the name of the Mid-Continent Athletic Association.

Foundation

The new association was officially created on June 18, 1982, at the O'Hare Hilton Hotel in Chicago, Illinois[1] as the Association of Mid-Continent Universities (or AMCU or AMCU-8, pronounced Am-cue), which it was known as until 1989.[11] Covering all men's sports now in addition to football, the new conference consisted of current MCAA members Northern Iowa, Eastern Illinois, Western Illinois, and Southwest Missouri State, along with non-football sponsoring Cleveland State University, University of Illinois-Chicago, University of Wisconsin-Green Bay and Valparaiso University. The conference continued to sponsor football, now under the new AMCU name, from 1982 until 1984 at the Division I-AA level (now Division I FCS); and current members North Dakota, North Dakota State, South Dakota, South Dakota State, and St. Thomas have FCS football programs.

Mid-Continent Conference logo, 1982–2007

Changes and the addition of women's sports

The conference saw its first changes in the early 1990s. Southwest Missouri State departed for membership in the Missouri Valley Conference as the University of Akron and Northern Illinois University joined in 1990. Then Wright State University joined in 1991 as Northern Iowa followed Southwest Missouri State to the MVC.

Major changes came to the conference in 1992. First, Akron left for the Mid-American Conference (MAC) and another Ohio school, Youngstown State University, replaced it. More significantly, the Mid-Continent added women's sports by absorbing the North Star Conference (NSC), a women's-only league whose final seven members were in the Mid-Continent. All of the final NSC members except for Akron moved their women's sports into the Mid-Continent. At the same time, Eastern Illinois and Western Illinois moved their women's sports into the Mid-Continent when their former women's sports home, the Gateway Conference, merged into the Missouri Valley Conference. The University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee joined the Mid-Continent a year later.

Horizon and ECC transitions

In 1994, charter members Cleveland State, UIC, and Green Bay, as well as newer members Wisconsin–Milwaukee, Northern Illinois, and Wright State left the conference to join the Midwestern Collegiate Conference, now known as the Horizon League.

The Mid-Continent absorbed Central Connecticut State University, Chicago State University, the University at Buffalo, Troy State University (now Troy University), and Northeastern Illinois University from the collapsed East Coast Conference in response. None of these institutions remain in the league.

Missouri-Kansas City, formerly an independent, also joined the Mid-Continent Conference in 1994.

Declining membership

Eastern Illinois moved to the Ohio Valley Conference in 1996, reducing membership to nine programs. Troy State departed for the Trans America Athletic Conference while Central Connecticut joined the Northeast Conference in 1997. Buffalo joined the MAC in 1998 while Northeastern Illinois ceased intercollegiate athletics at that time. Oral Roberts University and Southern Utah University replaced the former pair while Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) and Oakland University moved into the latter duo's spots a year later.

Youngstown State switched to the Horizon League in 2001, and Centenary College replaced it in 2003. Chicago State University announced in the spring of 2006 that it would withdraw from the conference to compete as an independent starting in the 2006–07 school year. Charter member Valparaiso then moved to the Horizon in 2007.

Renewed expansion and contraction

Conference expansion was discussed at length at the Mid-Continent Conference annual Presidents Council meeting in 2006, and Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne (IPFW, now Purdue Fort Wayne), North Dakota State, and South Dakota State were approved for site visits. On August 30, 2006, IPFW accepted an invitation to join the Mid-Continent Conference as a full member starting July 1, 2007.[12] Both North Dakota State and South Dakota State also accepted invitations to join the conference the next day.[13][14]

The Summit League continued its renewed expansion push with the admission of the University of South Dakota. The Coyotes began conference play in the 2011–12 academic year and become eligible for all championships the following season.[15] Centenary College subsequently announced that it would leave the Summit League following the 2010–2011 campaign.[16]

The University of North Dakota had also been openly rumored to have been courted by the Summit League, but controversy over the Fighting Sioux nickname in all likelihood prevented UND's admission at that time. Expectations that UND would join the Summit League came to an end on November 1, 2010, when North Dakota instead accepted an invitation to join the Big Sky Conference. The University of South Dakota entered into very brief negotiations to join the Big Sky as well, rather than continuing their plans to join the Summit. However, South Dakota chose instead to remain with the more compact Summit League (along with other Dakota schools, NDSU and SDSU). As the University of Nebraska Omaha began the transition to Division I athletics in all sports, it joined the Summit League on July 1, 2012. With the departures of Centenary to Division III at the end of the 2010–11 athletic year, and Southern Utah and Oral Roberts for other Division I conferences at the end of the 2011–12 athletic year, the Summit League continued with nine institutions, all within the Midwest geographical region.[17]

The conference unveiled the University of Denver (DU) as its 10th member on November 27, 2012, and the Pioneers joined in July 2013.[18] While Denver is slightly outside The Summit's current Midwestern base, the city's status as a major air hub seemingly minimized travel issues for the other members.[18] With Denver among the eight of ten WAC members switching to other conferences, that league searched for new members. UMKC announced on February 7, 2013, that it would be one of six schools joining the WAC for the 2013–14 season,[19] dropping the Summit league back to nine member schools. Membership fell to eight schools on May 7, 2013, when Oakland announced that it was joining the Horizon League.[20] Eight of the nine then-current Horizon League programs were former Summit League members with Oakland's move (the Horizon has since added two more members that were never in The Summit League, Northern Kentucky and Robert Morris, as well as another former Summit member in Purdue Fort Wayne).

In December 2013, The Summit League office announced that Oral Roberts University returned to the conference in all sports, effective July 1, 2014.[21]

The next changes to the conference's core membership were announced in 2017. First, on January 26, North Dakota, which had resolved its controversy by selecting the new nickname Fighting Hawks, unveiled as a new member beginning in 2018.[22] Then, on June 28, IUPUI announced it would leave the conference to join the Horizon League effective July 1, 2017.[23]

For much of 2018, speculation involving further league expansion focused on Augustana University, a Division II school located in the Summit's headquarters city of Sioux Falls. Many of the school's boosters have ties to Sanford Health, a hospital company that has long been a major league sponsor and also owns the office complex that houses the league headquarters.[24][25] The university announced on December 14 that it would start a transition to Division I, though stating at the time that no such move would take place until at least 2021.[26] However, on May 22, 2020, the Summit League commissioner, Tom Douple, informed Augustana president Stephanie Herseth Sandlin that the conference would not be adding more new teams "at this time."[27] The conference expanded anyway, announcing in June 2019 that UMKC would return in 2020 after a seven-year absence.[28] However, shortly thereafter, Purdue Fort Wayne announced its 2020 departure for the Horizon League, maintaining the full-time conference membership at nine schools.[7] Then, on October 4, 2019, the University of St. Thomas, a Minnesota school that was set to be expelled from its longtime athletic home of the NCAA Division III Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) in 2021, announced that it received an invitation to join the Summit upon its MIAC departure.[29] St. Thomas eventually received a waiver of an NCAA rule mandating that Division III schools can only transition to Division II, allowing the school to move directly to D-I on the originally announced schedule.[30]

Shortly before St. Thomas' future conference membership was confirmed, the University of Northern Colorado was announced as a baseball-only member effective in 2021–22.[31] The most recent change to the affiliate membership was announced on May 11, 2022, when Lindenwood University and the University of Southern Indiana were announced as new affiliates in men's soccer plus men's and women's swimming & diving effective in 2022–23. Both institutions began transitions from Division II as new members of the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC), which at the time did not sponsor any of these schools' Summit League sports, in July 2022. Southern Indiana started its swimming & diving program for both sexes in 2022–23.[32] In late March 2023, the OVC announced that it would begin sponsoring men's soccer that fall, leading to Eastern Illinois, Lindenwood, and Southern Indiana moving that sport to their full-time home.[33] All three remain swimming & diving affiliates.

In early May 2023, it was announced that founding member, Western Illinois would be leaving the Summit League in all sports and would join the Ohio Valley Conference beginning in Fall 2023.[34] In mid-June, Western Illinois announced that their men's soccer team would remain in the Summit League for the Fall 2023 season, and depart for the OVC after that.[35]

Member schools

Current full members

Institution Location Founded Joined Type Enrollment Endowment[36] Nickname Colors
University of Denver Denver, Colorado 1864 2013 Private 14,130 $900,300,000 Pioneers    
University of Missouri–Kansas City Kansas City, Missouri 1933 1994;
2020[lower-alpha 1]		 Public 16,017 $152,800,000 Roos[lower-alpha 2]    
University of Nebraska Omaha Omaha, Nebraska 1908 2012 Public 15,328 $110,000,000 Mavericks    
University of North Dakota Grand Forks, North Dakota 1883 2018 Public 14,172 $352,100,000 Fighting Hawks    
North Dakota State University Fargo, North Dakota 1890 2007 Public 11,952 $457,000,000 Bison    
Oral Roberts University Tulsa, Oklahoma 1963 1997;
2014[lower-alpha 3]		 Private

(Evangelical)

 4,857 $45,000,000 Golden Eagles      
University of St. Thomas Saint Paul, Minnesota 1885 2021[5] Private

(Catholic)

 9,347 $653,300,000 Tommies    
University of South Dakota Vermillion, South Dakota 1862 2011 Public 9,464 $328,500,000 Coyotes    
South Dakota State University Brookings, South Dakota 1881 2007 Public 11,465 $213,000,000 Jackrabbits    
Notes
  1. ↑ Kansas City, a previous member of the conference from 1994–95 to 2012–13 under its former athletic identity of the UMKC Kangaroos, rejoined the Summit effective the 2020–21 school year.
  2. ↑ Since July 1, 2019, UMKC has branded its athletic program, previously the UMKC Kangaroos, as the Kansas City Roos.[6][28]
  3. ↑ Oral Roberts, a previous member of the conference from 1997–98 to 2011–12, rejoined the Summit effective the 2014–15 school year.

Current associate members

Institution Location Founded Joined Type Enrollment Nickname Primary
conference		 Summit
sport(s)
Drake University Des Moines, Iowa 1881 2017 Private 4,875 Bulldogs MVC Men's tennis[37]
Eastern Illinois University Charleston, Illinois 1895 2005 Public 8,608 Panthers OVC Swimming & diving[38]
Illinois State University Normal, Illinois 1857 2017 Public 20,233 Redbirds MVC Men's tennis[37]
Lindenwood University St. Charles, Missouri 1827 2022 Private 7,003 Lions OVC Swimming & diving
University of Northern Colorado Greeley, Colorado 1889 2021 Public 10,348 Bears Big Sky Baseball[31]
University of Southern Indiana Evansville, Indiana 1965 2022 Public 7,938 Screaming Eagles OVC Swimming & diving
Western Illinois University Macomb, Illinois 1899 2023[lower-alpha 1] Public 7,643 Leathernecks OVC Men's soccer
  1. ↑ Western Illinois departed the Summit League as its full-time conference on July 1, 2023, but elected to keep its men's soccer team in the league until the conclusion of the Fall 2023 season.

Former members

All institutional names and nicknames used reflect those in the final school year of conference membership.

Former full members

The Summit League has 23 former members.

Institution Location Founded Type Enrollment Joined Left Nickname Subsequent
conference		 Current
conference
University of Akron Akron, Ohio 1870 Public 29,251 1990 1992 Zips Mid-American (MAC)
University at Buffalo Buffalo, New York 1846 Public 28,601 1994 1998 Bulls Mid-American (MAC)
Centenary College of Louisiana Shreveport, Louisiana 1825 Private

(UMC)

 787 2003 2011 Gentlemen (men's)
Ladies (women's)		 American Southwest SCAC
(NCAA Division III)
Central Connecticut State University New Britain, Connecticut 1849 Public 11,360 1994 1997 Blue Devils Northeast (NEC)
Chicago State University Chicago, Illinois 1867 Public 3,578 1994 2006 Cougars NCAA D-I Independent
Cleveland State University Cleveland, Ohio 1964 Public 17,204 1982[lower-alpha 1] 1994 Vikings Horizon
Eastern Illinois University Charleston, Illinois 1895 Public 11,651 1982[lower-alpha 2] 1996 Panthers OVC
University of Illinois Chicago Chicago, Illinois 1858 Public 28,091 1982[lower-alpha 1] 1994 Flames Horizon Missouri Valley
Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis[lower-alpha 3] Indianapolis, Indiana 1969 Public 27,184 1998 2017 Jaguars Horizon
Northeastern Illinois University Chicago, Illinois 1867 Public 11,149 1994 1998 Golden Eagles Discontinued intercollegiate athletics
Northern Illinois University DeKalb, Illinois 1895 Public 25,313 1990[lower-alpha 1] 1994 Huskies Horizon Mid-American (MAC)
University of Northern Iowa Cedar Falls, Iowa 1876 Public 11,147 1982 1991 Panthers Missouri Valley
Oakland University[20] Rochester, Michigan 1957 Public 19,379 1998 2013 Golden Grizzlies Horizon
Purdue University Fort Wayne Fort Wayne, Indiana 1964[lower-alpha 4] Public 10,139 2007 2020 Mastodons Horizon
Southern Utah University Cedar City, Utah 1897 Public 8,297 1997 2012 Thunderbirds Big Sky WAC
Southwest Missouri State University[lower-alpha 5] Springfield, Missouri 1905 Public 21,059 1982 1990 Bears (men's)
Lady Bears (women's)		 Missouri Valley
Troy State University[lower-alpha 6] Troy, Alabama 1887 Public 29,689 1994 1997 Trojans TAAC Sun Belt
University of Wisconsin–Green Bay Green Bay, Wisconsin 1965 Public 6,700 1982[lower-alpha 1] 1994 Phoenix Horizon
University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee Milwaukee, Wisconsin 1885 Public 30,502 1993 1994 Panthers Horizon
Valparaiso University Valparaiso, Indiana 1859 Private

(Lutheran)

 4,061 1982[lower-alpha 1] 2007 Crusaders[lower-alpha 7] Horizon Missouri Valley
Western Illinois University Macomb, Illinois 1899 Public 7,643 1982[lower-alpha 8] 2023 Leathernecks OVC
Wright State University Fairborn, Ohio 1967 Public 17,789 1991[lower-alpha 1] 1994 Raiders Horizon
Youngstown State University Youngstown, Ohio 1908 Public 15,194 1992 2001 Penguins Horizon
Notes
  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 This school joined the then-Mid-Continent Conference before the league began sponsoring women's sports in the 1992–93 school year. It had previously been a member of the women's sports-only North Star Conference, which was absorbed by the Mid-Con after the 1991–92 school year.
  2. ↑ Before the Mid-Con began sponsoring women's sports in the 1992–93 school year, Eastern Illinois had been a member of the Gateway Collegiate Athletic Conference, which began as a women's-only conference and added football in the 1985 fall season (1985–86 school year); EIU was a member of both sides of the conference. When the Gateway merged its women's side into the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC), EIU moved its women's sports into the Mid-Con, but kept its football team in the Gateway until it moved its entire athletic program into the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC), effective with the 1996–97 school year.
  3. ↑ The Indiana University and Purdue University systems will dissolve IUPUI at the end of the 2023–24 school year, replacing it with separate IU- and Purdue-affiliated institutions. The new IU Indianapolis, which will take over the vast majority of IUPUI academic programs, will inherit the athletic program.[39]
  4. ↑ Purdue Fort Wayne (PFW) did not begin operation until 2018, but inherited its athletic program from Indiana University – Purdue University Fort Wayne (IPFW), founded in 1964. IPFW dissolved in 2018, and the Purdue University and Indiana University systems each established a new Fort Wayne campus.[40]
  5. ↑ Known since 2005 as Missouri State University.
  6. ↑ Known since 2005 as Troy University.
  7. ↑ Dropped nickname of Crusaders in February 2021; adopted new nickname of Beacons that August.
  8. ↑ The Mid-Con did not sponsor women's sports until the 1992–93 school year. Before that time, Western Illinois had been a member of the Gateway Collegiate Athletic Conference, which began as a women's-only conference and added football in the 1985–86 school year; WIU was a member of both sides of the conference. When the Gateway merged its women's side into the Missouri Valley Conference, WIU moved its women's sports into the Mid-Con, but kept its football team in the Gateway (now known as the Missouri Valley Football Conference) through the 2023 season.

Former associate members

Institution Location Founded Type Enrollment Joined Left Nickname Primary
conference
during associate
membership		 Current
conference
in former
Summit sport[lower-alpha 1]		 Summit
sport
University of Akron Akron, Ohio 1870 Public 10,378 1978 1980 Zips D-II Independent Mid-American (MAC) football
DePaul University Chicago, Illinois 1898 Private 24,414 1992 1999 Blue Demons Great Midwest,
Conf. USA (C-USA)[lower-alpha 2]		 Big East softball
Howard University Washington, D.C. 1867 Private 10,000 1996 1999 Bison Mid-Eastern (MEAC) Northeast (NEC)[lower-alpha 3] men's soccer
C.W. Post of Long Island University Brookville, New York 1954 Public 8,472 1994 1998 Pioneers East Coast (ECC)[lower-alpha 4] Northeast (NEC)[lower-alpha 5] baseball
New York Institute of Technology New York, New York 1955 Private 13,000 1994 1998 Bears East Coast (ECC)[lower-alpha 4][lower-alpha 6] TBA[lower-alpha 7] baseball
Northern Michigan University Marquette, Michigan 1899 Public 6,764 1978 1981 Wildcats D-II Independent Great Lakes (GLIAC)[lower-alpha 4] football
Oral Roberts University Tulsa, Oklahoma 1963 Private 3,417 2012 2014 Golden Eagles Southland[lower-alpha 8] Summit men's soccer
Pace University New York, New York 1906 Private 12,772 1994 1998 Setters East Coast (ECC),[lower-alpha 4]
Northeast-10 (NE-10)[lower-alpha 4][lower-alpha 9]		 Northeast-10 (NE-10) baseball
Quincy University Quincy, Illinois 1860 Private 1,269 1994 1996 Hawks Great Lakes (GLVC)[lower-alpha 4] men's soccer
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
(SIU Edwardsville or SIUE)		 Edwardsville, Illinois 1957 Public 13,850 1994 1996 Cougars Great Lakes (GLVC)[lower-alpha 4] Ohio Valley (OVC) men's soccer
University of South Dakota Vermillion, South Dakota 1862 Public 10,151 2009 2011 Coyotes Great West (GWC) Summit men's swimming & diving
women's swimming & diving
South Dakota State University Brookings, South Dakota 1881 Public 12,851 2005 2007 Jackrabbits D-I Independent Summit men's swimming & diving
women's swimming & diving
State University of New York at Oneonta Oneonta, New York 1889 Public 5,852 1996 1998 Red Dragons New York State (SUNYAC)[lower-alpha 10] men's soccer
Valparaiso University Valparaiso, Indiana 1859 Private 4,500 2017 2020 Crusaders Missouri Valley (MVC) —[lower-alpha 11][lower-alpha 12] men's tennis
2017 2021 Mid-American (MAC)[lower-alpha 12][43] men's swimming
Youngstown State University Youngstown, Ohio 1908 Public 11,298 1978 1981 Penguins D-II Independent Missouri Valley (MVFC) football
Notes
  1. ↑ Except as noted, this matches each school's current primary conference.
  2. ↑ When DePaul joined for softball, it was a member of the Great Midwest Conference. In 1995, that conference merged with the Metro Conference to form Conference USA.
  3. ↑ Howard remains a full member of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, which does not sponsor soccer for either men or women.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Currently an NCAA Division II athletic conference.
  5. ↑ After the 2018–19 school year, Long Island University merged the LIU Post athletic program with the program of its other principal campus, LIU Brooklyn, creating a new Division I program that now competes as the LIU Sharks. The unified athletic program, which maintains Brooklyn's memberships in Division I and the Northeast Conference, now fields a single baseball team that plays on the Post campus in Brookville.[41]
  6. ↑ NYIT remained in Division I baseball through the 2017 spring season (2016–17 school year), after which it downgraded baseball to Division II and added that sport to its existing ECC membership.
  7. ↑ NYIT shut down its athletic program after the 2019–20 school year due to COVID-19 impacts. It was expected to resume athletics in 2022–23, but has yet to do so by far or announce a future conference affiliation.
  8. ↑ Between Oral Roberts' 2012 departure for the Southland Conference and 2014 return to the Summit League, it maintained Summit associate membership in men's soccer.
  9. ↑ When Pace joined for baseball, it was a member of the ECC (then known as the New York Collegiate Athletic Conference (NYCAC). In 1997, it joined the Northeast-10.
  10. ↑ Currently an NCAA Division III athletic conference.
  11. ↑ Valparaiso dropped men's tennis after the 2019–20 school year.[42]
  12. 1 2 Valparaiso remains a full member of the Missouri Valley Conference.

Membership timeline

University of St. Thomas (Minnesota)Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic ConferenceUniversity of North DakotaBig Sky ConferenceGreat West ConferenceNorth Central ConferenceUniversity of DenverWestern Athletic ConferenceSun Belt ConferenceNCAA Division I independent schoolsNCAA Division II independent schoolsNAIA independent schoolsNCAA Division I independent schoolsUniversity of Nebraska OmahaNCAA Division I independent schoolsMid-America Intercollegiate Athletics AssociationNorth Central ConferenceUniversity of South DakotaGreat West ConferenceNorth Central ConferenceHorizon LeaguePurdue University Fort WayneNCAA Division I independent schoolsGreat Lakes Valley ConferenceNCAA Division II independent schoolsNCAA Division III independent schoolsNorth Dakota State UniversityNCAA Division I independent schoolsNorth Central ConferenceSouth Dakota State UniversityNCAA Division I independent schoolsNorth Central ConferenceSouthern Collegiate Athletic ConferenceNCAA Division III independent schoolsCentenary College of LouisianaNCAA Division I independent schoolsASUN ConferenceHorizon LeagueOakland UniversityNCAA Division II independent schoolsGreat Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic ConferenceHorizon LeagueIndiana University – Purdue University IndianapolisNCAA Division II independent schoolsNAIA independent schoolsOral Roberts UniversityNCAA Division I independent schoolsNAIA independent schoolsNCAA Division I independent schoolsHorizon LeagueNCAA Division I independent schoolsWestern Athletic ConferenceBig Sky ConferenceSouthern Utah UniversityNCAA Division I FCS independent schoolsAmerican West ConferenceNCAA Division I FCS independent schoolsNCAA Division II independent schoolsRocky Mountain Athletic ConferenceWestern Athletic ConferenceUniversity of Missouri–Kansas CityNCAA Division I independent schoolsNAIA independent schoolsNortheast ConferenceNCAA Division I independent schoolsWestern Athletic ConferenceGreat West ConferenceNCAA Division I independent schoolsChicago State UniversityEast Coast Conference (Division I)NCAA Division I independent schoolsNAIA independent schoolsChicagoland Collegiate Athletic ConferenceNortheastern Illinois UniversityEast Coast Conference (Division I)NCAA Division I independent schoolsNCAA Division II independent schoolsNAIA independent schoolsMid-American ConferenceUniversity at BuffaloEast Coast Conference (Division I)NCAA Division I independent schoolsState University of New York Athletic ConferenceSun Belt ConferenceASUN ConferenceTroy UniversityEast Coast Conference (Division I)NCAA Division II independent schoolsGulf South ConferenceNortheast ConferenceCentral Connecticut State UniversityEast Coast Conference (Division I)East Coast Conference (Division I)Horizon LeagueHorizon LeagueUniversity of Wisconsin–MilwaukeeNCAA Division I independent schoolsNCAA Division I independent schoolsNAIA independent schoolsNCAA Division III independent schoolsNCAA Division I independent schoolsHorizon LeagueHorizon LeagueWright State UniversityNCAA Division I independent schoolsNCAA Division II independent schoolsMid-American ConferenceNorthern Illinois UniversityNCAA Division I FBS independent schoolsMid-American ConferenceMissouri Valley ConferenceHorizon LeagueValparaiso UniversityHorizon LeagueHorizon LeagueUniversity of Wisconsin–Green BayMissouri Valley ConferenceHorizon LeagueHorizon LeagueUniversity of Illinois at ChicagoChicagoland Collegiate Athletic ConferenceHorizon LeagueHorizon LeagueCleveland State UniversityNCAA Division I independent schoolsMissouri Valley ConferenceMissouri State UniversityMid-America Intercollegiate Athletics AssociationHorizon LeagueNCAA Division I FCS independent schoolsOhio Valley ConferenceYoungstown State UniversityWestern Illinois UniversityNorthern Michigan UniversityMissouri Valley ConferenceUniversity of Northern IowaOhio Valley ConferenceEastern Illinois UniversityMid-American ConferenceNCAA Division I FBS independent schoolsOhio Valley ConferenceUniversity of Akron

Full members  Full members (non-football)  Associate members (football only)  Associate member (baseball, men's soccer, softball, swimming and diving, or men's tennis)  Other Conference  Other Conference 

  • Purdue Fort Wayne joined the league as IPFW. The athletic branding was changed to "Fort Wayne" in 2016, and to Purdue Fort Wayne shortly before the dissolution of IPFW on July 1, 2018.
  • Southwest Missouri State adopted its current name of Missouri State University in 2005.
  • The two former members that are part of the University of Wisconsin System, namely UW–Green Bay and UW–Milwaukee, now brand themselves for athletic purposes as "Green Bay" and "Milwaukee".
  • Troy State adopted its current name of Troy University in 2004.
  • UMKC rebranded its athletic program as "Kansas City" in 2019, a year before its return to the league.[6]

The Summit League sponsors championship competition in nine men's and ten women's NCAA sanctioned sports.[44] Former full member Eastern Illinois is an associate member for men's and women's swimming and diving and men's soccer. Drake and Illinois State became associate members in men's tennis starting in 2017–18, and former full member Valparaiso rejoined for men's swimming and men's tennis at the same time. Valparaiso dropped men's tennis after the 2019–20 season; it remained a swimming associate until moving that sport to the Mid-American Conference in 2021. Northern Colorado became a baseball associate starting in the 2022 season (2021–22 school year), and Lindenwood and Southern Indiana became associates in men's soccer plus men's and women's swimming & diving in the 2022–23 school year. Eastern Illinois, Lindenwood, and Southern Indiana moved men's soccer to their primary home of the Ohio Valley Conference in 2023–24 while remaining Summit affiliates in swimming & diving. Western Illinois elected to leave the league full time in 2023, but its men's soccer team will remain in the Summit through the fall 2023 season.

Teams in Summit League competition
SportMen'sWomen's
Baseball6–
Basketball99
Cross country78
Golf99
Soccer69
Softball–7
Swimming and diving88
Tennis88
Track and field (indoor)78
Track and field (outdoor)78
Volleyball–9

    Men's sponsored sports by school

    SchoolBaseballBasketballCross
    Country     		Golf Soccer Swimming
    & Diving     		Tennis Indoor
    Track & Field    		Outdoor
    Track & Field    		Total
    Summit League
    Sports
    DenverNoYesNoYesYesYesYesNoNo5
    Kansas CityNoYesYesYesYesNoYesYesYes7
    North DakotaNoYesYesYesNoNoYesYesYes6
    North Dakota StateYesYesYesYesNoNoNoYesYes6
    OmahaYesYesNoYesYesYesYesNoNo6
    Oral RobertsYesYesYesYesYesNoYesYesYes8
    St. ThomasYesYesYesYesYesYesNoYesYes8
    South DakotaNoYesYesYesNoYesNoYesYes6
    South Dakota StateYesYesYesYesNoYesNoYesYes7
    Associate members
    DrakeYes1
    Eastern IllinoisYes1
    Illinois StateYes1
    LindenwoodYes1
    Northern ColoradoYes1
    Southern IndianaYes1
    Western IllinoisYes1
    Totals69796887767

      Men's varsity sports not sponsored by The Summit League which are played by member schools:

      SchoolFootballIce HockeyLacrosseSkiingWrestling
      Denver—NCHCBig EastRMISA—
      North DakotaMVFCNCHC———
      North Dakota StateMVFC———Big 12
      Omaha—NCHC———
      St. ThomasPFLCCHA———
      South DakotaMVFC————
      South Dakota StateMVFC———Big 12

        Women's sponsored sports by school

        School BasketballCross
        Country         		GolfSoccer Softball Swimming
        & Diving        		Tennis Indoor
        Track & Field        		Outdoor
        Track & Field        		VolleyballTotal
        Summit League
        Sports
        DenverYesNoYesYesNoYesYesNoNoYes6
        Kansas CityYesYesYesYesYesNoYesYesYesYes9
        North DakotaYesYesYesYesYesNoYesYesYesYes9
        North Dakota StateYesYesYesYesYesNoNoYesYesYes8
        OmahaYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYes10
        Oral RobertsYesYesYesYesNoNoYesYesYesYes8
        St. ThomasYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYes10
        South DakotaYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYes10
        South Dakota StateYesYesYesYesYesYesNoYesYesYes9
        Associate members
        Eastern IllinoisYes1
        LindenwoodYes1
        Southern IndianaYes1
        Totals989978888985
        Notes

          Women's varsity sports not sponsored by The Summit League which are played by member schools:

          SchoolEquestrianGymnasticsIce HockeyLacrosseSkiing
          Denver—Big 12—Big EastRMISA
          St. Thomas——WCHA——
          South Dakota StateUnited Equestrian Conference &
          National Collegiate Equestrian Association          		————

          Football

          Men's basketball

          Men's basketball in the NCAA tournament

          Year Team Seed Results
          1983 none
          1984 none
          1985 none
          1986 Cleveland State 14* defeated Indiana
          defeated Saint Joseph's
          lost to Navy
          1987 Southwest Missouri State[45] 13 defeated Clemson
          lost to Kansas
          1988 Southwest Missouri State 13 lost to UNLV
          1989 Southwest Missouri State 14 lost to Seton Hall
          1990 Southwest Missouri State 9* lost to North Carolina
          Northern Iowa 14 defeated Missouri
          lost to Minnesota
          1991 Green Bay 12 lost to Michigan State
          Northern Illinois 13* lost to St. John's
          1992 Eastern Illinois 15 lost to Indiana
          1993 Wright State 16 lost to Indiana
          1994 Green Bay 12 defeated California
          lost to Syracuse
          1995 none
          1996 Valparaiso 14 lost to Arizona
          1997 Valparaiso 12 lost to Boston College
          1998 Valparaiso 13 defeated Ole Miss
          defeated Florida State
          lost to Rhode Island
          1999 Valparaiso 15 lost to Maryland
          2000 Valparaiso 16 lost to Michigan State
          2001 Southern Utah 14 lost to Boston College
          2002 Valparaiso 13 lost to Kentucky
          2003 IUPUI 16 lost to Kentucky
          2004 Valparaiso 15 lost to Gonzaga
          2005 Oakland 16 defeated Alabama A&M**
          Lost to North Carolina
          2006 Oral Roberts 16 lost to Memphis
          2007 Oral Roberts 14 lost to Washington State
          2008 Oral Roberts 13 lost to Pittsburgh
          2009 North Dakota State 14 lost to Kansas
          2010 Oakland 14 lost to Pittsburgh
          2011 Oakland 13 lost to Texas
          2012 South Dakota State 14 lost to Baylor
          2013 South Dakota State 13 lost to Michigan
          2014 North Dakota State 12 defeated Oklahoma
          lost to San Diego State
          2015 North Dakota State 15 lost to Gonzaga
          2016 South Dakota State 12 lost to Maryland
          2017 South Dakota State 16 lost to Gonzaga
          2018 South Dakota State 12 lost to Ohio State
          2019 North Dakota State 16 defeated NCCU**
          lost to Duke
          2021 Oral Roberts 15 defeated Ohio State
          defeated Florida
          lost to Arkansas
          2022 South Dakota State 13 lost to Providence
          2023 Oral Roberts 12 lost to Duke

          * At-large bid
          ** First Four game

          Summit League championships won per school

          School Conference Tournament
          Titles Last
          Title          		 Titles Last
          Title
          Valparaiso 9 2003-04 8 2004
          South Dakota State 8 2021–22 6 2022
          Oral Roberts 7 2022–23 5 2023
          Missouri State 4 1989-90 2 1989
          North Dakota State 4 2019-20 5 2020
          Oakland 3 2010-11 3 2011
          Cleveland State 3 1992-93 1 1986
          Western Illinois 2 2012-13 1 1984
          Green Bay 2 1993-94 2 1994
          Purdue Fort Wayne 1 2015-16 0 N/A
          South Dakota 1 2016-17 0 N/A
          IUPUI 1 2005-06 1 2003
          Illinois-Chicago 1 1983-84 0 N/A
          Northern Illinois 1 1990-91 0 N/A
          Southern Utah 1 2000-01 1 2001
          Eastern Illinois 0 N/A 2 1992
          Wright State 0 N/A 1 1993
          Northern Iowa 0 N/A 1 1990

          Italics indicate a school no longer a part of the Summit League

          Women's Basketball

          Summit League championships won per school

          School Conference Tournament
          Titles Last
          Title          		 Titles Last
          Title
          South Dakota State 9 2022–23 10 2023
          Western Illinois 6 2016–17 2 2017
          South Dakota 5 2021–22 4 2022
          Youngstown State 5 1998-99 3 2000
          Oakland 3 2006-07 2 2006
          Oral Roberts 2 2010-11 5 2008
          Northern Illinois 2 1993-94 1 1993
          Valparaiso 2 2001-02 2 2004
          Troy 1 1996-97 1 1997
          Buffalo 1 1994-95 0 N/A
          Green Bay 0 N/A 1 1994

          Italics indicate a school no longer a part of the Summit League

          Facilities

          School Soccer stadium Capacity Basketball arena Capacity Baseball field Capacity Softball field Capacity
          Denver CIBER Field at the University of Denver Soccer Stadium 2,000 Hamilton Gymnasium 2,500 Non-baseball school Non-softball school
          Kansas City Durwood Soccer Stadium 850 Swinney Recreation Center[46] 1,500 Non-baseball school Urban Youth Academy —
          North Dakota Bronson Field — Betty Engelstad Sioux Center[lower-alpha 1] 3,300 Non-baseball school Apollo Sports Complex 150
          North Dakota State Dacotah Field[47] 2,600[48] Scheels Center 5,644[49] Newman Outdoor Field 4,600 Tharaldson Park[50] 735
          Omaha Al F. Caniglia Field[51] 3,097 Baxter Arena[52] 7,898 Tal Anderson Field 1,500 Connie Claussen Field 650[53]
          Oral Roberts Case Soccer Complex 1,000 Mabee Center 10,575 J. L. Johnson Stadium 2,418 Non-softball school
          St. Thomas South Field 800 Schoenecker Arena 1,800[54] Koch Diamond 250 South Field 150
          South Dakota First Bank & Trust Soccer Complex 800 Sanford Coyote Sports Center 6,000 Non-baseball school Nygard Field 500[55]
          South Dakota State Fishback Soccer Park 1,500 Frost Arena 6,500 Erv Huether Field 600 Jackrabbit Softball Stadium 200
          Affiliate members
          Northern Colorado Baseball-only member Jackson Field 1,500 Baseball-only member
          Western Illinois John MacKenzie Alumni Field 500 Men's soccer-only member
          1. ↑ North Dakota also schedules basketball games at the Ralph Engelstad Arena.

          Media Rights

          On August 10, 2023, the Summit League announced the signing of a new three-year media rights deal that would tie the league with CBS Sports Network and even closer ties with Midco Sports through the 2025-26 academic year.[56][57] The new deal transfers the Summit League's men's/women's basketball championship game rights over to CBS Sports Network from ESPN, and adds a guaranteed six regular season men's basketball games on the network with an option of six more men's or women's basketball games during the season. For the 2024 tournament, CBS Sports Network will also broadcast the women's basketball tournament semifinal. In 2025 and 2026 there will remain an option to have the men's and women's tournaments semifinals on CBS Sports Network if scheduling allows.

          The Midco contract will now expand to the creation of a new all-league media platform called The Summit League Network. It will provide access to all nine member institutions' live streams of every home game, both non-conference and in-conference, as well as interviews and other league info. This expansion will preserve the local media rights given out at select institutions, as the provider for the university will supply Midco with that broadcast/live stream to be simulcast on the Summit League Network.

          See also

          References

          1. 1 2 3 "Valpo to join Conference". Green Bay, Wisconsin: The Rochester Sentinel. 19 June 1982. Retrieved 13 July 2013.
          2. ↑ "Home". thesummitleague.org.
          3. ↑ "Moving to the Summit Series: Tennis".
          4. ↑ "Mid-Continent Conference changing name to the Summit League".
          5. 1 2 Ryan, Megan. "St. Thomas gets approval from NCAA to go Division I". Star Tribune. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
          6. 1 2 3 "UMKC Athletics Completes New Brand Identity" (Press release). Kansas City Athletics. July 1, 2019. Retrieved July 1, 2019.
          7. 1 2 "Purdue University Fort Wayne to Join Horizon League" (Press release). Horizon League. August 5, 2019. Retrieved August 5, 2019.
          8. ↑ "Western Illinois to depart Summit League beginning next season". thesummitleague.org. The Summit League. May 12, 2023. Retrieved September 8, 2023.
          9. ↑ "Northern Iowa gets okay to shift to new athletic conference for 1978". Iowa City, Iowa: The Telegraph-Herald. 19 June 1977. Retrieved 13 July 2013.
          10. ↑ "New league is proposed". Macomb, Illinois: The Daily Sentinel. 29 April 1977. Retrieved 13 July 2013.
          11. ↑ http://www.thespectrum.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060309/SPORTS/603090335/1006
          12. ↑ Press Release. IPFW accepts invitation to join Mid-Continent Conference Archived 2016-03-05 at the Wayback Machine, Mid-Continent Conference, August 30, 2006.
          13. ↑ Press Release. North Dakota State University accepts invitation to join Mid-Continent Conference Archived 2016-03-03 at the Wayback Machine, Mid-Continent Conference, August 31, 2006.
          14. ↑ Press Release. South Dakota State University accepts invitation to join Mid-Continent Conference Archived 2007-03-11 at the Wayback Machine, Mid-Continent Conference, August 31, 2006.
          15. ↑ "University of South Dakota Official Athletic Site - University of South Dakota". Usdcoyotes.com. Retrieved July 2, 2013.
          16. ↑ "Centenary to leave Summit League". July 7, 2009. Retrieved July 2, 2013.
          17. ↑ "North Dakota, Southern Utah joining Big Sky Conference - ESPN". Sports.espn.go.com. November 1, 2010. Retrieved July 2, 2013.
          18. 1 2 "Denver Becomes The Summit League's Newest Member" (Press release). The Summit League. November 27, 2012. Retrieved November 27, 2012.
          19. ↑ "UMKC Heading to the Western Athletic Conference - UMKC Athletics". Umkckangaroos.com. Retrieved July 2, 2013.
          20. 1 2 "Oakland University to Join". Horizon League. May 7, 2013. Archived from the original on June 29, 2013. Retrieved July 2, 2013.
          21. ↑ "Oral Roberts University Joins". The Summit League. Retrieved 2017-03-20.
          22. ↑ "The Summit League Adds The University of North Dakota" (Press release). The Summit League. January 26, 2017. Retrieved January 27, 2017.
          23. ↑ "IUPUI to Join Horizon League" (Press release). Horizon League. June 28, 2017. Archived from the original on June 28, 2017. Retrieved June 29, 2017.
          24. ↑ Gaskins, John (May 23, 2018). "Summit League Chief: Sanford-tied Augustana boosters lobbying for move to Div. I". Sioux Falls, SD: KELO-TV. Retrieved December 30, 2018.
          25. ↑ Kolpack, Jeff (July 28, 2018). "Kolpack: All vital signs pointing to Augustana joining Summit League". Grand Forks Herald. Retrieved December 30, 2018.
          26. ↑ "Augustana moving to NCAA Division I". Sioux Falls, SD: KSFY-TV. December 14, 2018. Retrieved December 30, 2018.
          27. ↑ "Summit League snub sends Augustana back to reality". Sioux Falls Argus Leader/USA Today. June 29, 2020. Retrieved 18 July 2020.
          28. 1 2 "Summit League welcomes back UMKC" (Press release). The Summit League. June 20, 2019. Retrieved June 23, 2019.
          29. ↑ "Athletics Conference Update" (Press release). University of St. Thomas (Minnesota). October 4, 2019. Retrieved October 4, 2019.
          30. ↑ "NCAA Ruling Allows D-III St. Thomas to Make Unprecedented Leap to D-I" (Press release). St. Thomas Tommies. July 15, 2020. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
          31. 1 2 "Northern Colorado to join The Summit League as a baseball affiliate" (Press release). The Summit League. July 14, 2020. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
          32. ↑ "Lindenwood, Southern Indiana added as affiliate members for men's soccer and swimming and diving" (Press release). The Summit League. May 11, 2022. Retrieved May 11, 2022.
          33. ↑ "OVC Adds Men's Soccer as Championship Sport" (Press release). Ohio Valley Conference. March 28, 2023. Retrieved April 4, 2023.
          34. ↑ "Leatherneck Athletics Moving to Ohio Valley Conference for All Sports". goleathernecks.com. Western Illinois Leathernecks. May 12, 2023. Retrieved May 12, 2023.
          35. ↑ "WIU Men's Soccer to play in Summit League this Fall". goleathernecks.com. Western Illinois Leathernecks. June 15, 2023. Retrieved June 27, 2023.
          36. ↑ "U.S. and Canadian Institutions Listed by Fiscal Year 2011 Endowment Market Value and Percentage Change in Endowment Market Value from FY 2010 to FY 2011 (Table Revised and Updated on March 19, 2012)" (PDF). Nacubo.org\accessdate=2017-03-20. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-09-15.
          37. 1 2 "Summit League Adds Drake and Illinois State as Men's Tennis Affiliate Members" (Press release). The Summit League. April 11, 2017. Retrieved April 20, 2017.
          38. ↑ "The Summit League" (PDF). The Summit League. Retrieved 2017-03-20.
          39. ↑ Burbrink, Jacob (August 12, 2022). "IU, Purdue split IUPUI into separate academic organizations". Indianapolis: WXIN. Retrieved August 14, 2022.
          40. ↑ "Goodbye IPFW, hello Purdue Fort Wayne". Journal & Courier, a division of Gannett Company, Inc. April 21, 2017. Retrieved December 3, 2017.
          41. ↑ "One LIU: Frequently Asked Questions". Long Island University. Retrieved October 11, 2018.
          42. ↑ "Valpo Announces Discontinuation of Men's Soccer, Men's Tennis Programs" (Press release). Valparaiso University. November 20, 2019. Retrieved December 30, 2019.
          43. ↑ "Valparaiso To Join MAC As Affiliate Member In Men's Swimming & Diving" (Press release). Mid=American Conference. March 4, 2021. Retrieved May 28, 2022.
          44. ↑ "The Summit League". The Summit League. June 27, 2013. Retrieved July 2, 2013.
          45. ↑ MSU was known as Southwest Missouri State University until 2005.
          46. ↑ Blair Kerkhoff (January 5, 2019). "A campus setting brings victory, energy to UMKC basketball team". The Kansas City Star. Retrieved January 27, 2020.
          47. ↑ "North Dakota State Bison - Dacotah Field". Archived from the original on 2014-09-27. Retrieved 2014-09-12.
          48. ↑ "North Dakota State University Athletics - NDSU_Soccer_2014_QuickFacts.pdf" (PDF). Gobison.com. Retrieved 2017-03-20.
          49. ↑ "2019–20 Men's Basketball Quick Facts" (PDF). North Dakota State Bison. September 27, 2019. Retrieved October 8, 2019.
          50. ↑ "North Dakota State University Athletics - Tharaldson Park". Gobison.com. Retrieved 2021-11-17.
          51. ↑ "Caniglia Field - Omaha Athletics". Omavs.com. Retrieved 2017-03-20.
          52. ↑ "Baxter Arena | Athletics | University of Nebraska Omaha". Unomaha.edu. Retrieved 2017-03-20.
          53. ↑ "Omaha 2013–14 Division I Softball". National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved February 6, 2015.
          54. ↑ "Facilities: Schoenecker Arena". St. Thomas Tommies. Retrieved March 6, 2021.
          55. ↑ "South Dakota 2013–14 Division I Softball". National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved February 6, 2015.
          56. ↑ "Summit League unveils an expansion of media rights through agreements with CBS Sports Network and Midco Sports". thesummitleague.org. The Summit League. August 10, 2023. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
          57. ↑ "Summit League announces media expansion with CBS Sports". keloland.com. Keloland Media Group. August 10, 2023. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
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