Northwest Conference
AssociationNCAA
Founded1926
CommissionerKimberly Wenger
Sports fielded
  • 20
    • men's: 9
    • women's: 11
DivisionDivision III
No. of teams9
HeadquartersHillsboro, Oregon
RegionPacific Northwest
Official websitenwcsports.com
Locations
Location of teams in {{{title}}}

The Northwest Conference (NWC) is an athletic conference which competes in the NCAA's Division III. Member teams are located in the states of Oregon and Washington. It was known as the Pacific Northwest Conference from 1926 to 1984.

History

Northwest Conference
🌍
Griswold Stadium at Lewis & Clark
McCulloch Stadium at Willamette

The NWC was formed in 1926, making it one of the oldest continuously existing athletics conferences in the western United States. For 60 years, the Northwest Conference sponsored sports exclusively for men, but in 1984 it joined with the Women's Conference of Independent Colleges to become the Northwest Conference of Independent Colleges, shortening the name to its current moniker in 1996 when it joined the NCAA.

The charter members included Willamette University, Pacific University, Whitman College, the College of Puget Sound (now the University of Puget Sound), Linfield College and the College of Idaho. In 1931, Albany College joined, left in 1938, and re-joined in 1949 using its present name of Lewis & Clark College. Pacific Lutheran University was added in 1965, and Whitworth University in 1970. In 1978, the College of Idaho dropped out of the conference. Whitworth also left in 1984, but then returned in 1988. In 1996, George Fox University joined when the conference moved to the NCAA and Puget Sound re-joined in that same year since 1948. From 2006 to 2010, Menlo College was also a part of the conference as an associate member in football.

The College of Idaho reinstated its football program in 2014 after a 37-year hiatus[1] and joined the Frontier Conference for football. C of I is now a member of the NAIA's Cascade Collegiate Conference for other sports. Whitworth left the NWC in 1984 but returned in 1988. George Fox University and Seattle University joined the conference in 1997. Seattle dropped out again in 1999 to become members of NCAA Division II.[2] Menlo College joined the conference in 2005 as a football-only member.

Chronological timeline

  • 1926 - The NWC was founded as the Pacific Northwest Conference (PNWC). Charter members include the College of Idaho, Linfield College, Pacific University, the College of Puget Sound (now the University of Puget Sound), Whitman College and Willamette University, effective beginning the 1926-27 academic year.
  • 1931 - Albany College (now Lewis & Clark College) joined the PNWC, effective in the 1931-32 academic year.
  • 1938 - Lewis & Clark left the PNWC, effective after the 1937-38 academic year.
  • 1948 - Puget Sound left the PNWC, effective after the 1947-48 academic year.
  • 1949 - Lewis & Clark re-joined back to the PNWC, effective in the 1949-50 academic year.
  • 1965 - Pacific Lutheran College (now Pacific Lutheran University) joined the PNWC, effective in the 1965-66 academic year.
  • 1970 - Whitworth College (now Whitworth University) joined the PNWC, effective in the 1970-71 academic year.
  • 1978 - The College of Idaho left the PNWC, effective after the 1977-78 academic year.
  • 1984 - Whitworth left the PNWC, effective after the 1983-84 academic year.
  • 1984 - The PNWC merged with the Women's Conference of Independent Colleges (WCIC) to become the Northwest Conference of Independent Colleges (NCIC), therefore adding women's sports in the conference, effective in the 1984-85 academic year.
  • 1988 - Whitworth re-joined back to the NCIC, effective in the 1988-89 academic year.
  • 1995 - George Fox College (now George Fox University) joined the NCIC, effective in the 1995-96 academic year.
  • 1996 - Puget Sound re-joined back to the NCIC, effective in the 1996-97 academic year.
  • 1996 - The NCIC has rebranded its name to become the Northwest Conference (NWC), effective in the 1996-97 academic year.
  • 1996 - The NWC has joined full membership in the Division III ranks of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) after years spent in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), effective in the 1996-97 academic year.
  • 1997 - Seattle University joined the NWC, effective in the 1997-98 academic year.
  • 1999 - Seattle left the NWC to join the NCAA Division II ranks and the Pacific West Conference (PacWest), effective after the 1998-99 academic year.
  • 2006 - Menlo College joined the NWC as an associate member for football, effective in the 2006 fall season (2006-07 academic year).
  • 2011 - Menlo left the NWC as an associate member for football, effective after the 2010 fall season (2010-11 academic year).

Member schools

Current members

The NWC currently has nine full members, all are private schools:

Institution Location Founded Affiliation Enrollment Nickname Joined Colors Football?
George Fox University Newberg, Oregon 1885 Quakers 4,039[3] Bruins 1996     Yes
Lewis & Clark College Portland, Oregon 1867 Nonsectarian 2,205 Pioneers 1931,
1949[lower-alpha 1]		     Yes
Linfield University McMinnville, Oregon 1858 Baptist 1,755[4] Wildcats 1926     Yes
Pacific University Forest Grove, Oregon 1849 United Church of Christ 3,589[5] Boxers 1926     Yes
Pacific Lutheran University Parkland, Washington 1890 Lutheran ELCA 3,100[6] Lutes 1965     Yes
University of Puget Sound Tacoma, Washington 1888 United Methodist 2,600[7] Loggers 1926,
1996[lower-alpha 2]		     Yes
Whitman College Walla Walla, Washington 1859 Nonsectarian 1,384[8] Blues 1926     No
Whitworth University Spokane, Washington 1890 Presbyterian 2,220[9] Pirates 1970,
1988[lower-alpha 3]		     Yes
Willamette University Salem, Oregon 1842 Methodist Mission 2,402[10] Bearcats 1926     Yes
Notes
  1. ↑ Lewis & Clark left the NWC after the 1937–38 school year before re-joining back effective in the 1949–50 school year.
  2. ↑ Puget Sound left the NWC after the 1947–48 school year before re-joining back effective in the 1996–97 school year.
  3. ↑ Whitworth left the NWC after the 1983–84 school year before re-joining back effective in the 1988–89 school year.

Former members

The NWC had two former full members, which both were private schools:

Institution Location Founded Affiliation Enrollment Nickname Joined Left Colors Current
conference
College of Idaho Caldwell, Idaho 1891 Presbyterian 1,042 Yotes 1926–27 1977–78     Cascade (CCC)
(NAIA)
Seattle University Seattle, Washington 1891 Catholic
(Jesuit)		 7,755 Redhawks 1997–98 1998–99     Western (WAC)
(NCAA D-I)

Former associate members

The NWC had one former associate member, which was also a private school:

Institution Location Founded Affiliation Enrollment Nickname Joined Left Colors Current
conference		 NWC
sport
Menlo College Atherton, California 1927 Nonsectarian 750 Oaks 2006–07 2010–11       Golden State (GSAC)
(NAIA)		 football[lower-alpha 1]
Notes
  1. ↑ Menlo dropped football after the 2014 fall season (2014–15 school year).

Membership timeline

Menlo CollegeSeattle UniversityGeorge Fox UniversityWhitworth UniversityPacific Lutheran UniversityLewis %26 Clark CollegeWillamette UniversityWhitman CollegeUniversity of Puget SoundPacific UniversityLinfield CollegeCollege of Idaho

Sports sponsored

The Northwest Conference sponsors championships in baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis, track and field, and volleyball.

All Sports Trophy

Each year the NWC awards one of its member institutions the NWC All Sports Trophy. In each sport the Conference Champion is awarded 18 points, second place is awarded 16 points, and so on. The school with the most points at the conclusion of the academic year wins the trophy. Football, women's volleyball, men's and women's cross country, men's and women's soccer, men's and women's swimming, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's tennis, men's and women's golf, men's baseball, women's softball, and men's and women's track and field are the 18 sports in which points are awarded.

Most recently, Whitworth won the NWC All Sports Trophy for 2017-18, their twelfth overall and eleventh in a row. Pacific Lutheran has won the award 15 times, more than any other school. Linfield has won the trophy three times while Puget Sound has won it twice.[11]

National championships

Year Sport Institution Location Association/Division
2018 Women's Track & Field George Fox La Crosse, Wisconsin NCAA Division III (Co-Champions with UMass Boston)
2013 Baseball Linfield Appleton, Wisconsin NCAA Division III
2012 Softball Pacific Lutheran Salem, Virginia NCAA Division III
2011 Softball Linfield Salem, Virginia NCAA Division III
2009 Women's Basketball George Fox Holland, Michigan NCAA Division III
2007 Softball Linfield Salem, Virginia NCAA Division III
2004 Football Linfield Salem, Virginia NCAA Division III
2004 Baseball George Fox Appleton, Wisconsin NCAA Division III
1999 Football Pacific Lutheran Salem, Virginia NCAA Division III
1999 Women's Swimming Puget Sound Federal Way, Washington NAIA
1998 Women's Swimming Puget Sound Federal Way, Washington NAIA
1997 Men's Soccer Seattle Birmingham, Alabama NAIA
1997 Men's Swimming Puget Sound Federal Way, Washington NAIA
1996 Men's Swimming Puget Sound San Antonio, Texas NAIA
1996 Women's Swimming Puget Sound San Antonio, Texas NAIA
1995 Men's Swimming Puget Sound San Antonio, Texas NAIA
1995 Women's Cross Country Puget Sound Kenosha, Wisconsin NAIA
1994 Women's Cross Country Puget Sound Kenosha, Wisconsin NAIA
1993 Football Pacific Lutheran Portland, Oregon NAIA Division II
1993 Women's Cross Country Puget Sound Kenosha, Wisconsin NAIA
1993 Volleyball Puget Sound San Diego, California NAIA
1993 Men's Basketball Willamette Nampa, Idaho NAIA Division II
1992 Women's Cross Country Puget Sound Kenosha, Wisconsin NAIA
1992 Softball Pacific Lutheran Pensacola, Florida NAIA
1991 Women's Soccer Pacific Lutheran Boca Raton, Florida NAIA
1990 Women's Swimming Puget Sound Canton, Ohio NAIA
1989 Women's Soccer Pacific Lutheran Due West, South Carolina NAIA
1989 Women's Swimming Puget Sound Brown Deer, Wisconsin NAIA
1988 Women's Cross Country Pacific Lutheran Kenosha, Wisconsin NAIA
1988 Women's Soccer Pacific Lutheran Abilene, Texas NAIA
1988 Softball Pacific Lutheran Pensacola, Florida NAIA
1987 Football Pacific Lutheran Tacoma, Washington NAIA Division II
1986 Football Linfield McMinnville, Oregon NAIA Division II
1984 Football Linfield McMinnville, Oregon NAIA Division II
1982 Football Linfield McMinnville, Oregon NAIA Division II
1980 Football Pacific Lutheran Tacoma, Washington NAIA Division II
1971 Baseball Linfield Phoenix, Arizona NAIA
1966 Baseball Linfield St. Joseph, Missouri NAIA
1960 Baseball Whitworth† Sioux City, Iowa NAIA

† - Whitworth was not a member of the NWC until 1970.

Football champions

References

  1. ↑ "College of Idaho reinstates football program". The College of Idaho. May 14, 2012. Archived from the original on March 13, 2013. Retrieved January 28, 2013.
  2. ↑ "NWC History". Northwest Conference.
  3. ↑ "About George Fox". Retrieved March 31, 2023.
  4. ↑ "About Linfield: Facts and Figures". Retrieved March 31, 2023.
  5. ↑ "Pacific University About". Retrieved March 31, 2023.
  6. ↑ "About PLU: Quick Facts". Retrieved March 31, 2023.
  7. ↑ "Puget Sound Facts and Figures". Retrieved March 31, 2023.
  8. ↑ "Whitman College Enrollment". Retrieved March 31, 2023.
  9. ↑ "About Whitworth Facts & Rankings". Retrieved March 31, 2023.
  10. ↑ "About Willamette: Quick Facts". Retrieved March 31, 2023.
  11. ↑ "Whitworth Wins Fifth Straight All-Sports Trophy". NWC. Retrieved May 21, 2012.
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