Great Plains Athletic Conference


The Great Plains Athletic Conference is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics. Member institutions are located in Iowa, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota. The conference was founded in 1969 as the Nebraska Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, later becoming the Nebraska-Iowa Athletic Conference before being renamed the Great Plains Athletic Conference.

History

The Great Plains Athletic Conference was founded on September 22, 1969, as the Nebraska Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. The first president of the conference was Art Nicolia while Glen Hinkle was the vice president and Roger Olsen was the secretary/treasure. Jack Anderson was named the first publicist on February 28, 1970. The six charter members were Concordia University, Dana College, Doane College, Hastings College, Midland Lutheran College, and Nebraska Wesleyan University. With the addition of Northwestern College in 1992, the NIAC was renamed the Nebraska-Iowa Athletic Conference. The NIAC became the Great Plains Athletic Conference in 2000 with the addition of Dakota Wesleyan University, Dordt College, Mount Marty College, and University of Sioux Falls. Later, Briar Cliff University and Morningside College joined the GPAC in 2002 and 2003 respectively. College of Saint Mary, a women's only institution, joined in 2015. In 2018, University of Jamestown joined the conference as a full-member, while Presentation College joined the conference as an associate member. All former members of the NIAC remain affiliated with the GPAC except for Dana College, which closed in 2010, and Nebraska Wesleyan University, which left the conference in 2016. Paul Clark was the commissioner of the GPAC when it formed in 2000. Corey Westra in Sioux City, Iowa, is the current commissioner of the league.

Member schools

Current members

Membership timeline


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bar:3 color:Full from:1969 till:end text:Doane University
bar:4 color:Full from:1969 till:end text:Hastings College
bar:5 color:Full from:1969 till:end text:Midland
bar:6 color:Full from:1969 till:2016 text:Nebraska Wesleyan
bar:7 color:Full from:1992 till:end text:Northwestern College
bar:8 color:Full from:2000 till:end text:Dakota Wesleyan
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bar:9 color:Full from:2008 till:end
bar:10 color:FullxF from:2000 till:2022 text:Mount Marty College
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bar:11 color:Full from:2000 till:2011 text:Sioux Falls
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bar:13 color:Full from:2003 till:end text:Morningside College
bar:14 shift: color:FullxF from:2015 till:end text:College of Saint Mary
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