Great Lakes Conference

Great Lakes Conference. The Great Lakes Conference is a collegiate athletic conference affiliated with the NCAA Division II, with its membership and operations centered in the Midwestern United States. Founded in 1972, it sponsors competition in eighteen sports for men and women across institutions primarily located in Ohio, Michigan, and Indiana. The conference is headquartered in Cleveland and is governed by a council of university presidents and athletic directors.

History

The conference was established in 1972 by a coalition of six institutions seeking to create a unified athletic league in the region, including founding members University of Findlay and Ashland University. Its formation coincided with broader reorganizations within the National Collegiate Athletic Association, leading to its initial classification within the NCAA College Division before the formal creation of NCAA Division II. A significant early expansion occurred in 1989 with the addition of Tiffin University and Lake Erie College, solidifying its geographic footprint around the Great Lakes basin. The conference office relocated from Toledo to its current headquarters in Cleveland in 1995 under the leadership of then-commissioner Robert G. Sprague. Throughout the 2000s, it saw further membership changes, including the departure of Malone University to the Great Midwest Athletic Conference and the entrance of Davenport University in 2017.

Member schools

The conference currently comprises ten full member institutions. The membership includes University of Findlay (Findlay), Ashland University (Ashland), Tiffin University (Tiffin), and Lake Erie College (Painesville) from Ohio. Michigan is represented by Wayne State University (Detroit), Davenport University (Grand Rapids), and Northwood University (Midland). Indiana members are University of Indianapolis (Indianapolis) and Purdue University Northwest (Hammond). Cedarville University (Cedarville) rounds out the membership. All schools are private institutions except for the public Wayne State University and Purdue University Northwest. Each member participates in the conference's full slate of sponsored sports.

Sports

The conference sponsors nine men's and nine women's championship sports. Men's sports include football, basketball, baseball, cross country, golf, soccer, swimming & diving, tennis, and outdoor track & field. Women's sports include basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, softball, swimming & diving, tennis, outdoor track & field, and volleyball. Several of these programs, particularly in football and basketball, have achieved national recognition within NCAA Division II tournaments. The conference also oversees annual postseason tournaments in sports like basketball and baseball to determine automatic qualifiers for national championship events.

Conference championships

Conference championships are determined through a combination of regular-season standings and postseason tournaments. In sports like football, the champion is crowned based on regular-season conference record, while sports like basketball and baseball utilize a single-elimination tournament format held at pre-determined campus sites. The University of Findlay has historically been dominant in men's basketball, winning multiple titles, while Ashland University has built a powerhouse in women's basketball and football. The conference champion in each sport receives an automatic bid to the respective NCAA Division II national championship tournament. Notable recent champions include the University of Indianapolis in football and Wayne State University in softball.

Notable alumni

Many former student-athletes have achieved prominence in professional sports, coaching, and other fields. Professional football players include London Fletcher (University of Findlay), who had a long career in the National Football League with the St. Louis Rams and Washington Commanders, and Jared Veldheer (Hillsdale College), an NFL offensive lineman. In basketball, Derek Funderburk (Lake Erie College) played professionally overseas. Coaching figures include Lee Owens (Ashland University), a longtime college football coach, and Karla Mast (Cedarville University), a successful collegiate softball coach. Beyond athletics, alumni such as Dr. Samantha Cruz (University of Indianapolis), a noted medical researcher, and Michael Roberts (Tiffin University), a state senator in Ohio, have made significant contributions.

Category:NCAA Division II conferences Category:Sports leagues established in 1972 Category:Sports in the Midwestern United States