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Heart of America Athletic Conference

The Heart of America Athletic Conference (HAAC or The Heart) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). Member institutions are located in Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska in the United States.

History

The HAAC's earliest ancestor was the Missouri College Athletic Union (MCAU), which was formed in 1924 when the Missouri Intercollegiate Athletic Association (now the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association or MIAA) split in two. The old MIAA's private schools formed the Athletic Union, while the state teachers' colleges stayed in the MIAA. It was reorganized as the HAAC in 1971 when it began admitting schools outside Missouri. However, the HAAC does not presently claim the Athletic Union's history as its own.

In early 2014, Grand View University and William Penn University were announced as members for the 2015–16 school year. In April 2015, Clarke University and Mount Mercy University were also announced as members for the 2016–17 school year. In October 2019, Park University was approved for HAAC membership and joined in the 2020–21 school year. On February 10, 2022, long-serving Evangel University accepted its invitation to join the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference, also Kansas-based, in 2023.

On July 24, 2023, William Woods University (alongside St. Ambrose) announced they would join the conference as associate members in football beginning in the 2024 fall season (2024–25 school year). The expansion made it NAIA's largest football conference with 14 teams playing in two divisions.

The current commissioner of the conference is Lori Thomas. Thomas, the first female commissioner in NAIA history, began her term in 2014, succeeding Larry Lady who retired after 22 years as commissioner.

Chronological timeline

  • 1971 – The Heart of America Athletic Conference (HAAC) was founded. Charter members included Baker University, Central Methodist College (now Central Methodist University), the College of Emporia, Graceland College (now Graceland University), Missouri Valley College, Ottawa University, Tarkio College and William Jewell College, beginning the 1971–72 academic year.
  • 1974 – The College of Emporia left the HAAC as the school announced that it would close after the 1973–74 academic year.
  • 1980 – Culver–Stockton College and Mid-America Nazarene College (now MidAmerica Nazarene University) joined the HAAC in the 1980–81 academic year.
  • 1982 – Ottawa left the HAAC to rejoin the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) after the 1981–82 academic year.
  • 1986 – Central Methodist left the HAAC to become an NAIA Independent after the 1985–86 academic year.
  • 1987 – Evangel College (now Evangel University) joined the HAAC in the 1987–88 academic year.
  • 1991 – Benedictine College joined the HAAC (with Central Methodist rejoining), both effective in the 1991–92 academic year.
  • 1996 – Lindenwood College (now Lindenwood University) joined the HAAC in the 1996–97 academic year.
  • 2000 – Avila College (now Avila University) joined the HAAC in the 2000–01 academic year.
  • 2011 – Two institutions left the HAAC and the NAIA to join the Division II ranks of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), both effective after the 2010–11 academic year:
  • Lindenwood as an NCAA D-II Independent (which would later join the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA), beginning the 2012–13 school year)
  • William Jewell to the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC)
  • 2011 – Peru State College joined the HAAC in the 2011–12 academic year.
  • 2015 – Grand View University and William Penn University (both coming from the defunct Midwest Collegiate Conference (MCC)) joined the HAAC in the 2015–16 academic year.
  • 2016 – Clarke University and Mount Mercy University (also both coming from the defunct Midwest Collegiate (MCC) after spending a season as NAIA Independents) joined the HAAC in the 2016–17 academic year.
  • 2017 – Dickinson State University joined the HAAC as an affiliate member for men's wrestling in the 2017–18 academic year.
  • 2018 – Avila left the HAAC to join the KCAC after the 2017–18 academic year.
  • 2020 – Park University joined the HAAC in the 2020–21 academic year.
  • 2020 – Three institutions joined the HAAC as affiliate members, all effective in the 2020–21 academic year:
  • Missouri Baptist University and the University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy in St. Louis (UHSP) for men's volleyball
  • Waldorf University for men's & women's wrestling
  • 2021 – Two institutions joined the HAAC as affiliate members, both effective in the 2021–22 academic year:
  • St. Ambrose University for only men's wrestling
  • Iowa Wesleyan University for men's & women's wrestling
  • 2022 – Two institutions joined the HAAC as affiliate members (and/or added other single sports into their affiliate memberships), both effective in the 2023 spring season (2022–23 academic year):
  • Mount Vernon Nazarene University for men's lacrosse
  • St. Ambrose for men's and women's lacrosse
  • 2023 – Evangel left the HAAC to join the KCAC after the 2022–23 academic year.
  • 2023 – Iowa Wesleyan left the HAAC as an affiliate member for men's and women's wrestling after the 2023–24 academic year; as the school announced that it ceased operations.
  • 2023 – Two institutions added other single sports into their HAAC affiliate memberships, both effective in the 2023–24 academic year:
  • Dickinson State for women's wrestling
  • Missouri Baptist for football
  • 2024 – Two institutions left the HAAC as affiliate members, both effective after the 2023–24 academic year:
  • Mount Vernon Nazarene for men's lacrosse
  • Waldorf for men's and women's wrestling
  • 2024 – Thirteen institutions joined the HAAC as affiliate members (and/or added other single sports into their affiliate memberships), all effective in the 2024–25 academic year:
  • Central Christian College of Kansas, Dordt University, Kansas Wesleyan University and Morningside University for men's volleyball
  • Columbia College for men's lacrosse
  • John Brown University and Texas Wesleyan University for men's and women's tennis
  • Midland University for men's and women's lacrosse
  • Ottawa University for men's and women's lacrosse and men's volleyball
  • Missouri Baptist for men's and women's lacrosse and men's and women's tennis
  • St. Ambrose for football
  • USHP for women's lacrosse
  • William Woods University for football, men's lacrosse, and men's and women's tennis
  • 2025:
  • Missouri Baptist and William Woods joined the HAAC as full members for all sports in the 2025–26 academic year.
  • Three institutions joined the HAAC as affiliate members (and/or added other single sports into their affiliate memberships), all effective in the 2025–26 academic year:
  • Bismarck State College for men's and women's wrestling
  • Hastings College and McPherson College for shotgun sports
  • 2026:
  • St. Ambrose will join the HAAC as a full member for all sports in the 2026–27 academic year.
  • Bellevue University will join the HAAC as an affiliate member for women's wrestling, beginning the 2026–27 academic year.

Member schools

Current members

The HAAC currently has 15 full members, all but one are private schools. All but one of the private schools are religiously affiliated:

Notes:

Future members

The HAAC will have one new member, a private school as well as a current HAAC affiliate member.

Notes:

Affiliate members

The HAAC currently has fourteen affiliate members, all but two are private schools:

Notes:

Future affiliate members

Notes:

Former members

The HAAC has seven former full members, all were private schools:

Notes:

Former affiliate members

The HAAC has four former affiliate members; which all were private schools:

Notes:

Membership timeline

Sports

The conference also sponsors co-ed varsity sports of dance and cheer.

See also

Notes

References

External links