The St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC) is an intercollegiate athletic conference that competes in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III which is located in the Midwestern and Southern United States. There are 9 full member institutions as of the 2025âÂÂ26 academic year.
History
Key milestones
- February 1991: The first SLIAC men's basketball tournament is held.
- February 1995: Westminster wins the men's basketball tournament title to earn the SLIAC's first automatic bid to an NCAA Division III national championship event.
- March 1996: MacMurray wins the women's basketball tournament title to earn the conference's first automatic bid to an NCAA Division III women's national championship event.
- November 1996: Blackburn, MacMurray, and Westminster share the first-ever SLIAC football title.
- September 1999: The SLIAC begins its tenth year of operation.
- November 1999: The fourth and final (until 2008) conference football title is awarded (six teams needed for conference to sponsor a sport).
- May 2007: William Wolper hired as the Conference's first full-time Commissioner (officially started in July).
- September 2008: Football begins play as the 13th conference sport after a nine-year hiatus.
- April 2009: The SLIAC announced it would cease its sponsorship of football; five football-playing schools join the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) as associate members for the sport. Huntingdon and LaGrange end football affiliation with the conference.
Recent events
On April 16, 2009, the SLIAC announced it would cease its sponsorship of football; five football-playing schools join the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) as associate members for the sport. Huntingdon and LaGrange ended their football affiliation with the conference.
On June 9, 2020, Iowa Wesleyan University announced that it would leave the NCAA and return to the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) after the 2020âÂÂ21 academic year.
On June 17, 2021, Mississippi University for Women (MUW) was admitted to join the SLIAC as a full member, beginning the 2023âÂÂ24 academic year.
On August 22, 2022, Lyon College was admitted to join the SLIAC as a full member, beginning the 2023âÂÂ24 academic year.
Chronological timeline
Source:
- 1989 â In September 1989, the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC) was founded. Charter members included Blackburn College of Illinois, Fontbonne College (later Fontbonne University), Maryville College of the Sacred Heart (now Maryville University), Parks College, Principia College and Webster University, beginning the 1989âÂÂ90 academic year.
- 1990 â MacMurray College and Westminster College of Missouri joined the SLIAC in the 1990âÂÂ91 academic year; also conference competition for all sports began along the way.
- 1995 â Greenville University joined the SLIAC in the 1995 86 academic year.
- 1996 â Parks left the SLIAC after the 1995âÂÂ96 academic year; as it ceased operations and its academic programs were moved to the Saint Louis University campus.
- 2006 â Eureka College and Lincoln Christian College (later Lincoln Christian University) joined the SLIAC in the 2006âÂÂ07 academic year.
- 2007 â Lincoln Christian left the SLIAC at the end of the fall 2007 semester, during the 2007âÂÂ08 academic year.
- 2008 â Huntingdon College and LaGrange College joined the SLIAC as affiliate members for football in the 2008 fall season (2008âÂÂ09 academic year); as the conference announced the return of football after a nine-year hiatus.
- 2009:
- Huntingdon and LaGrange left the SLIAC as affiliate members for football after the 2008 fall season (2008âÂÂ09 academic year).
- Spalding University joined the SLIAC in the 2009âÂÂ10 academic year.
- 2010 â The University of Dallas joined the SLIAC as an affiliate member for men's golf and men's and women's cross country in the 2010âÂÂ11 academic year.
- 2011 â U. of Dallas left the SLIAC as an affiliate member for men's golf (after spending one season) to join as a full member of the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) after the 2010âÂÂ11 academic year.
- 2013 â Iowa Wesleyan College (later Iowa Wesleyan University) joined the SLIAC in the 2013âÂÂ14 academic year.
- 2019 â Grinnell College, Illinois College, Knox College of Illinois, Lake Forest College and Monmouth College joined the SLIAC as affiliate members for men's and women's golf in the 2019âÂÂ20 academic year.
- 2020 â MacMurray left the SLIAC after the 2019âÂÂ20 academic year; as the school ceased operations due to financial struggles.
- 2021 â Iowa Wesleyan left the SLIAC and the NCAA to return to the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) as an Independent within the Association of Independent Institutions (AII) after the 2020âÂÂ21 academic year.
- 2023:
- Lyon College and the Mississippi University for Women (MUW) joined the SLIAC in the 2023âÂÂ24 academic year.
- The University of the Ozarks and Schreiner University joined the SLIAC as affiliate members for men's and women's wrestling in the 2023âÂÂ24 academic year.
- 2025:
- Fontbonne left the SLIAC after the 2024âÂÂ25 academic year; as the school ceased operations.
- McMurry University joined the SLIAC as an affiliate member for men's and women's wrestling (alongside Huntingdon returning for those sports) in the 2025âÂÂ26 academic year.
Member schools
Current members
The SLIAC currently has nine full members; all but one are private schools:
Notes:
Affiliate members
The SLIAC has nine affiliate members, all are private schools:
Notes:
Former members
The SLIAC had six former full members; all were private schools. Only one remains in operation as a standalone institution.
Notes:
Former affiliate members
The SLIAC had three former affiliate members, all were private schools:
Notes:
Membership timeline
Sports
The SLIAC sponsors intercollegiate athletic competition in the following sports:
References
External links