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:St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

{{Infobox sports league

| name = St. Louis Intercollegiate
Athletic Conference

| logo = Sliac conference logo.png

| logo_size = 200

| founded = {{start date and age|1989}}

| association = NCAA

| division = Division III

| teams = 10 (9 in 2025)

| sports = 14

| mens = 7

| womens = 7

| region = Midwest and South

| headquarters = St. Louis, Missouri

| commissioner = Dr. Dick Kaiser

| website = {{url|https://sliac.org/|sliac.org}}

| map = SLIAC-USA-states.png

| map_size = 250

| color = #14398a; {{box-shadow border|a|#000000|2px}}

| font_color = #FFFFFF

}}

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 10 full member institutions as of the 2023–24 academic year.

{{OSM Location map

| float = right

| width = 400

| height = 450

| coord = {{coord|37.25|-89.25}}

| nolabels = 1

| title = St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

| mark-coord1 = {{coord|39.288| -89.872}} |label1=Blackburn |label-pos1 = top | mark1 = Blue pog.svg |mark-size1=10 | label-color1 = black

| mark-coord2 = {{coord|38.6423| -90.3157}} |label2=Fontbonne |label-pos2 = bottom | mark2 = Red pog.svg |mark-size2=10 | label-color2 = black

| mark-coord3 = {{coord|38.948889|-90.348889}} |label3=Principia |label-pos3 = left | mark3 = Blue pog.svg |mark-size3=10 | label-color3 = black

| mark-coord4 = {{coord|38.5892| -90.3457}} |label4=Webster |label-pos4 = right | mark4 = Blue pog.svg |mark-size4=10 | label-color4 = black

| mark-coord5 = {{coord|38.8483|-91.956}} |label5=Westminster |label-pos5 = bottom | mark5 = Blue pog.svg |mark-size5=10 | label-color5 = black

| mark-coord6 = {{coord|38.893611|-89.408611}} |label6=Greenville |label-pos6 = right | mark6 = Blue pog.svg |mark-size6=10 | label-color6 = black

| mark-coord7 = {{coord|40.714|-89.268}} |label7=Eureka |label-pos7 = bottom | mark7 = Blue pog.svg |mark-size7=10 | label-color7 = black

| mark-coord8 = {{coord|38.2415|-85.758861}} |label8=Spalding |label-pos8 = left | mark8 = Blue pog.svg |mark-size8=10 | label-color8 = black

| mark-coord9 = {{coord|33.493056|-88.418611}} |label9=MUW |label-pos9 = top | mark9 = Blue pog.svg |mark-size9=10 | label-color9 = black

| mark-coord10 = {{coord|35.77764|-91.62579}} |label10=Lyon |label-pos10 = top | mark10 = Blue pog.svg |mark-size10=10 | label-color10 = black

| zoom = 6

| caption = Location of SLIAC members: 10px full member, 10px departing member

}}

History

=Chronological timeline=

Source:{{cite web|url=http://www.sliac.org/information/Conf_Info/About/History|title=Key Dates In SLIAC History|publisher=SLIAC|accessdate=July 17, 2013}}

File:St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference logo.jpg

  • September 1989: The SLIAC chartered with Blackburn, Fontbonne, Maryville, Parks, Principia, and Webster the original members.
  • September 1990: The SLIAC's first year gets underway. MacMurray and Westminster join the charter members.
  • 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.
  • September 1995: Greenville begins its first year as a member of the conference, bringing SLIAC membership to nine schools.
  • 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.
  • April 1996: Parks competes in its final conference event. Parks closed after the 1995-96 year and its academic programs were moved to the Saint Louis University campus.
  • 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).
  • September 2006: Eureka and Lincoln Christian begin play as the ninth and tenth members of the conference.
  • March 2007: Huntingdon and LaGrange admitted to the SLIAC as affiliate members in the sport of football. The SLIAC announces football will return in the fall of 2008 after a nine-year hiatus.
  • May 2007: William Wolper hired as the Conference's first full-time Commissioner (officially started in July).
  • November 2007: With the completion of the fall season, Lincoln Christian departs the SLIAC.
  • September 2008: Football begins play as the 13th conference sport after a nine-year hiatus.
  • September 2008: Spalding University admitted to the SLIAC to begin play during the 2009–10 academic year.
  • 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.{{cite news|url=http://www.lagrange.edu/athletics/football/news/2008/news-41609_SLIAC_release.htm|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100528134136/http://www.lagrange.edu/athletics/football/news/2008/news-41609_SLIAC_release.htm|title=SLIAC drops sponsorship of football|website=LaGrange Football|date=April 16, 2009|archivedate=May 28, 2010|url-status=dead|accessdate=November 3, 2010}}
  • June 2010: University of Dallas admitted to the SLIAC as an affiliate member in the sports of men's golf, men's and women's cross country.
  • September 2010: University of Dallas is accepted as a full member into the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) and drops its affiliate membership with the SLIAC after the spring men's golf season.
  • December 2011: Iowa Wesleyan College admitted to the SLIAC as a full member to begin play during the 2013–14 academic year.
  • March 2020: MacMurray College announced it would close in May 2020 due to financial struggles.
  • June 2020: Iowa Wesleyan announced that it would leave the NCAA and return to the NAIA after the 2020–21 academic year.{{cite press release|url=https://www.sliac.org/general/2020-21/releases/20210607u3oixj |title=IW Tiger Athletics Update |publisher=Iowa Wesleyan Tigers |date=June 9, 2020 |accessdate=June 16, 2020}}
  • June 2021: Mississippi University for Women admitted to the SLIAC as a full member beginning the 2023–24 academic year.{{cite press release|url=https://www.sliac.org/general/2020-21/releases/20210607u3oixj |title=SLIAC Accepts MUW as Member |publisher=Saint Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference |date=June 17, 2021 |accessdate=June 17, 2021}}
  • August 2022: Lyon College admitted to the SLIAC as a full member beginning the 2023–24 academic year.{{cite press release|url=https://www.sliac.org/general/2022-23/releases/20220818qj06rh |title=Lyon Accepted to Join SLIAC |publisher=Saint Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference |date=August 22, 2022 |accessdate=August 23, 2022}}
  • March 2024: Fontbonne University announced its closure in 2025.

Member schools

=Current members=

The SLIAC currently has ten full members; nine are private schools and one is public:

class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align: center;"

! Institution

! Location

! Founded

! Affiliation

! Enrollment

! Nickname

! Varsity
teams

! Joined

Blackburn College

| Carlinville, Illinois

| 1837

| Presbyterian
{{small|(PCUSA)}}

| 382

| Beavers

| 12

| 1989{{efn|group=full|name=SLIAC|Charter member. But SLIAC competition for all sports began in the 1990–91 school year.}}

Eureka College

| Eureka, Illinois

| 1855

| Disciples of Christ

| 559

| Red Devils

| 16

| 2006

bgcolor=#ffa0a0

| Fontbonne University

| Clayton, Missouri

| 1923

| Catholic
{{small|(C.S.J.)}}

| 944

| Griffins

| 10

| 1989{{efn|group=full|name=SLIAC}}

Greenville University

| Greenville, Illinois

| 1892

| Free Methodist

| 1,088

| Panthers

| 14

| 1995

Lyon College

| Batesville, Arkansas

| 1872

| Presbyterian
{{small|(PCUSA)}}

| 496

| Scots

| 21

| 2023

Mississippi University for Women

| Columbus, Mississippi

| 1884

| Public

| 2,339

| Owls

| 17

| 2023

Principia College

| Elsah, Illinois

| 1912

| Scientist

| 323

| Panthers

| 12

| 1989{{efn|group=full|name=SLIAC}}

Spalding University

| Louisville, Kentucky

| 1814

| Catholic
{{small|(S.C.N.)}}

| 1,692

| Golden Eagles

| 11

| 2009

Webster University

| Webster Groves, Missouri

| 1915

| Catholic
{{small|(Sisters of Loretto)}}

| 5,000

| Gorloks

| 11

| 1989{{efn|group=full|name=SLIAC}}

Westminster College

| Fulton, Missouri

| 1851

| Presbyterian
{{small|(PCUSA)}}

| 610

| Blue Jays

| 8

| 1990

;Notes:

{{notelist|group=full}}

=Former members=

The SLIAC had five former full members, all were private schools:

class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"

! Institution

! Location

! Founded

! Affiliation

! Enrollment

! Nickname

! Varsity
teams

! Joined

! Left

! Current
conference

Iowa Wesleyan University

| Mount Pleasant, Iowa

| 1842

| United Methodist

| 571

| Tigers

| 12

| 2013

| 2021

| Closed in 2023

Lincoln Christian University

| Lincoln, Illinois

| 1944

| Christian Churches
and Churches of Christ

| 1,000

| Red Lions{{efn|group=former|Lincoln Christian's former athletic nickname were the Preachers (men's) and the Angels (women's).}}

| 10

| 2006

| 2008{{efn|group=former|Lincoln Christian left the SLIAC after the end of the 2007 fall season without completing the rest of the 2007–08 school year.}}

| Closed in 2024

MacMurray College

| Jacksonville, Illinois

| 1846

| United Methodist

| 683

| Highlanders

| 10

| 1990

| 2020

| Closed in 2020

Maryville University

| Town and Country, Missouri{{efn|group=former|The campus mailing address is St. Louis.}}

| 1872

| Catholic
{{small|(R.S.C.J.)}}

| 2,500

| Saints

| 14

| 1989{{efn|group=full|name=SLIAC|Charter member. But SLIAC competition for all sports began in the 1990–91 school year.}}

| 2009

| Great Lakes Valley (GLVC){{efn|group=former|name=D2|Currently an NCAA Division II athletic conference.}}

Parks College

| Cahokia, Illinois{{efn|group=former|Parks College's academic programs were moved to Saint Louis University main campus in August 1996.}}

| 1927

| Catholic
{{small|(Jesuit)}}

| N/A

| Falcons

| N/A

| 1989{{efn|group=full|name=SLIAC}}

| 1996

| N/A{{efn|group=former|Parks discontinued its athletics program after the 1995–96 school year, and ceased to be a separate college in 2022, although it continues as a department within Saint Louis University}}

;Notes:

{{notelist|group=former}}

=Former associate members=

The SLIAC had three former associate members, all were private schools:

class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align: center;"

! Institution

! Location

! Founded

! Affiliation

! Enrollment

! Nickname

! Joined

! Left

! Primary
conference

! SLIAC
sport

University of Dallas

| Irving, Texas

| 1956

| Catholic

| 3,500

| Crusaders

| 2010–11{{sup|m.x.c.}};
2010–11{{sup|w.x.c.}};
2010–11{{sup|m.gf.}}

| 2011–12{{sup|m.x.c.}},
2011–12{{sup|w.x.c.}};
2011–12{{sup|m.gf.}}

| Southern (SCAC)

| men's cross country;
women's cross country;
men's golf

Huntingdon College

| Montgomery, Alabama

| 1854

| rowspan="2" | United Methodist

| 900

| Hawks

| rowspan="2" | 2008–09

| rowspan="2" | 2008–09

| rowspan="2" | USA South

| rowspan="2" | football

LaGrange College

| LaGrange, Georgia

| 1831

| 1137

| Panthers

=Membership timeline=

DateFormat = yyyy

ImageSize = width:900 height:auto barincrement:20

Period = from:1989 till:2029

TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal

PlotArea = right:20 left:0 bottom:50 top:5 #> to display a count on left side of graph, use "left:20" to suppress the count, use "left:20"<#

Colors =

id:barcolor value:rgb(0.99,0.7,0.7)

id:line value:black

id:bg value:white

id:Full value:rgb(0.742,0.727,0.852) # Use this color to denote a team that is a member in all sports

id:FullxF value:rgb(0.551,0.824,0.777) # Use this color to denote a team that is a member in all sports except for football

id:AssocF value:rgb(0.98,0.5,0.445) # Use this color to denote a team that is a member for football only

id:AssocOS value:rgb(0.5,0.691,0.824) # Use this color to denote a team that is a member in some sports, but not all (consider identifying in legend or a footnote)

id:OtherC1 value:rgb(0.996,0.996,0.699) # Use this color to denote a team that has moved to another conference

id:OtherC2 value:rgb(0.988,0.703,0.383) # Use this color to denote a team that has moved to another conference where OtherC1 has already been used, to distinguish the two

PlotData=

width:15 textcolor:black shift:(5,-5) anchor:from fontsize:s

bar:1 color:FullxF from:1989 till:1996 text:Blackburn (Ill.) (1989–present)

bar:1 color:Full from:1996 till:2000

bar:1 color:FullxF from:2000 till:2008

bar:1 color:Full from:2008 till:2009

bar:1 color:FullxF from:2009 till:end

bar:2 color:FullxF from:1989 till:end text:Fontbonne (1989–present)

bar:3 color:FullxF from:1989 till:2009 text:Maryville (Mo.) (1989–2009)

bar:4 color:FullxF from:1989 till:1996 text:Parks (1989–1996)

bar:5 color:FullxF from:1989 till:1996 text:Principia (1989–present)

bar:5 color:Full from:1996 till:1999

bar:5 color:FullxF from:1999 till:2008

bar:5 color:Full from:2008 till:2009

bar:5 color:FullxF from:2009 till:end

bar:6 color:FullxF from:1989 till:end text:Webster (1989–present)

bar:7 color:FullxF from:1990 till:1996 text:MacMurray (1990–2020)

bar:7 color:Full from:1996 till:2000

bar:7 color:FullxF from:2000 till:2008

bar:7 color:Full from:2008 till:2009

bar:7 color:FullxF from:2009 till:2020

bar:8 color:FullxF from:1990 till:1996 text:Westminster (MO) (1990–present)

bar:8 color:Full from:1996 till:2000

bar:8 color:FullxF from:2000 till:2008

bar:8 color:Full from:2008 till:2009

bar:8 color:FullxF from:2009 till:end

bar:9 color:FullxF from:1995 till:1996 text:Greenville (1995–present)

bar:9 color:Full from:1996 till:2000

bar:9 color:FullxF from:2000 till:2008

bar:9 color:Full from:2008 till:2009

bar:9 color:FullxF from:2009 till:end

bar:10 color:FullxF from:2006 till:2008 text:Eureka (2006–present)

bar:10 color:Full from:2008 till:2009

bar:10 color:FullxF from:2009 till:end

bar:11 color:FullxF from:2006 till:2008 text:Lincoln Christian (2006–2008)

bar:12 color:AssocF from:2008 till:2009 text:Huntingdon (2008–2009)

bar:13 color:AssocF from:2008 till:2009 text:LaGrange (2008–2009)

bar:14 color:FullxF from:2009 till:end text:Spalding (2009–present)

bar:15 color:AssocOS from:2010 till:2011 text:Dallas (2010–2011)

bar:16 color:FullxF from:2013 till:2021 text:Iowa Wesleyan (2013–2021)

bar:17 color:FullxF from:2023 till:end text:MUW (2023–present)

bar:18 color:FullxF from:2023 till:end text:Lyon (2023–present)

ScaleMajor = gridcolor:line unit:year increment:2 start:1989

References

{{Reflist}}

External links

{{ccat}}

  • {{oweb}}

{{St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference navbox}}

{{NCAA Division III conference navbox}}