Login
Login

Northern Lakes Conference

{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2025}}

{{more footnotes needed|date=July 2012}}

Image:Indiana (NLC).png

The Northern Lakes Conference of Indiana (NLC) is an IHSAA-sanctioned athletic conference of high schools located within Elkhart, Kosciusko, Marshall and St. Joseph counties in northern Indiana, United States.

History

To deal with the reorganization and consolidation of high schools across Northern Indiana, an organizational meeting for the formation of the Northern Lakes Conference was held on February 3, 1963. Charter members of the NLC were the high schools of Bremen, Manchester, Nappanee, Plymouth, Rochester and Warsaw. The conference began competition in 1964–65 in Boys' Baseball, Football, Basketball and Track. In 1965, Boys' Tennis and Golf were added; Cross-Country was added in 1966; and Wrestling became a conference sport in 1968. The conference was "intended to provide good, clean competition and fellowship for the boys, the coaches, and the school bodies of the Northern Lakes region."

Concord High School joined the NLC in 1967 and Wawasee High School joined in 1968. By 1970, all schools participated in all eight boys' sports.

In the 1970s Girls' sports were added. Conference competition began in 1976–77 in Basketball, Tennis, Track and Volleyball. In 1980 Swimming was added; Cross-Country was added in 1986, Softball in 1987; Golf in 1994; and Soccer in 1997.

Additional sports added to NLC Boys' competition included Swimming in 1980 and Soccer in 1994.

Membership in the Northern Lakes Conference has fluctuated between six and eight schools throughout conference history. In 1976, Manchester changed conferences. 1987 and 1989, Rochester and Bremen withdrew memberships to begin competition with schools of lesser size and less travel than those of the NLC membership. Additions to the Northern Lakes Conference were Goshen in 1976 and Northridge in 1987. Elkhart Memorial began competition in winter sports in 2000 and all other sports in 2001–02.

On March 7, 2018, the Northern Lakes Conference announced that Elkhart Memorial High School will cease to be a member of the conference at the conclusion of the 2019- 2020 school year. In the fall of 2020, Elkhart Memorial and Elkhart Central high schools will consolidate forming one Elkhart High School. The new school will retain Elkhart Central's position in the Northern Indiana Conference.

The conference announced it will be accepting applications for membership through May 15, 2018. The NLC announced in July 2018 that Mishawaka High School will join for the 2020–21 school year after leaving the NIC.{{cite web|url=https://wsbt.com/sports/content/mishawaka-high-school-to-join-the-northern-lakes-conference-2020-21 |title=Mishawaka High School to join the Northern Lakes Conference 2020-21 |author=Ray, Olivia |publisher=WSBT 22 (South Bend, IN) |date=2018-07-11 |access-date=2019-03-06}}

= Basketball =

The NLC has a rich basketball history, producing NBA stars like Scott Skiles, Rick Fox, and Shawn Kemp. On February 11, 2017, the Warsaw Tigers made league history by becoming the first team to win the conference in three consecutive years while going undefeated (21-0) during that span.{{Cite web|url=http://www.inkfreenews.com/2017/02/11/warsaw-basketball-three-peat-of-perfection-for-tigers/|title = Warsaw Basketball: Three-Peat of Perfection for Tigers|date = 11 February 2017}}

Membership

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

! Location

! County

! Team Name

! Colors

! Enrollment [https://www.ihsaa.org/sites/default/files/documents/Boys%20Basketball%20Classifications%20for%202024-25%20and%202025-26.pdf]
24-25

! IHSAA
Class

! Year joined

! Previous conference

Concord

| Elkhart

| 20
Elkhart

| Minutemen

| {{color box|#4CBB17|border=silver}} {{color box|white|border=silver}}

| 1,730

| 5A

| 1967

| Elkhart County

Goshen

| Goshen

| 20
Elkhart

| RedHawks2

| {{color box|red|border=silver}} {{color box|white|border=silver}}

| 2,006

| 5A

| 1976

| Independents
(NIC 1969)

Mishawaka

| Mishawaka

| 71
St. Joseph

| Cavemen

| {{color box|maroon|border=silver}} {{color box|white|border=silver}}

| 1,422

| 4A

| 2020

| Northern Indiana

Northridge

| Middlebury

| 20
Elkhart

| Raiders

| {{color box|green|border=silver}} {{color box|gold|border=silver}}

| 1,393

| 4A

| 1987

| Independents
(new school 1969)

NorthWood

| Nappanee

| 20
Elkhart

| Panthers

| {{color box|red|border=silver}} {{color box|black|border=silver}}

| 869

| 4A

| 1969

| none (new school)

Plymouth

| Plymouth

| 50
Marshall

| Rockies / Pilgrims

| {{color box|crimson|border=silver}} {{color box|white|border=silver}}

| 1,054

| 4A

| 1963

| Central Indiana

Warsaw

| Warsaw

| 43
Kosciusko

| Tigers

| {{color box|darkorange|border=silver}} {{color box|black|border=silver}}

| 2,108

| 5A

| 1963

| Central Indiana

Wawasee

| Syracuse

| 43
Kosciusko

| Warriors

| {{color box|green|border=silver}} {{color box|gold|border=silver}}

| 895

| 4A

| 1968

| none (new school)

  1. Mascot was Redskins until 2016.

Former members

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

! Location

! Mascot

! Colors

! County

! Years Joined

! Previous conference

! Year left

! Conference joined

Bremen1

| Bremen

| Lions

| {{color box|green|border=silver}} {{color box|white|border=silver}}

| 50
Marshall

| 1963

| Marshall County

| 1989

| Northern State

Manchester

| North Manchester

| Squires

| {{color box|red|border=silver}} {{color box|black|border=silver}} {{color box|white|border=silver}}

| 85
Wabash

| 1963

| Independents
(WCC 1962)

| 1976

| Three Rivers

Nappanee

| Nappanee

| Bulldogs

| {{color box|blue|border=silver}} {{color box|white|border=silver}}

| 20
Elkhart

| 1963

| Elkhart County

| 1969

| none (consolidated
into NorthWood)

Rochester

| Rochester

| Zebras

| {{color box|black|border=silver}} {{color box|orange|border=silver}} {{color box|white|border=silver}}

| 25
Fulton

| 1963

| Central Indiana

| 1987

| Three Rivers Conference

Elkhart
Memorial2

| Elkhart

| Crimson Chargers

| {{color box|crimson|border=silver}} {{color box|gold|border=silver}}

| 20
Elkhart

| 1999

| Northern Indiana

| 2020

| Consolidated into Elkhart (NIC)

  1. Played concurrently in NLC and MCC 1963–66.
  2. Elkhart Memorial played in both the NIC and NLC from 1999 to 2001.

Conference championships

= Football =

class="wikitable" style=

! #

TeamSeasons
16Plymouth1966, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973*, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978*, 2005, 2007*, 2008, 2009, 2012*, 2014, 2019*
15NorthWood1974, 1980*, 1984*, 1985*, 1991*, 1992*, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1999*, 2004*, 2007*, 2016, 2022
15Concord1979, 1983, 1984*, 1991*, 2004*, 2006, 2007* 2010, 2011, 2012*, 2013, 2015, 2019*, 2021, 2024
10Warsaw1964, 1967, 1973*, 1982, 1990, 1992*, 1999*, 2000, 2001, 2020*, 2023*
9Goshen1978*, 1980*, 1981*, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1992*, 1997, 1998, 2002
3Wawasee1973*, 1986, 2004*
2Bremen1965, 1970
2Mishawaka2020*, 2023*
1Northridge2017
1Elkhart Memorial2003
1Rochester1969
0Manchester
0Nappanee

= Boys basketball =

class="wikitable" style=

! #

TeamSeasons
26Warsaw1965, 1966*, 1967, 1969, 1972*, 1976, 1979*, 1980, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1989, 1991, 1992, 1994,
1995, 1996*, 1997*, 1999, 2004, 2010, 2011, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018* 2019, 2021
17Plymouth1968*, 1970, 1973, 1977, 1978, 1981, 1982, 1983*, 1987, 1988, 1990, 1996*, 1997*, 1998*, 2001,
2007*, 2008
6NorthWood1972*, 1998*, 2000, 2007*, 2022, 2023
5Rochester1966*, 1971, 1974, 1975, 1979*
5Northridge1996*, 2009, 2014, 2018* 2020, 2024*
3Elkhart Memorial2002, 2006, 2012
3Concord2005, 2013, 2024*
2Wawassee1983*, 1993
1Goshen2003
1Mishawaka2024*
1Manchester1968*
0Bremen

= Girls basketball =

class="wikitable" style=

! #

TeamSeasons
16Warsaw1984, 1987*, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1999, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2010, 2013, 2022, 2023, 2024
9Northridge1997, 1998, 2006, 2007, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019*
6Plymouth1992, 1994, 2000, 2001, 2009*, 2019*
5Goshen1980, 1981, 1982, 1987*, 2021
4Elkhart Memorial2008, 2009*, 2011, 2012
3NorthWood1977, 2015, 2020
3Wawasee1995, 1996, 2009*
2Concord1983, 1985
2Rochester1978, 1979
1Bremen1986

State championships

=Concord (3)=

  • 1964 Boys Gymnastics
  • 1965 Boys Gymnastics
  • 1966 Boys Gymnastics

=Elkhart Memorial (0)=

=Goshen (3)=

  • 1978 Football (2A)
  • 1988 Football (4A)
  • 2014 Soccer (2A)

=Northridge (2)=

  • 1988 Softball
  • 2004 Boys Cross Country

=NorthWood (4)=

  • 1999 Girls Basketball (3A)
  • 2005 Football (3A)
  • 2020 Girls Basketball (3A)
  • 2023 Boys Basketball (3A)

=Plymouth (4)=

  • 1977 Football (2A)
  • 1982 Boys Basketball
  • 2007 Boys Basketball (3A)
  • 2008 Girls Basketball (3A)

=Warsaw (5)=

  • 1976 Girls Basketball
  • 1978 Girls Basketball
  • 1984 Boys Basketball
  • 1991 Softball
  • 2005 Boys Golf

=Wawasee (1)=

  • 1976 Girls Track & Field

References

{{Reflist}}

External links

  • [http://www.nlcsports.com/index.aspx NLC Website]
  • [https://web.archive.org/web/20081013165447/http://www.ihsaa.org/school_rosters_frame.htm IHSAA Conferences]
  • [https://web.archive.org/web/20080624194937/http://www.ihsaa.org/school-directory/SchoolDirectory2.pdf IHSAA Directory]

{{Indiana's Northern Lakes Conference}}

{{Indiana High School Athletic Association (IHSAA)}}

Category:Indiana high school athletic conferences

Category:High school sports conferences and leagues in the United States

Category:Education in Elkhart County, Indiana

Category:Education in Kosciusko County, Indiana

Category:Education in Marshall County, Indiana

Category:1963 establishments in Indiana