Iowa Wesleyan announces withdrawal as UMAC associate football member
ST. PAUL, Minn.---The Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) announced Tuesday, June 9, that Iowa Wesleyan University will formally withdraw as a football-only associate member effective with the end of the 2020-2021 academic year (June 30, 2021).
Iowa Wesleyan intends to apply for membership in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) citing institutional alignment with the philosophy and goals of the NAIA along with a better geographic fit. The University joined the UMAC for football only in 2013 during Iowa Wesleyan’s transition to NCAA Division III.
“The UMAC is disappointed to have Iowa Wesleyan leave our conference as an associate member,” said UMAC Commissioner Corey Borchardt. “Iowa Wesleyan has been a positive contributor to the conference in football and has upheld the conference’s mission and core values over the last seven years. We recognize the challenges that exist within the current landscape of higher education and understand and respect the difficult decision made by Iowa Wesleyan’s leadership to best serve the institution’s student-athletes.”
Per NCAA bylaws, the UMAC will still maintain its automatic qualifying bid to the NCAA Division III championships for football for a minimum of two years (through the 2022-2023 academic year) following the departure of Iowa Wesleyan as the conference solidifies other membership developments in the interim that will better position UMAC football programs to fulfill the established vision and long-term goals of the conference.
The Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) is an NCAA Division III intercollegiate athletics conference with nine full member institutions and three associate members sponsoring 18 sports. The UMAC creates a vibrant community for student-athletes and institutions to thrive through intercollegiate athletics. It supports and celebrates the academic excellence and competitive success of members by providing outstanding service and creating pathways to national opportunities and programs.