UMAC adds Finlandia as associate football member for 2021 season
ST. PAUL, Minn.---The Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) announced Friday, Oct. 2, that the Council of Presidents and Chancellors has approved the addition of Finlandia University as an associate football member beginning with the 2021 season.
“We are excited to have Finlandia University join the UMAC as an associate football member next fall,” said UMAC Commissioner Corey Borchardt. “Finlandia and the UMAC successfully engaged in scheduling agreements in the past, and our membership anticipates Finlandia will now be a viable, contributing associate member in our football conference.”
With the addition of Finlandia, the UMAC will maintain its automatic qualifying bid to the NCAA Division III Championship for football with seven total members sponsoring the sport. Beginning in 2021, UMAC football teams will play a six-game regular season conference schedule beginning in week five. Each team will have one bye during the conference portion of the schedule.
Finlandia announced the addition of football as a varsity sport in 2014 and kicked off its inaugural season in 2015 as an independent NCAA Division III member. The Lions joined the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) as an affiliate member in 2018 and will complete their membership in the MIAA with the conclusion of the 2020-21 academic year.
“This affiliate membership is a great opportunity for Finlandia football and our athletic department,” said Curtis Wittenberg, Finlandia director of athletics. "The UMAC is a great fit for us as their mission and values align with ours. In addition, the fit regionally should help in terms of travel."
Finlandia President Philip Johnson echoed similar sentiments. "Receiving associate membership in the UMAC for the sport of football is a very positive development," he said. "The UMAC is built on a mission and set of values that align with Finlandia's own athletics vision: academic success, diversity, community, and personal growth. On these shared commitments there is much opportunity for an enduring relationship."
The addition of Finlandia has allowed the UMAC to announce its football schedules for the next two seasons:
2021 UMAC Football Schedule
2022 UMAC Football Schedule
The Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) is an NCAA Division III intercollegiate athletics conference with nine full member institutions in Minnesota and Wisconsin and three associate members. 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.