KAYLA DRAKE | Multimedia Producer

Lindenwood is moving from the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association to the Great Lakes Valley Conference next year.

The change was announced Oct. 4 by Lindenwood and the GLVC.

“Conference realignment is never an easy process and we arrived at this decision after careful consideration of the long-term best interests of our university,” Lindenwood President Michael Shonrock was quoted as saying in a press release that announced the change. “We would like to thank the MIAA for the years that we spent in this highly competitive conference.”

Shonrock also said the new conference will give Lindenwood “unparalleled visibility” throughout the Midwest. 

The switch was initiated in December 2017 when Lindenwood sent a letter of interest to GLVC, looking to join, according to GLVC’s website. On Oct. 2 the GLVC board of presidents approved it.

Lindenwood is the second university within six months to drop from the MIAA and join the GLVC. Southwest Baptist University in Bolivar, Missouri, announced their move in May. 

The changes will reduce the MIAA to 12 schools and increase the GLVC to 16.

MIAA said in a statement that “while the timing of [Lindenwood’s] departure is not ideal, we have committees and task forces looking at options for our 2019 sport schedules.”

Lindenwood switched out of the NAIA in 2012 and moved to the NCAA. Over the last six years, the university has won 11 MIAA titles in baseball, women’s basketball, men’s cross country, men’s golf, men’s soccer, and wrestling.

The GLVC has 22 sports while the MIAA sponsors 18. 

Lindenwood will formally join the conference on July 1, 2019. 

Current schools in the GLVC are:

• Bellarmine University (Louisville, Ky.)
• Drury University (Springfield, Mo.)
• University of Illinois Springfield (Springfield, Ill.)
• University of Indianapolis (Indianapolis, Ind.)
• Lewis University (Romeoville, Ill.)
• Maryville University (St. Louis, Mo.)
• McKendree University (Lebanon, Ill.)
• Missouri University of Science & Technology (Rolla, Mo.)
• University of Missouri-St. Louis (St. Louis, Mo.)
• Quincy University (Quincy, Ill.)
• Rockhurst University (Kansas City, Mo.)
• University of Southern Indiana (Evansville, Ind.)
• Truman State University (Kirksville, Mo.)
• William Jewell College (Liberty, Mo).