IWC accepted by SLIAC

ST. LOUIS, MO. ? Iowa Wesleyan College has been accepted into the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC), provided the school is also accepted as a provisional member of the NCAA.

IWC is currently working on its application for membership in the NCAA, the deadline for which is Jan. 15, 2012.

If all goes as planned, IWC, which is currently a member of the NAIA?s Midwest Collegiate Conference and Mid-States Football Conference, will begin competition in the SLIAC during the 2013-14 academic year.

?Iowa Wesleyan is very pleased to be approved for membership in the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference,? Iowa Wesleyan College President Dr. Jay Simmons said. ?We believe the schools in this conference are the right partners for our institution and our athletic programs. This is an important next step in our commitment to the future of Iowa Wesleyan Tiger athletics.?

Following its exploratory year with the NCAA (2012-13), Iowa Wesleyan must complete a four-year provisional process before becoming a full NCAA member. As a SLIAC member during the NCAA provisional phase, the Tigers will be eligible for Conference regular season competition and awards but will not be eligible to compete in postseason team tournaments. They are eligible to compete in championship tournaments in which the conference champion is determined (cross country and golf). Iowa Wesleyan has joined the United States Collegiate Athletic Association, a national organization that provides small colleges alternative venues for post-season competition.

?There is a long and proud tradition in Tiger athletics,? Mike Hampton, Iowa Wesleyan College athletics director, said. ?The move to NCAA D-III and the SLIAC provides new opportunity to continue that tradition of success. We look forward to competitive opportunities for our student-athletes in this arena.?

The SLIAC was chartered in September 1989 and competition began during the 1990-91 academic year. The Conference currently conducts championships in 12 sports including baseball, men?s and women?s basketball, men?s and women?s cross country, men?s golf, men?s and women?s soccer, softball, men?s and women?s tennis, and volleyball.

The nine current members of the SLIAC are Blackburn College (Carlinville, Ill.), Eureka College (Eureka, Ill.), Fontbonne University (St. Louis, Mo.), Greenville College (Greenville, Ill.), MacMurray College (Jacksonville, Ill.), Principia College (Elsah, Ill.), Spalding University (Louisville, Ky.), Webster University (St. Louis, Mo.) and Westminster College (Fulton, Mo.). Spalding was the Conference?s most recent addition, joining the SLIAC in 2009. Blackburn, Fontbonne, Principia and Webster are Charter Members with MacMurray and Westminster joining the Conference before competition began in 1990.