Iowa Wesleyan to American Midwest Conference

MT. PLEASANT — Iowa Wesleyan sports fans can party like it’s 1995. The Tigers finally have what seems to be a long-term home in the NAIA.

After two years of playing the majority of sports in the Continental Athletic Conference, the Tigers will be headed back to the American Midwest Conference in the fall of 2023. The University and the AMC each announced the news on Wednesday.

“Our Council of Presidents, Board of Athletics Administrators and Site Visit Team were highly impressed with all aspects of Iowa Wesleyan University, its senior leadership, athletics staff, student-athletes and facilities," AMC Commissioner Will Wolper said. "They are a perfect addition to the American Midwest Conference.”

The Tigers were last a member of the AMC in 1995. Iowa Wesleyan had a short stint with the conference from 1993-95, becoming members right before the league changed its name from the Show-Me Collegiate Conference to the American Midwest.

The AMC currently has 11 members, and the conference is expected to stay at 11 next year, as Iowa Wesleyan will occupy the slot of outgoing Lyon College, which joined in 2012.

The AMC includes five members that were apart of the conference when Iowa Wesleyan joined in the 1990s. Charter members Columbia College, Hannibal-LaGrange University, Harris-Stowe State University and Missouri Baptist University are all still members, as is William Woods University, which joined with the Tigers in 1993.

Other members of the league include Central Baptist College, Cottey College, University of Health Sciences & Pharmacy, Williams Baptist College and Stephens College, which is a women’s college.

“On behalf of the Council of Presidents (COP) and the American Midwest Conference, we welcome Iowa Wesleyan University to the AMC," Central Baptist College President Terry Kimbrow, chair of the AMC COP, said. "President Christine Plunkett and Vice President Derek Zander have demonstrated a true understanding and commitment to the values of the NAIA and AMC. Like the current members of the AMC, their top focus is on the overall success and experience of their student-athletes, not just on the field but in the classroom and the community."

Iowa Wesleyan currently sponsors 18 athletic teams. A whopping 16 of those will fit right in with the AMC. The conference currently doesn’t have football or women’s wrestling.

The Tigers are no stranger to AMC competition. Iowa Wesleyan has frequently played AMC schools, particularly in the northern half, even when the college was a part of NCAA Division III for the better part of the last decade.

Recently, the Tiger men’s basketball team has played Columbia and William Woods, defeating both in November. The women defeated William Woods earlier this month as well.

Zander, who serves as Iowa Wesleyan Vice President for Advancement and Athletics, says the conference is a perfect fit.

“"We are honored that the American Midwest Conference (AMC) Council of Presidents voted unanimously to add Iowa Wesleyan as a full member in the fall of 2023," Zander said. "Through our conversations with the AMC, it was evident that the AMC values the importance of creating a positive student-athlete experience while supporting their students academically. We look forward to building off Iowa Wesleyan's athletic success while competing in a highly competitive conference."

The Tigers will continue to compete in the CAC in most sports for the rest of this school year, and the wrestling teams will continue to battle in the Heart of America conference.

When Iowa Wesleyan does join the AMC next year, the university will be the northernmost school in the conference. The closest conference rival will be Hannibal-LaGrange, which sits 97 miles south straight down the Avenue of the Saints.

The next time Iowa Wesleyan will play against a future AMC rival in an athletic event will be on Dec. 17, when the men’s basketball team hosts Williams Baptist.