Iowa Wesleyan to host conference basketball, golf tournaments

MT. PLEASANT - It might be a wild scene in Mt. Pleasant in late February when 16 college basketball teams from around the nation enter Ruble Arena.

Last week, Iowa Wesleyan was announced as the host of the 2021 Continental Athletic Conference men’s and women’s basketball tournaments Feb. 25-27, as well as the CAC men’s and women’s golf tournaments May 2-4.

The CAC was formerly known as the Association of Independent Institutions before re-branding themselves as the CAC earlier this month. The CAC is now the largest NAIA athletic conference at 19 members. Iowa Wesleyan joined the CAC midway through the 2020-21 school year.

The basketball tournament in late February will include eight men’s teams and eight women’s teams. The top three teams from each will get automatic qualifier spots in the NAIA National Tournament.

The golf tournaments will be held at Blue Top Ridge Golf Course in Riverside. The top six CAC teams are mandated to be in that tournament, but all teams will be invited and encouraged to participate.

The top two finishing women’s golf teams will get automatic bids to the NAIA tournament as long as the second place team is among the NAIA’s Top-25. In the men’s tournament, only the CAC champion will get an automatic bid.

Along with announcing basketball and golf, the CAC released its list of championship sites. The cross-country championship will be in Lawrence, Kansas. The volleyball tournament will be in Nevada, Missouri. The soccer tournaments, softball tournament and baseball tournament will take place in Lawrenceville, Georgia.

Because the CAC is a conference made of members from all around the country, ranging from coast to coast, there is no regular season conference schedule. Each team, including Iowa Wesleyan, will play a non-conference regular season schedule.