IWC football joins UMAC

ST. PAUL ? Following the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference?s (UMAC) Council of Presidents meetings on Monday, the league invited Iowa Wesleyan College to join the conference as an associate member for the sport of football, conditional upon the institution?s successful completion of the NCAA Division III exploratory year in 2012-2013 and acceptance as a provisional member of the NCAA Division III beginning with the 2013-2014 academic year.

Iowa Wesleyan accepted the presidents? invitation, and will begin playing in the UMAC in 2013, assuming NCAA Division III provisional status is granted.

?The UMAC is pleased to have Iowa Wesleyan join our league for football,? said Corey Borchardt, UMAC Commissioner. ?Iowa Wesleyan shares a similar mission and vision as well as exhibits values that concur with the rest of our league members. We feel the Iowa Wesleyan football program aligns well with our current football members and will be a great fit as our conference continues to develop.?

Following its exploratory year with the NCAA in 2012-2013, Iowa Wesleyan must complete a four-year provisional process before becoming a full NCAA member. As a UMAC associate 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 the NCAA postseason. Iowa Wesleyan will assume Presentation College?s position as the 10th team on the UMAC schedule beginning in 2013.

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

The Upper Midwest Athletic Conference is comprised of eight full and five associate members located throughout the Midwest. The UMAC awards conference championships in 17 sports.

IWC is currently a member of the NAIA?s Midwest Collegiate Conference and Mid-States Football Conference. The Tigers will begin competition as a provisional member of the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC), an NCAA Division III league, during the 2013-14 academic year, while joining four other SLIAC member schools ? Eureka College, Greenville College, MacMurray College and Westminster College (Mo.) ? as a UMAC associate member for football.