NORTHERN SUN INTERCOLLEGIATE CONFERENCE

'Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference'
NSIC
'Data'
Classification	NCAA Division II
Established	1932
Members	10
Sports fielded	17 (8 men’s, 9 women’s)
Region	Midwestern United States
States	5 - Minnesota, South Dakota, Iowa, North Dakota, Nebraska
Headquarters	Saint Paul, Minnesota

The 'Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference' (NSIC) is a College Athletic Conference which operates in the midwestern United States. Most of its members are in Minnesota, with other members in Nebraska, Iowa, North Dakota and South Dakota. It participates in the NCAA's Division II. It was founded in 1932. With the recent NSIC expansion, the original six member schools have been reunited.
With the inclusion of the four new member institutions is one of the largest Division II conference in the country.

Contents

Member schools

Members as of July 1, 2008

History

Former members

Conference stadia

Divisions

External link

Member schools

Institution	Location	Founded	Affiliation	Enrollment	Joined	School Colors	Nickname
Bemidji State University	Bemidji, Minnesota	1919	Public	5,000	1932	Green & White	Beavers
Concordia University, Saint Paul	Saint Paul, Minnesota	1893	Private/Lutheran (LCMS)	2,000	1999	Blue & Gold	Golden Bears
University of Mary	Bismarck, North Dakota	1959	Private/Catholic	2,758	2006	Royal Blue, White, & Orange	Marauders
University of Minnesota, Crookston	Crookston, Minnesota	1906	Public	2,775	1999	Maroon & Gold	Golden Eagles
Minnesota State University-Moorhead	Moorhead, Minnesota	1888	Public	7,638	1932	Red & White	Dragons
Northern State University	Aberdeen, South Dakota	1901	Public	2,200	1978	Maroon & Gold	Wolves
Southwest Minnesota State University	Marshall, Minnesota	1967	Public	3,500	1969	Vegas Gold & Brown	Mustangs
Upper Iowa University	Fayette, Iowa	1857	Private/Non-sectarian	3,600	2006	Peacock Blue & White	Peacocks
Wayne State College	Wayne, Nebraska	1910	Public	3,300	1998	Black & Gold	Wildcats
Winona State University	Winona, Minnesota	1858	Public	8,000	1932	Purple & White	Warriors

Members as of July 1, 2008

Institution	Location	Founded	Affiliation	Enrollment	Joined	School Colors	Nickname
Augustana College	Sioux Falls, South Dakota	1860	Private/Lutheran (ELCA)	1,800	2007 (eligible in 2008-09)	Navy & Yellow	Vikings
University of Minnesota-Duluth	Duluth, Minnesota	1895	Public	10,500	2007 (eligible in 2008-09)	Maroon & Gold	Bulldogs
Minnesota State University, Mankato	Mankato, Minnesota	1868	Public	14,036	2007 (eligible in 2008-09)	Purple & Gold	Mavericks
Saint Cloud State University	Saint Cloud, Minnesota	1869	Public	16,000	2007 (eligible in 2008-09)	Cardinal & Black	Huskies

History

The Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference was founded in 1932 and has enjoyed a varied existence in the Upper Midwest region it claims as its home. The NSIC is currently made up of institutions from Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota.
The Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference began in 1932 as the Northern Teacher's Athletic Conference. Charter members included Bemidji State University, Mankato State (Minnesota State University, Mankato), Moorhead State University (Minnesota State University-Moorhead), Saint Cloud State University, University of Minnesota Duluth, and Winona State University. In 1942 the conference name was changed to the State Teacher's College Conference of Minnesota. The conference switched its name to the Northern Intercollegiate Conference in 1962. In the spring of 1992 the NSIC was formed out of the merger of the NIC, the men's conference, and the women's Northern Sun Conference (NSC). The NSC had existed since 1979.
In the 1999-2000 academic year, the NSIC became an expanded 10-team league from a previous seven-member conference by adding Wayne State College, Concordia University, St. Paul, and the University of Minnesota, Crookston. The conference featured eight members from 2004-05 until 2005-06 with the departure of the University of Minnesota-Duluth to the North Central Conference and the University of Minnesota, Morris to NCAA Division III, but expanded back to 10 teams in 2006-07 as the University of Mary and Upper Iowa University joined the league.
Since 1932, various institutions have competed in the NSIC. Bemidji State, Minnesota State, Moorhead, and Winona State are charter members and have remained in the conference for the 73 years of its existence. Other current members joined in later years. Southwest Minnesota State University in 1969, Northern State University in 1978, Wayne State College in 1998, Concordia University, St. Paul and the University of Minnesota, Crookston in 1999 and the University of Mary and Upper Iowa University in 2006. Minnesota, Morris became a league member in 1966 before leaving for the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference in Division III in 2003.
In 2007 the NSIC Board of Directors voted to expand the conference to 14 schools. League presidents voted to accept into membership Augustana College, Saint Cloud State University, the University of Minnesota-Duluth, and Minnesota State University, Mankato. These four schools were members of the North Central Conference which will disband after the 2007-2008 academic year. They will become official members of the NSIC on July 1, 2008.
Saint Cloud State had been a charter member of the NSIC in 1932. They left the conference in 1981 and will return in 2008. University of Minnesota Duluth was a charter member in 1932. They left the conference in 1949, returned in 1976, left again in 2004 and return in 2008. Minnesota State, Mankato was a charter member in 1932. They left the conference in 1969, returned in 1978, left again in 1981 and return in 2008.
The NSIC and its member institutions have had an extremely rich tradition in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), including several national champions and many national qualifiers. In 1992, the NSIC entered the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). In the Fall of 1995, the NSIC and its member institutions became eligible for championship competition in the NCAA Division II ranks. The Northern Sun earned its first Division II national championship in a team sport when Winona State won the men's basketball championship in 2005-06.
The highest ranking team in the NSIC in football that does not make the playoffs plays in the Mineral Water Bowl, against an opponent from the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Association.

Former members

★ Michigan Tech University Joined 1957, left the NSIC in 1980.

★ University of Minnesota Morris Joined 1966, left the NSIC in 2003.

Conference stadia

School	Football stadium	Stadium capacity	Basketball arena	Arena capacity
Bemidji State	Chet Anderson Stadium	4,000	BSU Gymnasium	2,500
Concordia, St. Paul	James Griffin Stadium	6,000	Gangelhoff Center	3,200
University of Mary	Bismarck Community Bowl	7,000	McDowell Activity Center	2,500
Minnesota-Crookston	Ed Widseth Field	2,000	Lysaker Gymnasium	3,500
Minnesota State-Moorhead	Alex Nemzek Stadium	5,000	Alex Nemzek Fieldhouse	3,500
Northern State	Swisher Field	6,000	Wachs Arena	8,057
Southwest Minnesota State	Mattke Field	4,000	R/A Facility	4,000
Upper Iowa	Eischeid Stadium	3,500	Dorman Gymnasium	1,950
Wayne State	Memorial Stadium	3,500	Rice Auditorium	2,500
Winona State	Maxwell Field at Alltel Stadium	3,500	McCown Gymnasium	3,500

'Joining on July 1, 2008'

School	Football stadium	Stadium capacity	Basketball arena	Arena capacity
Augustana	Howard Wood Field	10,000	Sioux Falls Arena	8,000
			Elmen Center	4,000
Minnesota-Duluth	Griggs Field at James S. Malosky Stadium	4,000	Romano Gymnasium	2,759
Minnesota State, Mankato	Blakeslee Stadium	7,000	Taylor Center	4,521
St. Cloud State	Husky Stadium	4,197	Halenbeck Hall	6,927

Divisions

The NSIC Board of Directors is considering the use of Divisions for the league once the expansion to 14 teams takes place. Divisions will almost certainly be used for football and will vary on use for the other sports. The proposed divisional alignment would be as follows:
'NSIC North Division'

Bemidji State

Mary

Minnesota-Crookston

Minnesota-Duluth

Minnesota State-Moorhead

Northern State

St. Cloud State

'NSIC South Division'

Augustana

Concordia-St. Paul

Minnesota State, Mankato

Southwest Minnesota State

Upper Iowa

Wayne State

Winona State

External link

★ Official Website of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference