The American Midwest Conference (AMC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) with 10 member institutions located in Arkansas and Missouri in the United States.
History
American Midwest Conference
110km
68miles
68miles
Columbia
Mission
Crowley’s Ridge
Cottey
Central Baptist
UHSP
Stephens
Williams Baptist
Harris– Stowe State
Hannibal–LaGrange
Location of AMC members: current, departing
current, 
departingThe conference began as the Show-Me Conference in 1986, then changed to its current name in 1994, reflecting that its footprint had expanded beyond Missouri.
Recent events
On August 22, 2022, Lyon College announced that it would leave the American Midwest and the NAIA to join the NCAA Division III ranks and the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC) at the end of the 2022–23 academic year.[1]
Chronological timeline
- 1986 – The American Midwest Conference was founded as the Show-Me Conference. Charter members included Columbia College of Missouri, Hannibal–LaGrange College (now Hannibal–LaGrange University), Harris-Stowe State College (now Harris-Stowe State University), Missouri Baptist College (now Missouri Baptist University) and Park College (now Park University), beginning the 1986–87 academic year.
- 1987 – McKendree College (now McKendree University) joined the Show-Me in the 1987–88 academic year.
- 1990 – Fontbonne left the Show-Me and the NAIA to fully align with the Division III ranks of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC) after the 1989–90 academic year.
- 1993 – Iowa Wesleyan College (later Iowa Wesleyan University), Lindenwood College (now Lindenwood University) and William Woods College (now William Woods University) joined the Show-Me in the 1993–94 academic year.
- 1994:
- Park left the Show-Me to join the Midlands Collegiate Athletic Conference (MCAC) for most sports, while its men’s basketball team had become an NAIA Independent after the 1993–94 academic year.
- The Show-Me Conference was rebranded as the American Midwest Conference in the 1994–95 academic year.
- 1995 – Iowa Wesleyan left the American Midwest to join the Midwest Classic Conference (MCC) after the 1994–95 academic year.
- 1996 – Lindenwood left the American Midwest to join the Heart of America Athletic Conference (HAAC) after the 1995–96 academic year.
- 2001 – Williams Baptist College (now Williams Baptist University) joined the American Midwest in the 2001–02 academic year.
- 2003 – The University of Illinois at Springfield (UIS) joined the American Midwest in the 2003–04 academic year.
- 2008 – Stephens College joined the American Midwest in the 2008–09 academic year.
- 2009:
- Illinois–Springfield (UIS) left the American Midwest and the NAIA to join the NCAA Division II ranks and the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) after the 2008–09 academic year.
- Park rejoined the American Midwest in the 2009–10 academic year.
- Illinois–Springfield (UIS) left the American Midwest and the NAIA to join the NCAA Division II ranks and the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) after the 2008–09 academic year.
- 2011:
- McKendree left the American Midwest and the NAIA to join the NCAA Division II ranks as an NCAA D-II Independent (which would later join the GLVC beginning the 2012–13 academic year) after the 2010–11 academic year.
- Benedictine University at Springfield joined the American Midwest in the 2011–12 academic year.
- 2012 – Lyon College joined the American Midwest in the 2012–13 academic year.
- 2013 – Freed–Hardeman University and Mid-Continent University joined the American Midwest in the 2013–14 academic year.
- 2014:
- Mid-Continent left the American Midwest after spending one season, as the school ceased operations after the 2013–14 academic year.
- Lindenwood University at Belleville and the St. Louis College of Pharmacy (now the University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy in St. Louis, a.k.a. UHSP) joined the American Midwest in the 2014–15 academic year.
- 2015:
- Benedictine–Springfield left the American Midwest, as the school ceased operations after the 2014–15 academic year.
- Central Baptist College joined the American Midwest in the 2015–16 academic year.
- 2017 – Calumet College of St. Joseph and Marian University joined the American Midwest as associate members for men’s wrestling in the 2017–18 academic year.
- 2019 – Lincoln College of Illinois joined the American Midwest as an associate member for men’s wrestling in the 2019–20 academic year.
- 2020:
- Three institutions left the American Midwest to join their respective new home primary conferences, all effective after the 2019–20 academic year:
- Freed–Hardeman to join the Mid-South Conference
- Lindenwood–Belleville to cease operations
- and Park to join the Heart of America Athletic Conference (HAAC)
- Marian (Ind.) left the American Midwest as an associate member for men’s wrestling after the 2019–20 academic year.
- Three institutions left the American Midwest to join their respective new home primary conferences, all effective after the 2019–20 academic year:
- 2022:
- Lincoln (Ill.) left the American Midwest as an associate member for men’s wrestling as the school announced that it would close after the 2021–22 academic year.
- Cottey College joined the American Midwest from the AII/Continental ranks in the 2022–23 academic year.
- 2023:
- Lyon left the American Midwest and the NAIA to join the NCAA Division III ranks and the SLIAC after the 2022–23 academic year.
- Haskell Indian Nations University joined the American Midwest as an associate member for men’s and women’s indoor and outdoor track & field in the 2023–24 academic year.
- 2024:
- Mission University (formerly Baptist Bible College) and Crowley’s Ridge College both joined the American Midwest in the 2024–25 academic year.
- Four institutions joined the American Midwest as associate members, all effective in the 2024–25 academic year:
- St. Ambrose University for competitive cheer and dance
- Dickinson State University for only competitive cheer
- and the University of St. Francis and Viterbo University for only competitive dance
- 2025:
- Missouri Baptist and William Woods left the American Midwest to join the HAAC after the 2024–25 academic year.
- Four institutions joined the American Midwest as associate members, all effective in the 2025–26 academic year:
- Oklahoma City University and Saint Xavier University for competitive cheer and dance
- Langston University for only competitive cheer
- and Bismarck State College for only competitive dance
- 2026 – St. Ambrose will leave the American Midwest as an associate member for competitive cheer and dance to join the HAAC as a full member after the 2025–26 academic year.
- 2027:
- UHSP will leave the American Midwest after the 2026–27 academic year; as the school will merge with Washington University in St. Louis and drop its athletics program.
- Champion Christian College will join the American Midwest, beginning the 2027–28 academic year.
Member schools
Current members
The American Midwest currently has ten full members, all but one are private schools.
| Institution | Location | Founded | Affiliation | Enrollment | Nickname | Joined[a] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Central Baptist College | Conway, Arkansas | 1952 | Baptist Missionary | 547 | Mustangs | 2015 |
| Columbia College | Columbia, Missouri | 1851 | Disciples of Christ | 5,689 | Cougars | 1986 |
| Cottey College[b] | Nevada, Missouri | 1884 | Nonsectarian | 254 | Comets | 2022[2] |
| Crowley’s Ridge College | Paragould, Arkansas | 1964 | Churches of Christ | 241 | Pioneers | 2024 |
| Hannibal–LaGrange University | Hannibal, Missouri | 1858 | Southern Baptist | 499 | Trojans | 1986 |
| Harris–Stowe State University | St. Louis, Missouri | 1857 | Public | 1,002 | Hornets | 1986 |
| Mission University[c] | Springfield, Missouri | 1950 | BBFI | 434 | Patriots | 2024 |
| Stephens College[b] | Columbia, Missouri | 1833 | Nonsectarian | 568 | Stars | 2008 |
| University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy in St. Louis (UHSP) |
St. Louis, Missouri | 1864 | Nonsectarian | 648 | Eutectics | 2014 |
| Williams Baptist University | Walnut Ridge, Arkansas | 1941 | Southern Baptist | 517 | Eagles & Lady Eagles |
2001 |
- Notes
Future members
The American Midwest will have one future full member, which will be also a private school.
| Institution | Location | Founded | Affiliation | Enrollment | Nickname | Joining[a] | Current conference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Champion Christian College | Hot Springs, Arkansas | 2005 | Nondenominational | 146 | Tigers | 2027 | NCCAA Independent |
- Notes
- ^ Represents the calendar year when fall sports competition begins.
Associate members
The American Midwest currently has nine associate members, four of which are public schools:
| Institution | Location | Founded | Affiliation | Enrollment | Nickname | Joined[a] | AMC sport(s) |
Primary conference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bismarck State College | Bismarck, North Dakota | 1939 | Public[b] | 4,206 | Mystics | 2025 | Competitive dance | Frontier |
| Dickinson State University | Dickinson, North Dakota | 1918 | Public[b] | 1,410 | Blue Hawks | 2024 | Competitive cheer | Frontier |
| Haskell Indian Nations University | Lawrence, Kansas | 1884 | Public tribal | 978 | Fighting Indians | 2023 | Men’s indoor track & field | Continental |
| 2023 | Men’s outdoor track & field | |||||||
| 2023 | Women’s indoor track & field | |||||||
| 2023 | Women’s outdoor track & field | |||||||
| Langston University | Langston, Oklahoma | 1897 | Public[c] | 1,937 | Lions | 2025 | Competitive cheer | Sooner (SAC) |
| Oklahoma City University | Oklahoma City, Oklahoma | 1904 | United Methodist |
2,966 | Stars | 2025 | Competitive cheer | Sooner (SAC) |
| 2025 | Competitive dance | |||||||
| Saint Xavier University | Chicago, Illinois | 1846 | Catholic (R.S.M.) |
3,485 | Cougars | 2025 | Competitive cheer | Chicagoland (CCAC) |
| 2025 | Competitive dance | |||||||
| St. Ambrose University | Davenport, Iowa | 1882 | Catholic (Diocese of Davenport) |
2,498 | Fighting Bees | 2024 | Competitive cheer | Chicagoland (CCAC)[d] |
| 2024 | Competitive dance | |||||||
| University of St. Francis | Joliet, Illinois | 1920 | Catholic (Franciscans) |
3,074 | Fighting Saints | 2024 | Competitive dance | Chicagoland (CCAC) |
| Viterbo University | La Crosse, Wisconsin | 1890 | Catholic (Franciscan) |
2,094 | V-Hawks | 2024 | Competitive dance | Chicagoland (CCAC) |
- Notes
- ^ Represents the calendar year when fall sports competition begins.
- ^ a b Part of the North Dakota University System.
- ^ Also a historically black college and university.
- ^ St. Ambrose will join the Heart of America Athletic Conference (HAAC) for all sports beginning in the 2026–27 academic year.
Former members
The American Midwest had thirteen former full members, all but one were private schools:
- Notes
- ^ Represents the calendar year when fall sports competition begins.
- ^ Represents the calendar year when spring sports competition ends.
- ^ The Benedictine–Springfield men’s and women’s basketball teams joined the American Midwest a year after becoming a full member for other sports (2012–13).
- ^ Was known as Fontbonne University since 2002.
- ^ a b c Currently an NCAA Division III athletic conference.
- ^ a b c d Currently an NCAA Division II athletic conference.
- ^ Currently known as Iowa Wesleyan University since 2015.
- ^ Iowa Wesleyan had joined the following subsequent conferences: the Midwest Collegiate Conference (MCC) from 1995–96 to 2011–12; as an NAIA Independent during the 2012–13 school year; the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference[e] (SLIAC) from 2013–14 to 2020–21; and the Continental Athletic Conference from 2021–22 to 2022–23.
- ^ Iowa Wesleyan had announced a return to the AMC effective with the 2023–24 academic year,[3] but closed at the end of the 2022–23 academic year.[4]
- ^ Currently known as Lindenwood University since 1997.
- ^ Lindenwood had joined the following subsequent conferences: the Heart of America Athletic Conference (HAAC) from 1996–97 to 2010–11; as an NCAA D-II Independent during the 2011–12 school year; the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association[f] (MIAA) from 2012–13 to 2018–19; and the Great Lakes Valley Conference[f] (GLVC) from 2019–20 to 2021–22.
- ^ Currently an NCAA Division I athletic conference.
Former associate members
The American Midwest had three former associate members, all of which were private schools:
| Institution | Location | Founded | Affiliation | Nickname | Joined[a] | Left[b] | AMC sport(s) |
Primary conference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Calumet College of St. Joseph | Whiting, Indiana | 1951 | Catholic (C.PP.S.) |
Crimson Wave | 2017[c] | 2022 | Men’s wrestling | Chicagoland (CCAC) |
| Lincoln College | Lincoln, Illinois | 1865 | Nonsectarian | Lynx | 2019 | 2022 | Men’s wrestling | Closed in 2022 |
| Marian University | Indianapolis, Indiana | 1851 | Catholic (S.S.F.) |
Knights | 2017 | 2020 | Men’s wrestling | Crossroads |
- Notes
Membership timeline
Full member (non-football) Associate member (sport)
Sports
| Sport | Men’s | Women’s |
|---|---|---|
| Baseball |  |
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| Basketball | |
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| Cross Country | |
|
| Golf | |
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| Soccer | |
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| Softball |
| |
| Track & Field Indoor | |
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| Track & Field Outdoor | |
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| Volleyball |
| |
| Wrestling | |
References
- ^ Lyon College (August 22, 2022). “Lyon College enters NCAA Div. III in SLIAC”. GuardOnline.com. Retrieved August 22, 2022.
- ^ “Cottey College Joins the American Midwest Conference”. American Midwest Conference. November 16, 2021. Retrieved December 26, 2021.
- ^ “Iowa Wesleyan University rejoins the American Midwest Conference”. American Midwest Conference. November 16, 2022. Retrieved March 30, 2023.
- ^ “Iowa Wesleyan University Announces Closure”. Iowa Wesleyan University. March 28, 2023. Retrieved March 30, 2023.
