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Affiliations

Nebraska Wesleyan is affiliated with both the NCAA Division III and the NAIA, the ONLY school in the nation with dual affiliation. Our NAIA membership is important because the other ten schools in our conference, the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC), are affiliated exclusively with the NAIA and we share a rich history and many similarities with these other small, private faith based schools in Nebraska, Iowa, and South Dakota. Since there are no NCAA Division III schools within three hours of Lincoln (and only a handful within six hours), NAIA membership helps us manage our travel budget and missed class time.

However, we do differ from these schools in that we follow the NCAA Division III philosophy of not awarding athletic scholarships, consistent with the idea that student-athletes "are not treated differently from the other members of the student body"

Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC)

  • GPACThe Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) is an affiliated conference of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), consisting of 11 private, faith-based colleges and universities in Nebraska, Iowa and South Dakota. Originally founded in 1969 as the Nebraska Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (NIAC), the league retains five of the six charter members - Concordia, Doane, Hastings, Midland and Nebraska Wesleyan.  In 1992, the NIAC added Northwestern and became the Nebraska-Iowa Athletic Conference. Eight years later, Dakota Wesleyan, Dordt, Mount Marty and Sioux Falls joined the conference which became the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) in 2000-2001. Briar Cliff entered the league in 2002-2003 and Morningside became the 13th member starting with the 2003-2004 school year.  Both schools are in Sioux City, Iowa.
    In the summer of 2010 Dana College ceased operations and in 2011 The University of Sioux Falls left the GPAC to join NCAA Division II and the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference. The GPAC sponsors 19 intercollegiate sports - nine for women and ten for men - and awards an All-Sports Trophy based on the final league standings and conference meet results at the end of each school year.  Wrestling has added as a sanctioned GPAC sport for 2006-2007.  The GPAC is the only NAIA conference in the country to sponsor wrestling.

 

National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA Division III)

  • NCAANebraska Wesleyan has been a member of the NCAA since 1961. NCAA Division III athletics provides a well-rounded collegiate experience that involves a balance of rigorous academics, competitive athletics, and the opportunity to pursue the multitude of other co-curricular and extra-curricular opportunities offered on Division III campuses. Division III encourages student-athletes to take advantage of the many opportunities available to them, both within and beyond athletics, so that they may develop their full potential as students, athletes, and citizens.

National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA)

  • NAIANebraska Wesleyan has been a member of the NAIA since 1982. Today, the NAIA strengthens its commitment to student-athletes and strives to enrich their college experience by supporting academic achievement and character development. The NAIA approaches sport and activity as an opportunity to intentionally teach beyond the fundamentals through the philosophy of the NAIA Champions of Character program. By applying the five core values of respect, responsibility, integrity, servant leadership and sportsmanship the NAIA has the ability to maximize talent to the benefit of each individual.