| Summit League | |
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| Association: | NCAA |
| Division: | Division I |
| Subdivision: | non-football |
| Teams: | 9 full (7 associates) |
| Sports: | 19 |
| Mens: | 9 |
| Womens: | 10 |
| Region: | |
| Formerly: | Association of Mid-Continent Universities (1982–1989) Mid-Continent Conference (1989–2007) |
| Headquarters: | Sioux Falls, South Dakota |
| Commissioner: | Josh Fenton[1] |
| Since: | 2021 |
| Map: | The Summit League map.svg |
| Map Size: | 250 |
The Summit League, or The Summit, is an NCAA Division I intercollegiate athletic conference with its membership mostly located in the Midwestern United States, from Minnesota in the east, to the Dakotas, Nebraska and Colorado to the West, and Missouri and Oklahoma to the South. Founded as the Association of Mid-Continent Universities in 1982, it rebranded as the Mid-Continent Conference in 1989,[2] then again as the Summit League on June 1, 2007.[3] The league headquarters are in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
The membership currently consists of 9 full members plus 7 associate members. The most recent change in the core conference membership is the 2021 arrival of the University of St. Thomas, which began an unprecedented transition from NCAA Division III to Division I.[4] A year earlier, the University of Missouri–Kansas City returned as a full member after a seven-year absence with the new athletic identity of the Kansas City Roos,[5] while Purdue University Fort Wayne left for the Horizon League.[6] A total of 32 schools have been full members; the last charter member remaining in the league, Western Illinois University, left for the Ohio Valley Conference on July 1, 2023 in most sports, with men's soccer playing one more season before leaving at the conclusion of the Fall 2023 season.[7]
The conference can trace its roots back to 1978, when the Mid-Continent Athletic Association was founded as a football-only conference playing in Division II at the time.[8] Its inaugural members were the University of Akron, Eastern Illinois University, University of Northern Iowa, Northern Michigan University, Western Illinois University, and Youngstown State University; Wayne State University had also expressed interest in joining, but ultimately never did.[9] Akron left after the 1979 season, while Northern Michigan and Youngstown State left the following year; they were replaced by Southwest Missouri State (now known as Missouri State University) in 1981. The 1981 season also saw the conference as a whole move from Division II to Division I-AA; this would be the conference's final season under the name of the Mid-Continent Athletic Association.
The new association was officially created on June 18, 1982, at the O'Hare Hilton Hotel in Chicago, Illinois[10] as the Association of Mid-Continent Universities (or AMCU or AMCU-8, pronounced Am-cue), which it was known as until 1989.[11] Covering all men's sports now in addition to football, the new conference consisted of current MCAA members Northern Iowa, Eastern Illinois, Western Illinois, and Southwest Missouri State, along with non-football sponsoring Cleveland State University, University of Illinois-Chicago, University of Wisconsin-Green Bay and Valparaiso University. The conference continued to sponsor football at the Division I-AA level, now under the new AMCU name, from 1982 until 1984, when the football sponsoring members of the Missouri Valley Conference joined with the football sponsoring members of the AMCU to form the beginnings of what is now the Missouri Valley Football Conference; current members North Dakota, North Dakota State, South Dakota, and South Dakota State continue to house their FCS football programs there to this day.
The conference saw its first changes in the early 1990s. Southwest Missouri State departed for membership in the Missouri Valley Conference as the University of Akron and Northern Illinois University joined in 1990. Then Wright State University joined in 1991 as Northern Iowa followed Southwest Missouri State to the MVC.
Major changes came to the conference in 1992. First, Akron left for the Mid-American Conference (MAC) and another Ohio school, Youngstown State University, replaced it. More significantly, the Mid-Continent added women's sports by absorbing the North Star Conference (NSC), a women's-only league whose final seven members were in the Mid-Continent. All of the final NSC members except for Akron moved their women's sports into the Mid-Continent. At the same time, Eastern Illinois and Western Illinois moved their women's sports into the Mid-Continent when their former women's sports home, the Gateway Conference, merged into the Missouri Valley Conference. The University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee joined the Mid-Continent a year later.
In 1994, charter members Cleveland State, UIC, and Green Bay, as well as newer members Wisconsin–Milwaukee, Northern Illinois, and Wright State left the conference to join the Midwestern Collegiate Conference, now known as the Horizon League.
The Mid-Continent absorbed Central Connecticut State University, Chicago State University, the University at Buffalo, Troy State University (now Troy University), and Northeastern Illinois University from the collapsed East Coast Conference in response. None of these institutions remain in the league.
Missouri-Kansas City, formerly an independent, also joined the Mid-Continent Conference in 1994.
Eastern Illinois moved to the Ohio Valley Conference in 1996, reducing membership to nine programs. Troy State departed for the Trans America Athletic Conference while Central Connecticut joined the Northeast Conference in 1997. Buffalo joined the MAC in 1998 while Northeastern Illinois ceased intercollegiate athletics at that time. Oral Roberts University and Southern Utah University replaced the former pair while Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI; its athletic program is now IU Indy) and Oakland University moved into the latter duo's spots a year later.
Youngstown State switched to the Horizon League in 2001, and Centenary College replaced it in 2003. Chicago State University announced in the spring of 2006 that it would withdraw from the conference to compete as an independent starting in the 2006–07 school year. Charter member Valparaiso then moved to the Horizon in 2007.
Conference expansion was discussed at length at the Mid-Continent Conference annual Presidents Council meeting in 2006, and Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne (IPFW, now Purdue Fort Wayne), North Dakota State, and South Dakota State were approved for site visits. On August 30, 2006, IPFW accepted an invitation to join the Mid-Continent Conference as a full member starting July 1, 2007.[12] Both North Dakota State and South Dakota State also accepted invitations to join the conference the next day.[13] [14]
The Summit League continued its renewed expansion push with the admission of the University of South Dakota. The Coyotes began conference play in the 2011–12 academic year and become eligible for all championships the following season.[15] Centenary College subsequently announced that it would leave the Summit League following the 2010–2011 campaign.[16]
The University of North Dakota had also been openly rumored to have been courted by the Summit League, but controversy over the Fighting Sioux nickname in all likelihood prevented UND's admission at that time. Expectations that UND would join the Summit League came to an end on November 1, 2010, when North Dakota instead accepted an invitation to join the Big Sky Conference. The University of South Dakota entered into very brief negotiations to join the Big Sky as well, rather than continuing their plans to join the Summit. However, South Dakota chose instead to remain with the more compact Summit League (along with other Dakota schools, NDSU and SDSU). As the University of Nebraska Omaha began the transition to Division I athletics in all sports, it joined the Summit League on July 1, 2012. With the departures of Centenary to Division III at the end of the 2010–11 athletic year, and Southern Utah and Oral Roberts for other Division I conferences at the end of the 2011–12 athletic year, the Summit League continued with nine institutions, all within the Midwest geographical region.[17]
The conference unveiled the University of Denver (DU) as its 10th member on November 27, 2012, and the Pioneers joined in July 2013.[18] While Denver is slightly outside The Summit's current Midwestern base, the city's status as a major air hub seemingly minimized travel issues for the other members.[18] With Denver among the eight of ten WAC members switching to other conferences, that league searched for new members. UMKC announced on February 7, 2013, that it would be one of six schools joining the WAC for the 2013–14 season,[19] dropping the Summit league back to nine member schools. Membership fell to eight schools on May 7, 2013, when Oakland announced that it was joining the Horizon League. Eight of the nine then-current Horizon League programs were former Summit League members with Oakland's move (the Horizon has since added two more members that were never in The Summit League, Northern Kentucky and Robert Morris, as well as another former Summit member in Purdue Fort Wayne).
In December 2013, The Summit League office announced that Oral Roberts University returned to the conference in all sports, effective July 1, 2014.[20]
The next changes to the conference's core membership were announced in 2017. First, on January 26, North Dakota, which had resolved its controversy by selecting the new nickname Fighting Hawks, unveiled as a new member beginning in 2018.[21] Then, on June 28, IUPUI announced it would leave the conference to join the Horizon League effective July 1, 2017.[22]
For much of 2018, speculation involving further league expansion focused on Augustana University, a Division II school located in the Summit's headquarters city of Sioux Falls. Many of the school's boosters have ties to Sanford Health, a hospital company that has long been a major league sponsor and also owns the office complex that houses the league headquarters.[23] [24] The university announced on December 14 that it would start a transition to Division I, though stating at the time that no such move would take place until at least 2021.[25] However, on May 22, 2020, the Summit League commissioner, Tom Douple, informed Augustana president Stephanie Herseth Sandlin that the conference would not be adding more new teams "at this time."[26] The conference expanded anyway, announcing in June 2019 that UMKC would return in 2020 after a seven-year absence. However, shortly thereafter, Purdue Fort Wayne announced its 2020 departure for the Horizon League, maintaining the full-time conference membership at nine schools.[6] Then, on October 4, 2019, the University of St. Thomas, a Minnesota school that was set to be expelled from its longtime athletic home of the NCAA Division III Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) in 2021, announced that it received an invitation to join the Summit upon its MIAC departure.[27] St. Thomas eventually received a waiver of an NCAA rule mandating that Division III schools can only transition to Division II, allowing the school to move directly to D-I on the originally announced schedule.[28]
Shortly before St. Thomas' future conference membership was confirmed, the University of Northern Colorado was announced as a baseball-only member effective in 2021–22. The most recent change to the affiliate membership was announced on May 11, 2022, when Lindenwood University and the University of Southern Indiana were announced as new affiliates in men's soccer plus men's and women's swimming & diving effective in 2022–23. Both institutions began transitions from Division II as new members of the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC), which at the time did not sponsor any of these schools' Summit League sports, in July 2022. Southern Indiana started its swimming & diving program for both sexes in 2022–23.[29] In late March 2023, the OVC announced that it would begin sponsoring men's soccer that fall, leading to Eastern Illinois, Lindenwood, and Southern Indiana moving that sport to their full-time home.[30] All three remain swimming & diving affiliates.
In early May 2023, it was announced that founding member, Western Illinois would be leaving the Summit League in all sports and would join the Ohio Valley Conference beginning in Fall 2023.[31] In mid-June, Western Illinois announced that their men's soccer team would remain in the Summit League for the Fall 2023 season, and depart for the OVC after that.[32]
On April 4, 2024, both entities announced that Delaware would be joining the conference as an associate member in men's soccer starting in 2025.[33]
On May 7, 2024, the league announced that Northern Colorado, who is also an affiliate in baseball, and Weber State would be joining the league for men's golf starting in the Fall of 2024.
| Institution | Location | Founded | Joined | Type | Enrollment | Endowment[34] | Nickname | Colors | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Denver, Colorado | 1864 | 2013 | Private | 14,130 | $900,300,000 | Pioneers | |||
| Kansas City, Missouri | 1933 | 1994; 2020 | Public | 16,017 | $152,800,000 | Roos | |||
| Omaha, Nebraska | 1908 | 2012 | Public | 15,328 | $110,000,000 | Mavericks | |||
| Grand Forks, North Dakota | 1883 | 2018 | Public | 14,172 | $352,100,000 | Fighting Hawks | |||
| North Dakota State University | Fargo, North Dakota | 1890 | 2007 | Public | 11,952 | $457,000,000 | Bison | ||
| Oral Roberts University | Tulsa, Oklahoma | 1963 | 1997; 2014 | Private(Evangelical) | 5,051 | $45,000,000 | Golden Eagles | ||
| Saint Paul, Minnesota | 1885 | 2021 | Private(Catholic) | 9,347 | $653,300,000 | Tommies | |||
| Vermillion, South Dakota | 1862 | 2011 | Public | 9,464 | $328,500,000 | Coyotes | |||
| South Dakota State University | Brookings, South Dakota | 1881 | 2007 | Public | 11,465 | $213,000,000 | Jackrabbits |
| Institution | Location | Founded | Joined | Type | Enrollment | Nickname | Primary conference | Summit sport(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drake University | Des Moines, Iowa | 1881 | 2017 | Private | 4,875 | Bulldogs | MVC | Men's tennis[35] | |
| Eastern Illinois University | Charleston, Illinois | 1895 | 2005 | Public | 8,608 | Panthers | OVC | Swimming & diving[36] | |
| Illinois State University | Normal, Illinois | 1857 | 2017 | Public | 20,233 | Redbirds | MVC | Men's tennis | |
| Greeley, Colorado | 1889 | 2021 | Public | 10,348 | Bears | Big Sky | Baseball[37] | ||
| 2024 | Men's golf[38] | ||||||||
| Evansville, Indiana | 1965 | 2022 | Public | 7,938 | Screaming Eagles | OVC | Swimming & diving | ||
| Weber State University | Ogden, Utah | 1889 | 2024 | Public | 29,914 | Wildcats | Big Sky | Men's golf |
All institutional names and nicknames used reflect those in the final school year of conference membership.
The Summit League has 23 former members.
PlotArea = right:20 left:0 bottom:50 top:5 #> to display a count on left side of graph, use "left:20" to suppress the count, use "left:20"<#
ImageSize = width:1000 height:auto barincrement:20
DateFormat = yyyy
Period = from:1978 till:2028
TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal
Colors = id:barcolor value:rgb(0.99,0.7,0.7)
id:line value:black
id:bg value:white id:Full value:rgb(0.792,0.727,0.752) # Use this color to denote a team that is a member in all sports id:FullxF value:rgb(0.551,0.824,0.777) # Use this color to denote a team that is a member in all sports except for football id:AssocF value:rgb(0.98,0.5,0.445) # Use this color to denote a team that is a member for football only id:AssocOS value:rgb(0.5,0.611,0.824) # Use this color to denote a team that is a member in some sports, but not all (consider identifying in legend or a footnote) id:OtherC1 value:rgb(0.996,0.996,0.699) # Use this color to denote a team that has moved to another conference id:OtherC2 value:rgb(0.988,0.703,0.383) # Use this color to denote a team that has moved to another conference where OtherC1 has already been used, to distinguish the twoPlotData =
color:FullxF width:15 textcolor:black shift:(5,-5) anchor:from fontsize:s
bar:1 color:AssocF from:1978 till:1979 text:Akron (1978-1979, 1990-1992) bar:1 shift:(130) color:OtherC1 from:1979 till:1987 text:OVC bar:1 color:OtherC2 from:1987 till:1990 text:Independent bar:1 color:FullxF from:1990 till:1992 bar:1 color:OtherC1 from:1992 till:end text:MAC
bar:2 color:AssocF from:1978 till:1982 text:Eastern Illinois (1978–1996) bar:2 color:Full from:1982 till:1985 bar:2 color:FullxF from:1985 till:1996 bar:2 color:OtherC1 from:1996 till:2005 text:OVC bar:2 color:AssocOS from:2005 till:end text:(2005–present, swimming & diving; 2011–2023, men's soccer)
bar:3 color:AssocF from:1978 till:1982 text:Northern Iowa (1978–1991) bar:3 color:Full from:1982 till:1985 bar:3 color:FullxF from:1985 till:1991 bar:3 color:OtherC1 from:1991 till:end text:MVC
bar:4 color:AssocF from:1978 till:1980 text:Northern Michigan (1978-1980)
bar:5 color:AssocF from:1978 till:1982 text:Western Illinois (1978–2023) bar:5 color:Full from:1982 till:1985 bar:5 color:FullxF from:1985 till:2023 bar:5 color:AssocOS from:2023 till:2024 text:(2023, men's soccer) bar:5 color:OtherC1 from:2024 till:end
bar:6 color:AssocF from:1978 till:1980 text:Youngstown State (1978-1980) bar:6 shift:(110) color:OtherC1 from:1980 till:1988 text:OVC bar:6 color:OtherC2 from:1988 till:1992 text:Independent bar:6 color:FullxF from:1992 till:2001 text:(1992–2001) bar:6 color:OtherC1 from:2001 till:end text:Horizon
bar:7 color:OtherC1 from:1978 till:1981 text:MIAA (D-II) bar:7 color:AssocF from:1981 till:1982 text:Southwest Missouri State (1981–1990) bar:7 color:Full from:1982 till:1985 bar:7 color:FullxF from:1985 till:1990 bar:7 color:OtherC1 from:1990 till:end text:MVC
bar:8 color:OtherC1 from:1978 till:1982 text:Independent bar:8 color:FullxF from:1982 till:1994 text:Cleveland State (1982–1994) bar:8 color:OtherC1 from:1994 till:2001 text:MCC bar:8 color:OtherC1 from:2001 till:end text:Horizon
bar:9 color:OtherC1 from:1978 till:1981 text:CCAC (NAIA) bar:9 color:OtherC2 from:1981 till:1982 bar:9 color:FullxF from:1982 till:1994 text:UIC (1982–1994) bar:9 color:OtherC1 from:1994 till:2001 text:MCC bar:9 color:OtherC1 from:2001 till:2022 text:Horizon bar:9 color:OtherC2 from:2022 till:end text:MVC
bar:10 color:OtherC1 from:1978 till:1982 text:Independent bar:10 color:FullxF from:1982 till:1994 text:UW-Green Bay (1982–1994) bar:10 color:OtherC1 from:1994 till:2001 text:MCC bar:10 color:OtherC1 from:2001 till:end text:Horizon
bar:11 color:OtherC1 from:1978 till:1982 text:Independent bar:11 color:FullxF from:1982 till:2007 text:Valparaiso (1982–2007) bar:11 color:OtherC1 from:2007 till:2017 text:Horizon bar:11 shift:(-100) color:AssocOS from:2017 till:2021 text:(2017–2021; men's swimming; 2017–2020, men's tennis) bar:11 shift:(90) color:OtherC2 from:2021 till:end text:MVC
bar:12 color:OtherC1 from:1978 till:1986 text:MAC bar:12 color:OtherC2 from:1986 till:1990 text:Independent bar:12 color:FullxF from:1990 till:1994 text:Northern Illinois (1990–1994) bar:12 shift:(70) color:OtherC1 from:1994 till:1997 bar:12 color:OtherC2 from:1997 till:end text:MAC
bar:13 color:OtherC1 from:1978 till:1987 text:D-II Independent bar:13 color:OtherC2 from:1987 till:1991 text:D-I Independent bar:13 color:FullxF from:1991 till:1994 text:Wright State (1991–1994) bar:13 shift:(70) color:OtherC1 from:1994 till:2001 text:MCC bar:13 color:OtherC1 from:2001 till:end text:Horizon
bar:16 color:OtherC1 from:1978 till:1980 text:D-I Ind. bar:16 color:OtherC2 from:1980 till:1985 text:D-III Independent bar:16 color:OtherC1 from:1985 till:1987 text:NAIA Ind. bar:16 shift:(10) color:OtherC2 from:1987 till:1990 text:D-II Indep. bar:16 color:OtherC1 from:1990 till:1993 text:D-I Indep. bar:16 color:FullxF from:1993 till:1994 text:UW-Milwaukee (1993–1994) bar:16 shift:(100) color:OtherC1 from:1994 till:2001 text:MCC bar:16 color:OtherC1 from:2001 till:end text:Horizon
bar:17 color:OtherC1 from:1978 till:1990 text:Independent bar:17 color:OtherC2 from:1990 till:1992 text:ECC bar:17 shift:(-5) color:OtherC1 from:1992 till:1993 text:Ind. bar:17 shift:(-5) color:OtherC2 from:1993 till:1994 text:ECC bar:17 color:FullxF from:1994 till:1997 text:Central Connecticut State (1994–1997) bar:17 shift:(130) color:OtherC1 from:1997 till:end text:NEC
bar:18 color:OtherC1 from:1978 till:1991 text:GSC (D-II) bar:18 shift:(-5) color:OtherC2 from:1991 till:1993 text:D-II Ind. bar:18 shift:(-5) color:OtherC1 from:1993 till:1994 text:ECC bar:18 color:FullxF from:1994 till:1997 text:Troy State (1994–1997) bar:18 shift:(60) color:OtherC1 from:1997 till:2005 text:TAAC/A-Sun bar:18 color:OtherC2 from:2005 till:end text:Sun Belt
bar:19 color:OtherC1 from:1978 till:1988 text:SUNYAC (D-III) bar:19 color:OtherC2 from:1988 till:1991 text:D-I Indep. bar:19 color:OtherC1 from:1991 till:1994 text:ECC bar:19 color:FullxF from:1994 till:1998 text:Buffalo (1994–1998) bar:19 shift:(20) color:OtherC1 from:1998 till:end text:MAC
bar:20 color:OtherC1 from:1978 till:1988 text:NAIA Independent bar:20 shift:(-10) color:OtherC2 from:1988 till:1989 text:D-II Ind. bar:20 shift:(10) color:OtherC1 from:1989 till:1993 text:D-I Indep. bar:20 shift:(-5) color:OtherC2 from:1993 till:1994 text:ECC bar:20 color:FullxF from:1994 till:1998 text:Northeastern Illinois (1994–1998; dropped athletics)
bar:21 color:OtherC1 from:1978 till:1981 text:CCAC (NAIA) bar:21 shift:(10) color:OtherC2 from:1981 till:1984 text:NAIA Indep. bar:21 color:OtherC1 from:1984 till:1993 text:D-I Independent bar:21 shift:(-5) color:OtherC2 from:1993 till:1994 text:ECC bar:21 color:FullxF from:1994 till:2006 text:Chicago State (1994–2006) bar:21 color:OtherC1 from:2006 till:2009 text:Independent bar:21 color:OtherC2 from:2009 till:2013 text:GWC bar:21 color:OtherC1 from:2013 till:2022 text:WAC bar:21 color:OtherC2 from:2022 till:2024 text:Ind. bar:21 color:OtherC1 from:2024 till:end text:NEC
bar:22 color:OtherC1 from:1978 till:1986 text:NAIA Independent bar:22 color:OtherC2 from:1986 till:1994 text:D-I Independent bar:22 color:FullxF from:1994 till:2013 text:UMKC (1994–2013, 2020–present) bar:22 color:OtherC1 from:2013 till:2020 text:WAC bar:22 color:FullxF from:2020 till:end text:Kansas City
bar:30 color:OtherC1 from:1978 till:1986 text:RMAC (NAIA) bar:30 color:OtherC2 from:1986 till:1988 text:D-II Ind. bar:30 color:OtherC1 from:1988 till:1994 text:DI-AA Independent bar:30 color:OtherC2 from:1994 till:1996 text:AWC bar:30 color:OtherC1 from:1996 till:1997 text:Ind. bar:30 color:FullxF from:1997 till:2012 text:Southern Utah (1997–2012) bar:30 color:OtherC1 from:2012 till:2022 text:Big Sky bar:30 color:OtherC2 from:2022 till:end text:WAC
bar:31 color:OtherC1 from:1978 till:1979 text:Ind. bar:31 color:OtherC2 from:1979 till:1987 text:MCC bar:31 color:OtherC1 from:1987 till:1989 text:D-I Ind. bar:31 color:OtherC2 from:1989 till:1991 text:NAIA Ind. bar:31 shift:(10) color:OtherC1 from:1991 till:1997 text:D-I Independent bar:31 color:FullxF from:1997 till:2012 text:Oral Roberts (1997–2012) bar:31 shift:(-110) color:AssocOS from:2012 till:2014 text:(2012–2014, men's soccer) bar:31 color:FullxF from:2014 till:end text:(2014–present)
bar:32 color:OtherC1 from:1978 till:1993 text:NAIA Independent bar:32 color:OtherC2 from:1993 till:1998 text:D-II Independent bar:32 color:FullxF from:1998 till:2017 text:IUPUI (1998–2017) bar:32 color:OtherC1 from:2017 till:end text:Horizon
bar:33 color:OtherC1 from:1978 till:1997 text:GLIAC (D-II) bar:33 shift:(-20) color:OtherC2 from:1997 till:1998 text:D-II Ind. bar:33 color:FullxF from:1998 till:2013 text:Oakland (1998–2013) bar:33 color:OtherC1 from:2013 till:end text:Horizon
bar:34 color:OtherC1 from:1978 till:1999 text:TAAC bar:34 color:OtherC2 from:1999 till:2003 text:Independent bar:34 color:FullxF from:2003 till:2011 text:Centenary (2003–2011) bar:34 shift:(-10) color:OtherC1 from:2011 till:2012 text:D-III Ind. bar:34 shift:(10) color:OtherC2 from:2012 till:end text:SCAC (D-III)
bar:35 color:OtherC1 from:1978 till:2004 text:NCC (D-II) bar:35 color:OtherC2 from:2004 till:2005 text:Ind. bar:35 color:AssocOS from:2005 till:2007 text:South Dakota State (2005–2007, swimming & diving; 2007–present) bar:35 color:FullxF from:2007 till:end text:
bar:36 color:OtherC1 from:1978 till:2004 text:NCC (D-II) bar:36 color:OtherC2 from:2004 till:2007 text:Independent bar:36 color:FullxF from:2007 till:end text:North Dakota State (2007–present)
bar:37 color:OtherC1 from:1978 till:1981 text:D-III Indep. bar:37 color:OtherC2 from:1981 till:1984 text:D-II Indep. bar:37 color:OtherC1 from:1984 till:2001 text:GLVC (D-II) bar:37 color:OtherC2 from:2001 till:2007 text:Independent bar:37 color:FullxF from:2007 till:2018 text:IPFW (2007–2018) bar:37 color:FullxF from:2018 till:2020 text:Purdue Fort Wayne (2018–2020) bar:37 shift:(120) color:OtherC1 from:2020 till:end text:Horizon
bar:38 color:OtherC1 from:1978 till:2008 text:NCC (D-II) bar:38 shift:(-10) color:OtherC2 from:2008 till:2009 text:GWC bar:38 color:AssocOS from:2009 till:2011 text:South Dakota (2009–2011, swimming & diving; 2011–present) bar:38 color:FullxF from:2011 till:end
bar:39 color:OtherC1 from:1978 till:2008 text:NCC (D-II) bar:39 color:OtherC2 from:2008 till:2011 text:MIAA (D-II) bar:39 color:OtherC1 from:2011 till:2012 text:Ind. bar:39 color:FullxF from:2012 till:end text:Omaha (2012–present)
bar:40 color:OtherC1 from:1978 till:1980 text:D-I Ind. bar:40 color:OtherC2 from:1980 till:1990 text:NAIA Independent bar:40 color:OtherC1 from:1990 till:1998 text:D-II Independent bar:40 shift:(-10) color:OtherC2 from:1998 till:1999 text:D-I Ind. bar:40 color:OtherC1 from:1999 till:2012 text:Sun Belt bar:40 shift:(-10) color:OtherC2 from:2012 till:2013 text:WAC bar:40 color:FullxF from:2013 till:end text:Denver (2013–present)
bar:43 color:OtherC1 from:1978 till:2008 text:NCC (D-II) bar:43 color:OtherC2 from:2008 till:2012 text:GWC bar:43 color:OtherC1 from:2012 till:2018 text:Big Sky bar:43 color:FullxF from:2018 till:end text:North Dakota (2018–present)
bar:44 color:OtherC1 from:1978 till:2021 text:MIAC (D-III) bar:44 color:FullxF from:2021 till:end text:St. Thomas (2021–present)
bar:N color:powderblue from:1978 till:1982 text:MCAA bar:N color:yellow from:1982 till:1989 text:AMCU bar:N color:red from:1989 till:2007 text:Mid-Continent Conference bar:N color:blue from:2007 till:end text:Summit League
ScaleMajor = gridcolor:line unit:year increment:2 start:1980TextData = fontsize:L textcolor:black pos:(0,30) tabs:(400-center) text:^"The Summit League Membership History"
The Summit League sponsors championship competition in nine men's and ten women's NCAA sanctioned sports.[43] Former full member Eastern Illinois is an associate member for men's and women's swimming and diving and men's soccer. Drake and Illinois State became associate members in men's tennis starting in 2017–18, and former full member Valparaiso rejoined for men's swimming and men's tennis at the same time. Valparaiso dropped men's tennis after the 2019–20 season; it remained a swimming associate until moving that sport to the Mid-American Conference in 2021. Northern Colorado became a baseball associate starting in the 2022 season (2021–22 school year), and Lindenwood and Southern Indiana became associates in men's soccer plus men's and women's swimming & diving in the 2022–23 school year. Eastern Illinois, Lindenwood, and Southern Indiana moved men's soccer to their primary home of the Ohio Valley Conference in 2023–24 while remaining Summit affiliates in swimming & diving. Western Illinois elected to leave the league full time in 2023, but its men's soccer team remained in the Summit through the fall 2023 season.
| Men's | Women's | |||
| align=left | 6 | – | ||
| align=left | 9 | 9 | ||
| align=left | 7 | 8 | ||
| align=left | 11 | 9 | ||
| align=left | 5 (6 in 2025) | 9 | ||
| align=left | – | 7 | ||
| align=left | 8 | 8 | ||
| align=left | 8 | 8 | ||
| align=left | 7 | 8 | ||
| align=left | 7 | 8 | ||
| align=left | – | 9 |
| School | Baseball | Basketball | Cross Country | Golf | Soccer | Swimming & Diving | Tennis | Indoor Track & Field | Outdoor Track & Field | Total Summit League Sports | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Denver | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Kansas City | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| North Dakota | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| North Dakota State | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Omaha | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Oral Roberts | 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| St. Thomas | 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| South Dakota | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| South Dakota State | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Associate members | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Drake | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Eastern Illinois | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Illinois State | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Northern Colorado | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Southern Indiana | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weber State | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Future member | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Delaware in 2025 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Totals | 6 | 9 | 7 | 11 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 69 | - | Future member --> | |||||||||||
Men's varsity sports not sponsored by The Summit League which are played by member schools:
| School | Football | Ice Hockey | Lacrosse | Skiing | Wrestling | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Denver | — | — | ||||
| North Dakota | — | — | — | |||
| North Dakota State | — | — | — | Big 12 | ||
| Omaha | — | — | — | — | ||
| St. Thomas | — | — | — | |||
| South Dakota | — | — | — | — | ||
| South Dakota State | — | — | — | Big 12 |
| School | Basketball | Cross Country | Golf | Soccer | Softball | Swimming & Diving | Tennis | Indoor Track & Field | Outdoor Track & Field | Volleyball | Total Summit League Sports | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Denver | 6 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Kansas City | 9 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| North Dakota | 9 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| North Dakota State | 8 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Omaha | 10 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Oral Roberts | 8 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| St. Thomas | 10 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| South Dakota | 10 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| South Dakota State | 9 | - | Future member --> | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Associate members | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Eastern Illinois | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Southern Indiana | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Totals | 9 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 84 | |||||||||||||
Women's varsity sports not sponsored by The Summit League which are played by member schools:
| School | Equestrian | Gymnastics | Ice Hockey | Lacrosse | Skiing | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Denver | — | — | RMISA | |||
| St. Thomas | — | — | — | — | ||
| South Dakota State | United Equestrian Conference &<br />National Collegiate Equestrian Association | — | — | — | — |
See main article: Association of Mid-Continent Universities football.
See also: Summit League men's basketball tournament.
| School | Conference | Tournament | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Titles | Last Title | Titles | Last Title | ||
| Valparaiso | 9 | 2003-04 | 8 | 2004 | |
| South Dakota State | 8 | 2021–22 | 6 | 2022 | |
| Oral Roberts | 7 | 2022–23 | 5 | 2023 | |
| Missouri State | 4 | 1989-90 | 2 | 1989 | |
| North Dakota State | 4 | 2019-20 | 5 | 2020 | |
| Oakland | 3 | 2010-11 | 3 | 2011 | |
| Cleveland State | 3 | 1992-93 | 1 | 1986 | |
| Western Illinois | 2 | 2012-13 | 1 | 1984 | |
| Green Bay | 2 | 1993-94 | 2 | 1994 | |
| Purdue Fort Wayne | 1 | 2015-16 | 0 | N/A | |
| South Dakota | 1 | 2016-17 | 0 | N/A | |
| IUPUI | 1 | 2005-06 | 1 | 2003 | |
| Illinois-Chicago | 1 | 1983-84 | 0 | N/A | |
| Northern Illinois | 1 | 1990-91 | 0 | N/A | |
| Southern Utah | 1 | 2000-01 | 1 | 2001 | |
| Eastern Illinois | 0 | N/A | 2 | 1992 | |
| Wright State | 0 | N/A | 1 | 1993 | |
| Northern Iowa | 0 | N/A | 1 | 1990 | |
| School | Conference | Tournament | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Titles | Last Title | Titles | Last Title | ||
| South Dakota State | 9 | 2022–23 | 10 | 2023 | |
| Western Illinois | 6 | 2016–17 | 2 | 2017 | |
| South Dakota | 5 | 2021–22 | 4 | 2022 | |
| Youngstown State | 5 | 1998-99 | 3 | 2000 | |
| Oakland | 3 | 2006-07 | 2 | 2006 | |
| Oral Roberts | 2 | 2010-11 | 5 | 2008 | |
| Northern Illinois | 2 | 1993-94 | 1 | 1993 | |
| Valparaiso | 2 | 2001-02 | 2 | 2004 | |
| Troy | 1 | 1996-97 | 1 | 1997 | |
| Buffalo | 1 | 1994-95 | 0 | N/A | |
| Green Bay | 0 | N/A | 1 | 1994 | |
Future members in gray.
| Stuart and Suzanne Grant Stadium | 1,400 | Men's soccer-only member (from 2025) | |||||||
| CIBER Field at the University of Denver Soccer Stadium | 2,000 | Hamilton Gymnasium | 2,500 | Non-baseball school | Non-softball school | ||||
| < | --UMKC issued a press release on July 1, 2019 that stated the athletic program would call itself "Kansas City" from that point forward.--> | Durwood Soccer Stadium | 850 | Swinney Recreation Center[45] | 1,500 | Non-baseball school | Urban Youth Academy | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bronson Field | Betty Engelstad Sioux Center | 3,300 | Non-baseball school | Apollo Sports Complex | 150 | ||||
| Dacotah Field[46] | 2,600[47] | Scheels Center | 5,460[48] | Newman Outdoor Field | 4,600 | Tharaldson Park[49] | 735 | ||
| Baseball-only member | Jackson Field | 1,500 | Baseball-only member | ||||||
| Al F. Caniglia Field[50] | 3,097 | Baxter Arena[51] | 7,898 | Tal Anderson Field | 1,500 | Connie Claussen Field | 650[52] | ||
| Case Soccer Complex | 1,000 | Mabee Center | 10,575 | J. L. Johnson Stadium | 2,418 | Non-softball school | |||
| South Field | 800 | Schoenecker Arena | 1,800[53] | Koch Diamond | 250 | South Field | 150 | ||
| First Bank & Trust Soccer Complex | 800 | Sanford Coyote Sports Center | 6,000 | Non-baseball school | Nygard Field | 500[54] | |||
| Fishback Soccer Park | 1,500 | Frost Arena | 6,500 | Erv Huether Field | 600 | Jackrabbit Softball Stadium | 200 | ||
On August 10, 2023, the Summit League announced the signing of a new three-year media rights deal that would tie the league with CBS Sports Network and even closer ties with Midco Sports through the 2025-26 academic year.[55] [56] The new deal transfers the Summit League's men's/women's basketball championship game rights over to CBS Sports Network from ESPN, and adds a guaranteed six regular season men's basketball games on the network with an option of six more men's or women's basketball games during the season. For the 2024 tournament, CBS Sports Network will also broadcast the women's basketball tournament semifinal. In 2025 and 2026 there will remain an option to have the men's and women's tournaments semifinals on CBS Sports Network if scheduling allows.
The Midco contract will now expand to the creation of a new all-league media platform called The Summit League Network. It will provide access to all nine member institutions' live streams of every home game, both non-conference and in-conference, as well as interviews and other league info. This expansion will preserve the local media rights given out at select institutions, as the provider for the university will supply Midco with that broadcast/live stream to be simulcast on the Summit League Network.