Upper Midwest Lacrosse Conference Explained
| Upper Midwest Lacrosse Conference |
| Founded: | 1992 |
| Conference: | MCLA |
| Teams: | 15 |
| Sports: | College lacrosse |
| Region: | Midwest |
| Commissioner: | Derek Daehn |
| Website: | UMLC |
The Upper Midwest Lacrosse Conference (UMLC) is a men's college club lacrosse conference in the Men's Collegiate Lacrosse Association (MCLA). The UMLC includes teams in the midwest in two divisions - nine teams in Division I and six teams in Division II.[1]
The conference was established in 1992 when college teams in Minnesota that were playing a loose schedule of tournament weekends decided to organize into a league that had a specific schedule and end of the season tournament. In 2000, the UMLC was accepted into the US Lacrosse Intercollegiate Associates, which became the MCLA in 2006. In 2003, it was announced that the conference would be split into two divisions for the 2004 season and onwards.[2] The conference was known as the Upper Midwest Lacrosse League until 2011.
UMLC Division II teams have dominated at the MCLA National Championships, winning 9 of the last 11 title games.[3] The University of St. Thomas, the 2019 champion, has won 6 titles since 2009.[4]
Teams
| Institution | Location | Founded | Type | Enrollment | Tenure | Team Nickname |
|---|
| Division I |
|---|
| Indiana University Bloomington | Bloomington, Indiana | 1820 | Public | 45,328 | 2018-Present | Hoosiers |
| Iowa State University | Ames, Iowa | 1858 | Public | 30,708 | | Cyclones |
| Michigan State University | East Lansing, Michigan | 1855 | Public | 49,808 | | Spartans |
| Miami University | Oxford Ohio | 1809 | Public | 19,752 | 2018-Present | Redhawks |
| Purdue University | West Lafayette, Indiana | 1869 | Public | 49,639 | 2018-Present | Boilermakers |
| University of Minnesota | Minneapolis, Minnesota | 1851 | Public | 52,376 | | Golden Gophers |
| University of Nebraska | Lincoln, Nebraska | 1869 | Public | 24,431 | 2018-Present | Cornhuskers |
| University of Illinois | Champaign, Illinois | 1867 | Public | 56,607 | 2018-Present | Fighting Illini |
| Western Michigan University | Kalamazoo, Michican | 1903 | Public | 16,434 | 2022-Present | Broncos |
| Division II |
|---|
| Grand Valley State University | Allendale, Michigan | 1960 | Public | 22,406 | | Lakers |
| North Dakota State University | Fargo, North Dakota | 1890 | Public | 12,461 | | Bison |
| Saint John's University | Collegeville, Minnesota | 1857 | Private/Catholic (men's university) | 1,643 | | Johnnies |
| University of Dayton | Dayton, Ohio | 1850 | Private/Catholic | 11,971 | | Flyers |
| University of Minnesota–Duluth | Duluth, Minnesota | 1902 | Public | 9,884 | | Bulldogs |
| University of St. Thomas | St. Paul, Minnesota | 1885 | Private/Catholic | 9,347 | | Tommies |
| Division III |
|---|
| Indianapolis, Indiana | 1855 | Private | 4,500 | 2022-Present | Bulldogs | |
Former Teams
!Name!Location!Mascot!Tenure!Reason for departure| Augsburg University | Minneapolis, Minnesota | Auggies | 2008-2011 | Defunct in 2011 |
| Bethel University | Arden Hills, Minnesota | Royals | unknown-2014 | Defunct in 2014 |
| Carleton College | Northfield, Minnesota | Knights | unknown-2013 | Defunct in 2013 |
| Central Michigan University | Mount Pleasant, Michigan | | 2004-2022 | Moved to GLLL |
| Illinois State University | Normal, Illinois | | 2018-2022 | Moved to GLLL |
| Marquette University | Milwaukee, Wisconsin | | unknown-2012 | Moved to NCAA Division I Independent |
| Minnesota State University, Mankato | Mankato, Minnesota | | 1992-2019 | Defunct in 2019 |
| Minnesota State University Moorhead | Moorhead, Minnesota | Drtagons | 2003-2010 | Defunct in 2010 |
| North Dakota University | Grand Forks, North Dakota | Hawks | 2007-2009 | Defunct in 2009 |
| St. Cloud State University | St. Cloud, Minnesota | | 1992-2018 | Defunct in 2018 |
| St. Olaf College | Northfield, Minnesota | Oles | unknown-2008 | Moved to GLLL |
| University of Kansas | Lawrence, Kansas | | 2018-2021 | Moved to LSA, Division I |
| University of Missouri | Columbia, Missouri | | 2018-2021 | Moved to LSA, Division I |
| University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire | Eau Claire, Wisconsin | Blugolds | unknown-2011 | Defunct in 2011 |
| University of Wisconsin–Madison | Madison, Wisconsin | Badgers | 2010-2014 | Defunct in 2014 |
| Milwaukee, Wisconsin | | 2010-2010 | Moved to GLLL |
| University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point | Stevens Point, Wisconsin | Pointers | 1999-2010 | Defunct in 2010 |
| Winona State University | Winona, Minnesota | Warriors | 2015-2016 | Defunct in 2016 | |
Conference Championships
Division I!Year!Champion!Runner-up| 1995 | Minnesota Duluth | |
| 1996 | Minnesota Duluth | |
| 1997 | Minnesota Duluth | |
| 1998 | Minnesota Duluth | |
| 1999 | Minnesota | Minnesota Duluth |
| 2000 | Minnesota State, Mankato | |
| 2001 | Minnesota Duluth | Iowa State |
| 2002 | Minnesota Duluth | Minnesota |
| 2003 | Minnesota Duluth | Minnesota |
| 2004 | Minnesota Duluth | Wisconsin–Stevens Point |
| 2005 | Minnesota | Minnesota Duluth |
| 2006 | Minnesota Duluth | Minnesota |
| 2007 | Minnesota Duluth | Minnesota |
| 2008 | Minnesota Duluth | St. Cloud State |
| 2009 | Minnesota Duluth | Minnesota |
| 2010 | Minnesota Duluth | Minnesota |
| 2011 | Minnesota Duluth | Minnesota |
| 2012 | Minnesota Duluth | Minnesota |
| 2013 | Minnesota Duluth | Minnesota |
| 2014 | Minnesota Duluth | Minnesota |
| 2015 | Minnesota Duluth | Minnesota |
| 2016 | Michigan State | Western Michigan |
| 2017 | Michigan State | Pittsburgh |
| 2018 | Indiana | Purdue |
| 2019 | Minnesota | Purdue |
| 2020 | No Championship due to COVID-19 Pandemic |
| 2021 | No Championship due to COVID-19 Pandemic |
| 2022 | Minnesota | Michigan State |
| 2023 | Michigan State | Minnesota |
| 2024 | Michigan State | Minnesota | |
Division I Championship Records!Team!Championships!Championship Years!Runner-up!Runner-up Years| Minnesota Duluth | 18 | 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 | 1 | 2005 |
| Michigan State | 4 | 2016, 2017, 2018, 2023, 2024 | 1 | 2022 |
| Minnesota | 3 | 2005, 2019, 2022 | 14 | 2002, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2018, 2023, 2024 |
| Minnesota State, Mankato | 1 | 2000 | | |
| Iowa State | | | 1 | 2001 |
| Wisconsin Stevens' Point | | | 1 | 2004 |
| Western Michigan | | | 1 | 2016 |
| Pittsburgh | | | 1 | 2017 |
| Purdue | | | 1 | 2019 | |
- Note: Bold text denotes MCLA National Champion
- Note: Italic text denotes MCLA National Champion runner-up
Division II!Year!Champion!Runner-up| 2004 | St. Johns | St. Thomas |
| 2005 | St. Johns | St. Thomas |
| 2006 | St. Thomas | St. Johns |
| 2007 | St. Johns | St. Thomas |
| 2008 | St. Johns | St. Thomas |
| 2009 | St. Thomas | St. Johns |
| 2010 | St Thomas | St. Johns |
| 2011 | St. Johns | St. Thomas |
| 2012 | St. Thomas | St. Johns |
| 2013 | St. Thomas | St. Johns |
| 2014 | St. Johns | St. Thomas |
| 2015 | St. Thomas | North Dakota State |
| 2016 | St. Thomas | Minnesota Duluth |
| 2017 | St. Thomas | St. Johns |
| 2018 | St. Thomas | North Dakota State |
| 2019 | Minnesota Duluth | St. Thomas |
| 2020 | No Championship due to COVID-19 Pandemic |
| 2021 | No Championship due to COVID-19 Pandemic |
| 2022 | St. Thomas | Grand Valley State |
| 2023 | St. Thomas | Dayton |
| 2024 | St. Thomas | Grand Valley State | |
Division II Championship Records!Team!Championships!Championship Years!Runner-up!Runner-up Years| St. Thomas | 12 | 2006, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2022, 2023, 2024 | 7 | 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2011, 2014, 2019 |
| St. Johns | 6 | 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2011, 2014 | 6 | 2006, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2017 |
| Minnesota Duluth | 1 | 2019 | 1 | 2016 |
| North Dakota State | | | 2 | 2015, 2018 |
| Grand Valley State | | | 2 | 2022, 2024 |
| Dayton | | | 1 | 2023 | |
- Note: Bold text denotes MCLA National Champion
- Note: Italic text denotes MCLA National Champion runner-up
External links
Notes and References
- Web site: MCLA. About the UMLC. 24 June 2019.
- Web site: 2003-12-02 . USLIA.com - The US Lacrosse Men's Division Intercollegiate Associates . 2022-07-28 . https://web.archive.org/web/20031202175901/http://www.uslia.com/news2k2/viewnews.cgi?newsid1063054734,90667, . 2 December 2003 . dead.
- Web site: D-II Championship Records . MCLA . 24 June 2019. Grand Valley State (2014) and Dayton (2015) were not in the UMLC at the time of their titles.
- News: 2019 MCLA National Championships: St. Thomas Wins DII Title . 24 June 2019 . Lacrosse All Stars.
