American Midwest Conference

The American Midwest Conference (AMC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) with 12 member institutions located in Arkansas and Missouri in the United States.

American Midwest Conference

Formerly	Show-Me Conference (1986–1994)
Association	NAIA
Founded	1986; 39 years ago (1986)
Commissioner	Will Wolper
Sports fielded	17 men's: 8 women's: 9
No. of teams	10
Headquarters	St. Louis, Missouri
Region	Midwest and South
Official website	amcsportsonline.com
Locations

History

American Midwest Conference

110km
68miles

Columbia

Haskell

Mission

Crowley's Ridge

Cottey

Central Baptist

UHSP

Stephens

Williams Baptist

Harris–Stowe State

Hannibal–LaGrange

   

Location of AMC members: current, associate

The 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.

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.
• 1994 – 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.
• 2009 – Park rejoined the American Midwest in the 2009–10 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.
• 2011 – 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.
• 2014 – 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.
• 2015 – 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)
• 2020 – Marian (Ind.) left the American Midwest as an associate member for men's wrestling 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.
• 2022 – 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.^[1]
• 2023 – 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.
• 2025 – Missouri Baptist and William Woods left the American Midwest to join the HAAC after the 2024–25 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	550	Mustangs	2015
Columbia College	Columbia, Missouri	1851	Nonsectarian	6,046	Cougars	1986
Cottey College[b]	Nevada, Missouri	1884	Nonsectarian	266	Comets	2022[2]
Crowley's Ridge College	Paragould, Arkansas	1964	Churches of Christ	225	Pioneers	2024
Hannibal–LaGrange University	Hannibal, Missouri	1858	Southern Baptist	441	Trojans	1986
Harris–Stowe State University	St. Louis, Missouri	1857	Public	1,098	Hornets	1986
Mission University[c]	Springfield, Missouri	1950	BBFI	377	Patriots	2024
Stephens College[b]	Columbia, Missouri	1833	Nonsectarian	532	Stars	2008
University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy in St. Louis	St. Louis, Missouri	1864	Nonsectarian	631	Eutectics	2014
Williams Baptist University	Walnut Ridge, Arkansas	1941	Southern Baptist	514	Eagles & Lady Eagles	2001

Notes

1. Represents the calendar year when fall sports competition begins.
2. This institution is a women's college, therefore it does not field men's sports.
3. Formerly known as Baptist Bible College until 2024.

Associate members

The American Midwest currently has one associate member, which is also a public school:

Institution	Location	Founded	Affiliation	Enrollment	Nickname	Joined[a]	AMC sport(s)	Primary conference
Haskell Indian Nations University	Lawrence, Kansas	1884	Public tribal	878	Fighting Indians	2023	men's indoor track & field men's outdoor track & field women's indoor track & field women's outdoor track & field	Continental

Notes

1. Represents the calendar year when fall sports competition begins.

Former members

The American Midwest had thirteen former full members, all but one were private schools:

Institution	Location	Founded	Affiliation	Enrollment	Nickname	Joined[a]	Left[b]	Subsequent conference(s)	Current conference
Benedictine University at Springfield	Springfield, Illinois	1927	Catholic (Ursulines)	N/A	Bulldogs	2011[c]	2015	Discontinued athletics	Closed in 2018
Fontbonne College[d]	Clayton, Missouri	1923	Catholic (C.S.J.)	874	Griffins	1986	1990	St. Louis (SLIAC)[e] (1990–2025) (closing in 2025)
Freed–Hardeman University	Henderson, Tennessee	1869	Churches of Christ	2,294	Lions	2013	2020	Mid-South (MSC) (2020–present)
University of Illinois at Springfield	Springfield, Illinois	1969	Public	4,661	Prairie Stars	2003	2009	Great Lakes Valley (GLVC)[f] (2009–present)
Iowa Wesleyan College[g]	Mount Pleasant, Iowa	1842	United Methodist	N/A	Tigers	1993	1995	various[h]	Closed in 2023[i]
Lindenwood College[j]	St. Charles, Missouri	1827	Presbyterian (PCUSA)	7,288	Lions	1993	1996	various[k]	Ohio Valley (OVC)[l] (2022–present)
Lindenwood University at Belleville	Belleville, Illinois	2003	Presbyterian (PCUSA)	N/A	Lynx	2014	2020	Closed in 2020
Lyon College	Batesville, Arkansas	1872	Presbyterian (PCUSA)	584	Scots	2012	2023	St. Louis (SLIAC)[e] (2023–present)
McKendree University	Lebanon, Illinois	1828	United Methodist	2,075	Bearcats	1987	2011	NAIA/NCAA D-II Independent (2011–12)	Great Lakes Valley (GLVC)[f] (2012–present)
Mid-Continent University	Mayfield, Kentucky	1949	Southern Baptist	N/A	Cougars	2013	2014	Closed in 2014
Missouri Baptist University	Creve Coeur, Missouri	1828	Southern Baptist	5,641	Spartans	1986	2025	Heart of America (HAAC) (2025–present)
Park University	Parkville, Missouri	1875	Nonsectarian	6,389	Pirates	1986; 2009	1994; 2020	Midlands (MCAC) (1994–2009)	Heart of America (HAAC) (2020–present)
William Woods University	Fulton, Missouri	1870	Disciples of Christ	1,729	Owls	1993	2025	Heart of America (HAAC) (2025–present)

Notes

1. Represents the calendar year when fall sports competition begins.
2. Represents the calendar year when spring sports competition ends.
3. 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).
4. Currently known as Fontbonne University since 2002.
5. Currently an NCAA Division III athletic conference.
6. Currently an NCAA Division II athletic conference.
7. Currently known as Iowa Wesleyan University since 2015.
8. 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.
9. 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]
10. Currently known as Lindenwood University since 1997.
11. 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.
12. Currently an NCAA Division I athletic conference.

Former associate members

The American Midwest had two former associate members, both were private schools:

Institution	Location	Founded	Affiliation	Enrollment	Nickname	Joined[a]	Left[b]	AMC sport	Primary conference
Calumet College of St. Joseph	Whiting, Indiana	1951	Catholic (C.PP.S.)	674	Crimson Wave	2017[c]	2022	men's wrestling	Chicagoland (CCAC)
Lincoln College	Lincoln, Illinois	1865	Nonsectarian	N/A	Lynx	2019	2022		Closed in 2022
Marian University	Indianapolis, Indiana	1851	Catholic (S.S.F.)	3,586	Knights	2017	2020		Crossroads

Notes

1. Represents the calendar year when fall sports competition begins.
2. Represents the calendar year when spring sports competition ends.
3. Due to the COVID outbreaks, Calumet opted to not compete during the 2020–21 school year.

Membership timeline

 Full member (non-football)   Associate member (sport) 

Sports

Conference sports

Sport	Men's	Women's
Baseball	Y
Basketball	Y	Y
Cross Country	Y	Y
Golf	Y	Y
Soccer	Y	Y
Softball		Y
Track & Field Indoor	Y	Y
Track & Field Outdoor	Y	Y
Volleyball		Y
Wrestling	Y