The Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC /ˈmaɪæk/ MY-ak) is an intercollegiate athletic conference that competes in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III. All 13 of the member schools are located in Minnesota and are private institutions, with only two being non-sectarian.

History

Map
Location of MIAC schools. Current members: green. Former members: red.

On March 15, 1920, a formal constitution was adopted and the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference with founding members Carleton College, Gustavus Adolphus College, Hamline University, Macalester College, Saint John's University, St. Olaf College, and the College of St. Thomas (now University of St. Thomas).

Concordia College joined the MIAC in 1921, Augsburg University in 1924, and Saint Mary's University in 1926. Carleton dropped membership in 1925, rejoining in 1983. St. Olaf left in 1950, returning in 1975. The University of Minnesota Duluth was a member of the MIAC from 1950 to 1975. Bethel University joined in 1978. The MIAC initiated women's competition in the 1981–82 season. Two all-women's schools subsequently joined the conference, St. Catherine University in 1983 and the College of St. Benedict in 1985.

The conference did not play sports from the fall 1943 to the spring of 1945 due to World War II. Saint Mary's discontinued its football program in 1955. Macalester football left the conference in 2002, but subsequently rejoined. St. Catherine and St. Benedict, being both women's colleges, also do not sponsor football. Together with Saint John's, one of only a handful of men's colleges, St. Benedict forms a joint academic institution, known commonly by the initialism CSB/SJU.

From 1947 to 2003 the MIAC had a strong men's wrestling program, which was discontinued following the 2002–03 season. The strongest teams over the history of the conference were Augsburg with 31 team championships, and Saint John's with 14 team championships. The MIAC teams and individual wrestlers demonstrated a strong national and Olympic presence in the 1970s and beyond.

On May 22, 2019, it was announced that the University of St. Thomas would depart the MIAC at the end of spring 2021. St. Thomas by this point had over twice the enrollment of any other member institution. and on May 28, 2020, the conference announced the addition of the College of St. Scholastica after leaving the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference in 2021.

The conference split into two divisions for football in 2021. The Northwoods Division consists of Carleton College, Gustavus Adolphus College, Saint John's University, St. Olaf College, and The College of St. Scholastica. The Skyline Division consists of Augsburg University, Bethel University, Concordia College, Hamline University, and Macalester College.

Chronological timeline

Member schools

Current members

The MIAC currently has 13 full members, all are private schools.

InstitutionLocationFoundedAffiliationUndergrad enrollmentNicknameJoinedColors
Augsburg UniversityMinneapolis1869Lutheran (ELCA)2,550Auggies1924
Bethel UniversityArden Hills1871Converge2,965Royals1977
Carleton CollegeNorthfield1866Nonsectarian2,105Knights1920; 1983
Concordia CollegeMoorhead1891Lutheran (ELCA)2,114Cobbers1921
Gustavus Adolphus CollegeSt. Peter1862Lutheran (ELCA)2,230Golden Gusties1920
Hamline UniversitySt. Paul1854United Methodist2,184Pipers1920
Macalester CollegeSt. Paul1874Nonsectarian2,146Scots1920
College of Saint BenedictSt. Joseph1913Catholic (Benedictines)1,958Bennies1985
St. Catherine UniversitySt. Paul1905Catholic (CSJ)3,176Wildcats1983
Saint John's UniversityCollegeville1857Catholic (Benedictines)1,754Johnnies1920
Saint Mary's UniversityWinona1912Catholic (Lasallian)1,590Cardinals1926
St. Olaf CollegeNorthfield1874Lutheran (ELCA)3,040Oles1920, 1974
College of St. ScholasticaDuluth1912Catholic (Benedictines)3,906Saints2021

Notes

Former members

The MIAC had two former full members, one a public school and one a private school.

InstitutionLocationFoundedAffiliationEnrollmentNicknameJoinedLeftCurrent conference
University of Minnesota–DuluthDuluth1902Public11,729Bulldogs19511975Northern Sun (NSIC)
University of Saint ThomasSt. Paul1885Catholic (A.S.P.M.)6,199Tommies19202021Summit

Notes

Membership timeline

Full member (all sports) Full member (non-football) Associate member (football) Associate member (sport) Other conference 1 Other conference 2

Sports

A divisional format is used for football.
Northwoods Carleton Gustavus Adolphus Saint John's St. Olaf St. ScholasticaSkyline Augsburg Bethel Concordia Hamline Macalester

Conference Sports

SportMen'sWomen's
BaseballY
BasketballYY
Cross CountryYY
FootballY
GolfYY
Ice HockeyYY
SoccerYY
SoftballY
Swimming & DivingYY
TennisYY
Track & Field (Indoor)YY
Track & Field (Outdoor)YY
VolleyballY

Men's Sports

SchoolBaseballBasketballCross CountryFootballGolfIce HockeySoccerSwimming & DivingTennisTrack & Field (Indoor)Track & Field (Outdoor)Total MIAC Sports
AugsburgYYYYYYYNNYY9
BethelYYYYYYYNYYY10
CarletonYYYYYNYYYYY10
ConcordiaYYYYYYYNYYY10
Gustavus AdolphusYYYYYYYYYYY11
HamlineYYYYNYYYYYY10
MacalesterYYYYYNYYYYY10
Saint John’sYYYYYYYYYYY11
Saint Mary’sYYYNNYYNYYY8
St. OlafYYYYYYYYYYY11
St. ScholasticaYYYYYYYNYYY10
Totals1111111099116101111110

Men's varsity sports not sponsored by the MIAC that are played by MIAC schools

SchoolAlpine SkiingClay TargetNordic SkiingWrestling
AugsburgIND
ConcordiaYIND
Saint John'sIND
St. OlafUSCSACCSA
St. ScholasticaCCSA

Women's Sports

SchoolBasketballCross CountryGolfIce HockeySoccerSoftballSwimming & DivingTennisTrack & Field (Indoor)Track & Field (Outdoor)VolleyballTotal MIAC Sports
AugsburgYYYYYYYNYYY10
BethelYYYYYYNYYYY10
CarletonYYYNYYYYYYY10
ConcordiaYYYYYYYYYYY11
Gustavus AdolphusYYYYYYYYYYY11
HamlineYYNYYYYYYYY10
MacalesterYYYNYYYYYYY10
Saint BenedictYYYYYYYYYYY11
Saint Mary’sYYNYYYNYYYY9
St. CatherineYYYYYYYYYYY11
St. OlafYYYYYYYYYYY11
St. ScholasticaYYYYYYNYYYY10
Totals121210101212911121212124

Women's varsity sports not sponsored by the MIAC that are played by MIAC schools

SchoolAlpine SkiingClay TargetGymnasticsLacrosseNordic SkiingWater PoloWrestling
AugsburgWIACIND
ConcordiaY
Gustavus AdolphusWIAC
HamlineWIACWIAC
MacalesterCWPA
Saint BenedictWIAC
St. OlafUSCSACCSA
St. ScholasticaCCSA

Rivalry trophies

Football

  • The Goat (Carleton v. St. Olaf) founded 1931
  • The Old Paint Bucket (Macalester v. Hamline) founded 1965
  • The Troll (Concordia v. St. Olaf) founded 1974
  • The Book of Knowledge (Carleton v. Macalester) founded 1998
  • The Hammer (Augsburg v. Hamline) founded 2005

Other sports

  • The Goat (Carleton and St. Olaf, men's basketball) founded 1913
  • The Karhu Shoe (Carleton v. St. Olaf, men's and women's cross country) founded 1972
  • The Margate Memorial Trophy (Carleton v. St. Thomas, swimming and diving) founded 1995
  • The Presidents Cup (Carleton v. St. Olaf, women's basketball) founded 2001
  • The Rolex (Carleton v. St. Olaf, men's track and field)
  • The Rusty Putter (Carleton v. St. Olaf, men's golf)

Defunct

  • The Power Bowl (Concordia v. Minnesota State University-Moorhead, football) founded 1984, through 1998 as the American Crystal Sugar Bowl, from 1999–2007 as the Power Bowl
  • The Holy Grail (Saint John's v. St. Thomas) founded 2001, became defunct after the 2019 game, after which St. Thomas moved to Division I.

Source:

All-Sports Trophy

The All-Sports Trophy is given to the school with the best overall record for all MIAC sports in each gender. The men's trophy was first awarded for 1962-63 to Macalester College. St. Olaf College received the first women's trophy in 1983-84. The University of St. Thomas won both the men's and women's trophies from 2008 to 2017. The men's is named the George Durenberger Trophy and the women's is named the Pat Wiesner Trophy Not awarded 2019-20 and 2020-21 due to Covid pandemic.

Men'sTitlesLastWomen'sTitlesLast
St. Thomas332019St. Thomas282019
Saint John's142007Gustavus Adolphus52007
Gustavus Adolphus52004St. Benedict21999
Macalester51968St. Olaf21985
St. Olaf11979

Football

Conference titles

TeamTitlesYears won
Saint John's371932, 1935c, 1936c, 1938, 1953c, 1962, 1963, 1965, 1971c, 1974c, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1979c, 1982, 1985, 1989, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995c, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2001c, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006c, 2008, 2009, 2014, 2018, 2019c, 2021, 2022, 2024
Gustavus Adolphus221926, 1927, 1933, 1935c, 1936c, 1937, 1940, 1945, 1946, 1950, 1951, 1952c, 1953c, 1954, 1955, 1958, 1959, 1967, 1968, 1971c, 1972, 1987
St. Thomas211922c, 1929, 1930c, 1939, 1941, 1942c, 1947c, 1948, 1949, 1956, 1973c, 1979c, 1983, 1990, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019c
Concordia181931, 1934, 1942c, 1952c, 1957, 1964, 1969, 1970, 1974c, 1978c, 1979c, 1980, 1981, 1986, 1988c, 1990c, 1995c, 2004
Bethel72000, 2001c, 2006c, 2007, 2013, 2023, 2025
St. Olaf61922c, 1923, 1930c, 1935c, 1978c, 1979c
Hamline51920, 1921, 1966, 1984, 1988c
UM–Duluth31960, 1961, 1973c
Augsburg21928c, 1997
Carleton21924, 1992
Macalester21925, 1947c
Saint Mary's11928c

c = Co-champions No 1943 and 1944 seasons due to World War II. No 2020 season due to COVID-19. Source:

Soccer

Men's soccer regular season conference titles

TeamTitlesYears won
Gustavus Adolphus161969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1983c, 1993, 1994, 2000, 2004c, 2005c, 2006c, 2007c, 2012c, 2013, 2014c, 2018, 2019c
Macalester111988c, 1990, 1997, 1998c, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005c, 2010, 2015
Saint John's91968, 1976, 1979, 1982, 1983c, 1986, 1988c, 1989c, 2006c
St. Thomas91977, 1978, 1985, 1987, 1991, 1995c, 2016, 2017, 2019c
St. Olaf91984, 1992, 1998c, 2004c, 2011c, 2014c, 2022, 2023, 2024
Carleton62007c, 2008, 2009, 2011c, 2012c, 2021
Augsburg41973, 1974, 1975, 1980
Concordia21995c, 1996
Bethel11981

c = Co-champions No championship awarded for 2020 due to Covid pandemic Source:

Women's soccer regular season conference titles

TeamTitlesYears won
Macalester81992, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001c, 2004, 2005
St. Thomas81987, 2001c, 2002c, 2008, 2015c, 2016c, 2018, 2019c
Saint Mary's71983, 1985, 1986, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991c
Gustavus Adolphus61984, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2015c
St. Benedict51991c, 2002c, 2003, 2011c, 2013
Concordia42006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Augsburg42014, 2016c, 2017, 2019c
Carleton31982, 2010, 2011c
St. Catherine12021

c = Co-champions No championship awarded for 2020 due to Covid pandemic Source:

Basketball

Men's basketball regular season conference titles

TeamTitlesYears won
St. Thomas341924, 1946c, 1949c, 1966, 1967, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1981c, 1989c, 1990, 1991c, 1992c, 1994, 1995, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2006c, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011c, 2012c, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017c, 2019, 2020c
Hamline191932, 1933, 1934, 1935, 1936, 1938c, 1939c, 1941, 1942, 1943, 1947, 1948, 1949c, 1950, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1957, 1960
Gustavus Adolphus171925, 1926, 1928, 1938c, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1968, 1975c, 1988, 1991c, 1992c, 1996, 1997, 2004, 2005, 2012c
Augsburg131927, 1946c, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1975c, 1976, 1977, 1980, 1984, 1985, 1998, 1999
Saint John's101969, 1978, 1979, 1986, 1987, 1993, 2001, 2018, 2020c, 2022
Carleton51921, 1922, 1923, 2006c, 2011c
UM–Duluth41958, 1959, 1961, 1962
St. Olaf31929, 1930, 1989c
Concordia31931, 1982, 1983
Macalester21937, 1981c
Saint Mary's21939c, 1940
Bethel12017c

c = Co-champions No 1943–44 and 1944–45 seasons due to World War II. No championship awarded for 2020-21 due to Covid pandemic. Source:

Women's basketball regular season conference titles

TeamTitlesYears won
St. Thomas181983c, 1984, 1991, 1992, 1996, 1997, 1998c, 2000, 2001, 2002c, 2008c, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019
St. Benedict131989, 1993, 1995, 1998c, 1999, 2002c, 2003c, 2004c, 2006, 2007, 2008c, 2009, 2010c
Concordia71982, 1983c, 1986c, 1987c, 1988, 1990, 2013
Carleton32003c, 2004c, 2005
Saint Mary's31985, 1986c, 2014
Gustavus Adolphus22003c, 2010c
Bethel21994, 2020
St. Olaf11983c
Augsburg12022

c = Co-champions No championship awarded for 2021 due to Covid pandemic Source:

Ice hockey

Men's ice hockey regular season conference titles

TeamTitlesYears won
St. Thomas341923c, 1934, 1938c, 1940, 1941, 1942, 1947, 1949, 1951c, 1952, 1953c, 1974, 1983, 1985, 1986, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993c, 1994, 1995, 1998c, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2006, 2012, 2013c, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018
Gustavus Adolphus141966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1976, 1977c, 1984, 1993c, 2010
Macalester121923c, 1930, 1931, 1932c, 1933, 1936, 1937, 1939c, 1950c, 1951c, 1962, 1963
Augsburg111928, 1977c, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981c, 1982, 1998c, 2016, 2019, 2022
UM–Duluth91953c, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961
Saint John's91935, 1950c, 1996, 1997, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2013c, 2020
Hamline51923c, 1932c, 1948, 2008, 2011
Saint Mary's41929, 1964, 1965, 1988
St. Olaf31938c, 1939c, 2009
Concordia21981c, 1987
Bethel12007

c = Co-champions No seasons from 1942–43 to 1945–46. No championship awarded for 2020-21 due to Covid pandemic. Source:

Men's ice hockey conference tournament

Women's ice hockey regular season conference titles

TeamTitlesYears won
Gustavus Adolphus171999c, 2001, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2018c, 2020, 2022
St. Thomas62003, 2004, 2014, 2016c, 2018c, 2019
Augsburg21999c, 2000c
Saint Mary's21999c, 2000c
Bethel12016c

c = Co-champions No championship awarded for 2021 due to Covid pandemic Source:

Women's ice hockey conference tournament

Facilities

SchoolStadiumCapacityGymnasiumCapacityIce arenaCapacity
AugsburgEdor Nelson Field1,400Si Melby Hall2,200Augsburg Ice Arena800
BethelRoyal Stadium8,000Robertson Center2,000Schwan Super Rink1,000
CarletonLaird Stadium7,500West Gymnasium1,240Non-Hockey SchoolN/A
ConcordiaJake Christiansen Stadium7,000Memorial Auditorium4,500Moorhead Sports Center3,000
Gustavus AdolphusHollingsworth Field3,000Gus Young Court3,000Don Roberts Ice Rink1,500
HamlineKlas Field2,000Hutton Arena2,000TRIA Rink at Treasure Island Center1,500
MacalesterMacalester Stadium4,000Leonard Center1,200Non-Hockey SchoolN/A
St. BenedictCSB Soccer FieldN/AClaire Lynch Hall1,000Municipal Athletic Complex1,800
St. CatherineSoccer FieldN/AWildcat Gym500Drake Arena700
Saint John'sClemens Stadium7,482Sexton Arena2,964National Hockey Center5,763
St. OlafKlein Field at Manitou3,500Skoglund Center3,000St. Olaf Ice Arena800
St. ScholasticaSaints FieldN/AReif GymN/AMars Lakeview ArenaN/A

Commissioner

The executive director, a position that was created in 1994, serves as the conference commissioner.

  • Carlyle Carter (1994–2005)
  • Daniel McKane (2005–present)

External links