Presidents of the newly formed athletic conference, featuring six NCAA Division II colleges and universities from Kentucky and Ohio, have announced the conference will be named the Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC).
The six member institutions include: Cedarville University (Cedarville, Ohio); Central State University (Wilberforce, Ohio); Kentucky Wesleyan College (Owensboro, Kentucky); Notre Dame College (South Euclid, Ohio); Urbana University (Urbana, Ohio); and Ursuline College (Pepper Pike, Ohio).
The new conference will begin competition in the fall of 2013, pending approval from the NCAA. The G-MAC would become the NCAA's 24th Division II conference.
Currently Kentucky Wesleyan holds membership in the Great Lakes Valley Conference, while the five Ohio schools are Division II independents.
The Presidents issued a joint statement saying, “The Great Midwest Athletic Conference reflects the membership of similar institutions with parallel academic and athletic philosophies and resources. The geographical reference in the Conference's name represents the connection to NCAA Division II's Midwest region.”
The league administrators have been working diligently to create the structure needed to form a conference that will be desirable to other colleges and universities with similar philosophies. Expansion beyond the original six will be a priority moving forward.
The CEO's added, “We believe the G-MAC will become the model NCAA Division II conference with our focus on the whole student-athlete experience – including academics, socializing, and being able to compete athletically with success.”
