Tanner Hoops | Staff Writer
For the first time since 2012, nine schools will call the Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC) home. The IIAC saw its membership dip to eight schools after Cornell College left to join the Midwest Conference four years ago, but this season that number is back up to nine with the addition of Nebraska Wesleyan University (NWU).
On July 20, 2015, IIAC Commissioner Chuck Yrigoyen made the announcement that Nebraska Wesleyan University would be joining the IIAC effective as of the fall 2016-17 school year. Formerly an NCAA Division III/NAIA dual member, the Prairie Wolves moved exclusively to NCAA Division III this season in order to obtain its IIAC membership status.
“It’s nice to have the conference back to nine members with the addition of Nebraska Wesleyan,” BVU Director of Sports Information Steven Phelps said. “We’ve landed several student-athletes from the state of Nebraska here in recent years, so it’s a nice opportunity for them to get to travel back to that state and play closer to home during conference play.”
The addition of Nebraska Wesleyan, based in Lincoln, Nebraska, has called for adjustments to be made on the part of athletic schedulers. Prior to the addition of NWU, Buena Vista University had been the longest road trip for every member of the conference; the Beaver athletic team’s shortest conference road trip being the two-hour, forty-six minute drive to Simpson College. Now the farthest conference road trip will be the five-hour, fifty-six-minute one-way journey between Lincoln and Luther College in Decorah.
“I think anytime you can add another competitive team to your conference it’s a benefit for every sport,” BVU head volleyball coach Lori Slight said. “I think it benefits our strength of schedule. I think it gives us an opportunity to see a lot of different teams plus it makes us not the far school to have to drive to.”
The addition of NWU looks to benefit the IIAC athletic program as a whole and IIAC members are looking forward to years of added competitiveness ahead.
