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Truman State University Athletics

TrumanGLVC

General Tyler Madsen, Truman Athletics

A New Era Begins: Bulldogs Join GLVC

This series, running from June 27 – August 22, 2013, highlights Truman State University's transition from the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association to the Great Lakes Valley Conference. Please refer to the schedule below for each installment throughout the summer series.
 
Previous:
June 28 – Rich History of Bulldog Athletics in MIAA
 
KIRKSVILLE, Mo. - - With the turn of the calendar to July 2013, the Truman Athletics Department became the 16th member of the Great Lakes Valley Conference, bringing with the move changes in opponents, regionalization, and league sponsorships following a century-long partnership with the MIAA.
 
GLVC History & General Information
The GLVC was established in 1978 when six schools – five from Indiana and one from Ohio – united to form the new league. Throughout the years, 16 different institutions have joined the league, while six have departed for either the NCAA Div. I level or other NCAA Div. II conferences. The resulting realignment has resulted in seven schools residing in the state of Missouri – a league-high – with four others holding residence in Illinois. Three Indiana programs, and one apiece from both Wisconsin and Kentucky round out the current 16-team conference.
 
The conference sponsors 20 championships in baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, soccer, swimming, indoor and outdoor track & field, and tennis for men and basketball, cross country, softball, soccer, swimming, tennis, indoor and outdoor track & field, golf, and volleyball for women. Truman will field teams for 19 of those 20 championships, with wrestling remaining an affiliate member of the MIAA to compete in its league championship.
 
League members have won national championships in five sports, with nine (seven men's titles, two women's titles) coming on the hardwood. In addition to men's and women's basketball championships, GLVC members have captured national championships in men's soccer, baseball and softball.
 
The conference is headquartered in Indianapolis, led by Commissioner Jim Naumovich, who has served in that capacity since 2000. He previously spent 15 years at league-member Quincy (Ill.) University, where he was the athletic director from 1992-2000.
 
The conference website is located at http://www.glvcsports.com with the official June 2012 release of Truman's acceptance into the GLVC available at http://www.glvcsports.com/sports/2012/6/7/GEN_0607123230.aspx.
 
GLVC League Membership / NCAA Affiliation
Truman's membership keeps the GLVC at 16 teams, as the Bulldogs are replacing Kentucky Wesleyan College with the July 1 changeover. The Panthers are departing the Great Lakes Valley to join the Great Midwest Athletic Conference (GMAC), where they will be a charter member of the primarily West Virginia- and Ohio-based league.
 
Truman becomes the seventh league member west of the Mississippi River, joining fellow Missouri schools:
·         Drury (Springfield)
·         Maryville (St. Louis)
·         Missouri S&T (Rolla)
·         Missouri-St. Louis
·         Rockhurst (Kansas City)
·         William Jewell (Liberty)
 
The Bulldogs will also face four programs from Illinois:
·         Illinois-Springfield
·         Lewis (Romeoville)
·         McKendree (Lebanon)
·         Quincy
 
Three Indiana programs…:
·         Indianapolis
·         Saint Joseph's (Rensselaer)
·         Southern Indiana (Evansville)
 
…and one each from Wisconsin and Kentucky round out the league map:
·         Bellarmine (Louisville, Kentucky)
·         Wisconsin-Parkside (Kenosha, Wisconsin)
 
GLVCMap_1314
 
For seven sports (baseball, men's & women's basketball, softball, men's & women's tennis, and volleyball), the Bulldogs will compete in the West division with the six other Missouri schools and Quincy. Scheduling and conference tournament selection varies per sport. Football and both men's and women's soccer will have one set of standings for all competing teams, while men's & women's cross country/track & field, men's & women's swimming, and women's golf will not have year-long standings and will determine its champion through an end-of-season event.
 
After bouncing between the Central and South Central NCAA Division II regions as part of the MIAA, the GLVC competes for NCAA tournament berths in the Midwest region. The region is comprised of the GLVC, the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) and the newly-formed GMAC. The GLIAC is also a 16-team league and receives an automatic qualifier for NCAA tournaments (if one is granted by that sport), while the GMAC is a 10-team league that will not receive an automatic qualifier for two seasons.
 
GLVC Sport-by-Sport Previews
Throughout the next eight weeks, TrumanBulldogs.com will be breaking down each sport individually, allowing fans a quick preview of each sport's GLVC regular season and postseason history, a recap of the 2012-13 season, and an outlook of what to expect in the 2013-14 season. The full schedule is detailed below.
 
Upcoming:
July 4 – GLVC Football Preview
July 8 – GLVC Volleyball Preview
July 11 – GLVC Women's Track & Field/Cross Country Preview
July 15 – GLVC Women's Soccer Preview
July 18 – GLVC Men's Track & Field/Cross Country Preview
July 22 – GLVC Men's Soccer Preview
July 25 – GLVC Men's & Women's Swimming Preview
July 29 – GLVC Women's Basketball Preview
August 1 – GLVC Men's Basketball Preview
August 5 – GLVC Men's & Women's Tennis Preview
August 8 – GLVC Women's Golf Preview
August 12 – GLVC Baseball Preview
August 15 – GLVC Softball Preview
August 19 – GLVC Award Season Preview
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