Crossroads League

College athletics body in the U.S. Midwest From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Crossroads League (formerly the Mid-Central College Conference) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). Its members are private Christian colleges in Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio. The current conference commissioner is Larry DeSimpelare.

FormerlyMid-Central College Conference (1959–2012)
AssociationNAIA
Founded1959; 67 years ago (1959)
CommissionerLarry DeSimpelare
Quick facts Formerly, Association ...
Crossroads League
FormerlyMid-Central College Conference (1959–2012)
AssociationNAIA
Founded1959; 67 years ago (1959)
CommissionerLarry DeSimpelare
Sports fielded
  • 15
    • men's: 7
    • women's: 8
No. of teams10
RegionMidwestern United States
Region VIII
Official websitecrossroadsleague.com
Locations
Location of teams in {{{title}}}
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History

Crossroads League
About OpenStreetMaps
Maps: terms of use
50km
31miles
Huntington
Mount Vernon Nazarene
Spring Arbor
Taylor
Marian
Bethel
Indiana Wesleyan
Goshen
Saint Francis
Grace
Location of Crossroads members: current

In June 2012, the conference voted to change its name to the Crossroads League, a name to better reflect the conference having grown beyond its Central Indiana roots.[1]

Chronological timeline

  • 1959 – On June 1, 1959, the Crossroad League was founded as the Mid-Central College Conference (MCCC). Charter members included Concordia Senior College, Grace College (now Grace College & Seminary), Huntington College, Indiana Institute of Technology (Indiana Tech) and Tri-State College (now Trine University), beginning the 1959–60 academic year.
  • 1963 – On September 17, 1963, the MCCC joined the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) as a sponsored athletic conference, beginning the 1963–64 academic year.
  • 1966 – Saint Francis College (now the University of Saint Francis of Indiana) joined the MCCC in the 1966–67 academic year.
  • 1969 – On Nov. 6, 1969, Goshen College joined the MCCC, beginning the 1970–71 academic year.
  • 1972 – Concordia Senior College left the MCCC after the 1971–72 academic year.
  • 1973 – Marion College (now Indiana Wesleyan University) joined the MCCC in the 1973–74 academic year.
  • 1978 – Indiana Tech left the MCCC after the 1977–78 academic year.
  • 1979 – Grace left the MCCC after the 1978–79 academic year.
  • 1980 – Tri-State announced that it would leave the MCCC on May 8, and Saint Francis (Ind.) announced the same on May 12, both effective after the 1980–81 academic year.
  • 1980 – On November 5, 1980, Bethel College (now Bethel University) joined the MCCC, with Grace re-joining as well, both effective beginning the 1981–82 academic year.
  • 1986 – Bethel initially withdrew from the MCCC after the 1985–86 academic year. However on August 25, 1986, Bethel was re-instated into the conference for the 1986–87 academic year.
  • 1986 – Women's sports were introduced in the MCCC, beginning the 1986–87 academic year.
  • 1987 – On September 14, 1987, Marian College (now Marian University) joined the MCCC in the 1987–88 academic year.
  • 1994 – Taylor University joined the MCCC, with Saint Francis (Ind.) re-joining, both effective beginning the 1994–95 academic year.
  • 2004 – Spring Arbor University joined the MCCC in the 2004–05 academic year.
  • 2010 – On November 30, 2010, Mount Vernon Nazarene University joined the MCCC in the 2010–11 academic year.
  • 2012 – On June 27, 2012, the MCCC was rebranded as the Crossroads League, beginning the 2012–13 academic year.

Member schools

Current members

The Crossroads League currently has ten full members; all are private, Christian schools:

More information Institution, Location ...
Institution Location Founded Affiliation Enrollment Nickname Joined[a]
Bethel University Mishawaka, Indiana 1947 Missionary 1,167 Pilots 1981
Goshen College Goshen, Indiana 1894 Mennonite 847 Maple Leafs 1970
Grace College & Seminary Winona Lake, Indiana 1948 Charis Fellowship 2,304 Lancers 1959;
1981[b]
Huntington University Huntington, Indiana 1897 United Brethren in Christ 1,776 Foresters 1959
Indiana Wesleyan University Marion, Indiana 1920 Wesleyan Church 16,535 Wildcats 1973
Marian University Indianapolis, Indiana 1851 Catholic
(S.S.F.)		 3,486 Knights 1987
Mount Vernon Nazarene University Mount Vernon, Ohio 1964 Nazarene 1,671 Cougars 2011
University of Saint Francis Fort Wayne, Indiana 1890 Catholic
(S.S.F.P.A.)		 1,763 Cougars 1966;
1994[c]
Spring Arbor University Spring Arbor, Michigan 1873 Free Methodist 2,441 Cougars 2004
Taylor University Upland, Indiana 1846 Nondenominational 2,548 Trojans 1994
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Notes
  1. [a]
    Represents the calendar year when fall sports competition begins.
  2. [b]
    Grace left the Crossroads after the 1978–79 school year and rejoined effective in the 1981–82 school year.
  3. [c]
    Saint Francis left the Crossroads after the 1980–81 school year and rejoined effective with the 1994–95 school year.

Former members

The Crossroads had three former full members, all were private schools:

More information Institution, Location ...
Institution Location Founded Affiliation Nickname Joined[a] Left[b] Subsequent
conference(s)		 Current
conference
Concordia Senior College Fort Wayne, Indiana 1957 Lutheran LCMS Cadets 1959 1972 NAIA Independent
(1972–77)		 Closed in 1977
Indiana Institute of Technology Fort Wayne, Indiana 1930 Nonsectarian Warriors 1959 1978 Chicagoland (CCAC)
(1978–98)		 Wolverine–Hoosier (WHAC)
(1998–present)
Trine University Angola, Indiana 1884 Nonsectarian Thunder 1959 1981 various[c] Michigan (MIAA)[d]
(2004–present)
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Notes
  1. [a]
    Represents the calendar year when fall sports competition begins.
  2. [b]
    Represents the calendar year when spring sports competition ends.
  3. [c]
    Trine had the following conference affiliations: an NAIA Independent from 1981–82 to 1991–92; the Wolverine–Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC) from 1992–93 to 2002–03; and an NCAA D-III Independent during the 2003–04 school year.
  4. [d]
    Currently an NCAA Division III athletic conference.

Membership timeline

Mount Vernon Nazarene UniversitySpring Arbor UniversityTaylor UniversityMarian University (Indiana)Bethel College (Indiana)Indiana Wesleyan UniversityGoshen CollegeUniversity of Saint Francis (Indiana)Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic AssociationWolverine-Hoosier Athletic ConferenceTrine UniversityWolverine-Hoosier Athletic ConferenceIndiana Institute of TechnologyHuntington UniversityGrace College %26 SeminaryConcordia Senior College

Full member (non-football) Full members (men only) Other Conference Other Conference

Sports

More information Sport, Men's ...
Conference sports
SportMen'sWomen's
BaseballGreen tickY
BasketballGreen tickYGreen tickY
Cross CountryGreen tickYGreen tickY
GolfGreen tickYGreen tickY
SoccerGreen tickYGreen tickY
SoftballGreen tickY
TennisGreen tickYGreen tickY
Track & Field OutdoorGreen tickYGreen tickY
Volleyball[a]Green tickY
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Notes
  1. [a]
    Crossroads League adding men's volleyball as a sponsored sport in 2026-27.

Commissioners Cup

Each year, the member institution with the most points based on final rankings in each sport, is awarded the Commissioners Cup (formerly known as the All Sports Trophy). The current holder is Indiana Wesleyan University, which has won the last twelve cups in a row and holds the record for cups won, with eighteen.[2]

Notable athletes

References

External links

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