Jamestown (UJ-CSi) At a press conference held on Thursday, October 13, The University of Jamestown announced that it will be leaving the North Star Athletic Association to join the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) in the Fall of 2018.
By joining the GPAC, one of the NAIA’s top conferences, the Jimmies will compete with 11 private colleges and universities from South Dakota, Iowa and Nebraska.
UJ Athletics Director Sean Johnson says, “This is a great day for the University of Jamestown, Jimmie Athletics and our student-athletes. This is an opportunity for us be associated with one of the best NAIA conferences in the country. We are very grateful to the GPAC Presidents and Athletic Directors.”
University of Jamestown President, Dr. Robert Badal continued, “In recent years, like many colleges and universities around the country, the University of Jamestown has faced change in athletic conference relationships. The demise of the DAC, a brief period as an independent, and a start up for a new North Star Conference have taken place quickly. We have now taken another step forward with a new conference alignment with the Great Plains Athletic Conference, and we are making that change for all of the right reasons for the future. We are thankful for our history and, at the same time, pleased to begin a new journey as a member of the GPAC Conference.”
By moving to the GPAC, the Jimmies will compete with the following schools: Briar Cliff University, College of Saint Mary, Concordia University, Dakota Wesleyan University, Doane University, Dordt College, Hastings College, Midland University, Morningside College, Mount Marty College, and Northwestern College.
UJ then will no longer plays such rivals as VCSU and Mayville State.
About GPAC
The Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) is an affiliated conference of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), consisting of 11 private, faith-based colleges and universities in Nebraska, Iowa and South Dakota. Originally founded in 1969 as the Nebraska Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (NIAC), the league retains four of the six charter members – Concordia, Doane, Hastings, and Midland.
In 1992, the NIAC added Northwestern and became the Nebraska-Iowa Athletic Conference. Eight years later, Dakota Wesleyan, Dordt, Mount Marty and Sioux Falls joined the conference which became the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) in 2000-2001.
Briar Cliff entered the league in 2002-2003 and Morningside joined starting with the 2003-2004 school year. Both schools are in Sioux City, Iowa.
In the summer of 2010 Dana College ceased operations (Member from 1969-2010) and in 2011 The University of Sioux Falls discontinued membership in the GPAC (Member from 2000-2011). Nebraska Wesleyan discontinued membership in 2016 (Member from 1969-2016).
In 2015 the GPAC added College of Saint Mary in Omaha, Nebraska, as a member.
The GPAC sponsors 21 intercollegiate sports – nine for women, ten for men, and cheer & dance as a co-ed offering – and awards an All-Sports Trophy based on the final league standings and conference meet results at the end of each school year. Competitive Cheer and Dance is the most recently added championship sport in the GPAC (starting with 2016-17 after three years of invitational status).
Since the 2005-2006 school year the GPAC has awarded the Christopherson All-Academic Award. The award is a traveling trophy to be presented annually to the GPAC institution with the best academic performance by its student-athletes in all sports. The award is named in honor of Dr. Myrvin Christopherson, former President of Dana College. Christopherson had served as the first chair of the GPAC Council of Presidents. Concordia is the most recent winner of the Christopherson All-Academic Award. In conjunction with the Christopherson All-Academic Award annually the GPAC boasts more than 600 NAIA Scholar-Athletes.
Through our first 16 years as a conference the GPAC has 23 NAIA team National Champions.
First and foremost, the GPAC remains committed to Academic and Athletic Excellence!
Corey Westra of Sioux City, Iowa, is the GPAC Commissioner and Lucas Mohrman of Columbus, Nebraska, is the GPAC Assistant Commissioner for Sports Information.
Previously…
Jamestown (CSi- WDAY ) The University of Jamestown Thursday afternoon is expected to announced that it has been accepted for membership in the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) in the 2018-19 sports season.
UJ reached the 75% minimum approval by a vote of presidents of GPAC on Tuesday this week.
UJ will remain in the North Star Athletic Association through the spring of 2018.
The University of Jamestown will be the 12th school in the GPAC.
Other GPAC members include:
Dakota Wesleyan of Mitchell, South Dakota, Mount Marty College of Yankton, South Dakota, Briar Cliff University in Sioux City, Iowa, College of Saint Mary in Omaha, Nebraska, Concordia University at Seward, Nebraska, Doane University in Crete, Nebraska, Dordt College in Sioux City, Iowa, Hastings College Hastings, Nebraska, Midland University in Fremont, Nebraska, Morningside College Sioux City, Iowa, along with Northwestern College located at Orange City, Iowa.
The Jimmies will no longer play rivals VCSU, Mayville State, and Dickinson State.
