The Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference will welcome SNC as a full member in time for the 2020-21 academic year.

Green Knights to Move Athletics Conferences

The Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC) announced April 3 that the college’s intercollegiate athletics program will become the league’s 14th full-time member beginning in the 2020-21 academic year.

“Extensive study of our athletic department and the quality of academic experience for our student-athletes led us to explore Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference membership,” says President Brian Bruess ’90. “Our student-athletes will be spending significantly less time away from campus, allowing for a more integrated student experience.”

Scott Flanagan, Edgewood College president and president of the NACC’s executive committee, says, “St. Norbert College is a fine academic institution with a strong record of athletic success and a deep commitment to student achievement. Those reasons, along with their location near our current geographical area, make St. Norbert an exceptional fit for the NACC. We are excited to welcome St. Norbert to the conference.”

About the new conference
The NACC, of which St. Norbert was already set to join in 2019-20 as an affiliate member for men’s volleyball, consists of 13 schools in Wisconsin and Illinois. Wisconsin members include Alverno College, Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSOE) and Wisconsin Lutheran College (all in Milwaukee), Concordia University Wisconsin (Mequon), Edgewood College (Madison), Lakeland University (Plymouth) and Marian University (Fond du Lac). Illinois members include Aurora University (Aurora), Benedictine University (Lisle), Concordia University Chicago and Dominican University (both of River Forest), Illinois Institute of Technology (Chicago) and Rockford University (Rockford). The college is already partners in the Northern Collegiate Hockey Association with Aurora, Concordia Wisconsin, Marian and MSOE.

“We are very pleased to have St. Norbert College join the NACC as our 14th full-time member,” says NACC commissioner G. Steven Larson. “St. Norbert brings a commitment to both academics and athletics that mirrors the core values of the NACC. They will be a strong partner as we continue to grow into our expanded geographic footprint.”

The move to the NACC will end the college’s membership in the Midwest Conference, which has nine other members located in Wisconsin (Lawrence University, Ripon College and Beloit College), Illinois (Lake Forest College, Knox College, Monmouth College and Illinois College) and Iowa (Cornell College and Grinnell College). The Green Knights won 121 Midwest Conference championships in 14 sports while appearing in 66 NCAA Division III Tournaments after joining the league full-time in 1983. The college has also won 19 Midwest Conference All-Sports Trophies – 15 for women and four for men – despite not fielding men’s and women’s swimming until 2018-19.

“A vibrant and competitive program will enhance our student-athletes’ overall experience,” says Tim Bald (Athletics). “With significantly less travel, our student-athletes will have more occasions to engage with our faculty and the community of St. Norbert College.”

April 29, 2019

About the NACC

The Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference began its first season of competition in the fall of 2006, at which time it was known as the Northern Athletics Conference.

Next Women’s Basketball Coach Named

Amanda Leonhard-Perry is to join the Green Knights from the highly successful NCAA Division I program at UW-Green Bay. As an assistant coach, she has helped the Phoenix to 10 regular-season Horizon League titles, eight conference tournament championships, nine NCAA Tournament appearances and two trips to the WNIT. During those 11 seasons, UWGB fashioned a glittering 333-62 record, a winning percentage of .843.

Leonhard-Perry succeeds Connie Tilley, who is retiring after 42 years at the helm of the women’s basketball program. Leonhard-Perry officially begins her duties at St. Norbert on June 1.