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Great Northwest Athletic Conference
U.S. college athletic conference
U.S. college athletic conference
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) |
| color | #006112; |
| font_color | white |
| logo | Great Northwest Athletic Conference logo (2025).svg |
| logo_size | 200 |
| founded | |
| association | NCAA |
| division | Division II |
| teams | 10 (9 in 2027) |
| sports | 16 |
| mens | 8 |
| womens | 8 |
| region | Idaho, British Columbia, Alaska, Montana, Washington, Oregon |
| headquarters | Portland, Oregon |
| commissioner | David Haglund |
| since | 2011 |
| website | |
| map | Gnac-States.PNG |
| map_size | 250 |
The Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level. It has historically operated in the northwestern United States, but also includes schools in Alaska, Montana, and British Columbia.
The GNAC is the only NCAA conference in any division with a Canadian university as a member.
History
The conference formed in 2001 when its original ten members split from the Pacific West Conference.
| mark-coord = |mark-size=10 |label=Central Washington |label-pos = right | mark = Location dot green.svg | label-color = black | mark-coord1 = |mark-size1=10 |label1=Northwest Nazarene |label-pos1 = top | mark1 = Location dot green.svg | label-color1 = black | mark-coord2 = |mark-size2=10 |label2=Saint Martin's |label-pos2 = bottom | mark2 = Location dot green.svg | label-color2 = black | mark-coord3 = |mark-size3=10 |label3=Seattle Pacific |label-pos3 = left | mark3 = Location dot green.svg | label-color3 = black | mark-coord4 = |mark-size4=10 |label4=Western Oregon |label-pos4 = top | mark4 = Location dot green.svg | label-color4 = black | mark-coord5 = |mark-size5=10 |label5=Western Washington |label-pos5 = right | mark5 = Location dot green.svg | label-color5 = black | mark-coord6 = |mark-size7=10 |label6=Montana State–Billings |label-pos6 = left | mark6 = Location dot green.svg | label-color6 = black | mark-coord7 = |mark-size8=10 |label7=Simon Fraser |label-pos7 = right | mark7 = Location dot red.svg | label-color7 = black | mark-coord = |mark-size=10 |label=Alaska–Anchorage |label-pos = top | mark = Location dot green.svg | label-color = black | mark-coord1 = |mark-size1=10 |label1=Alaska |label-pos1 = top | mark1 = Location dot green.svg | label-color1 = black
Chronological timeline
- 2001 – The Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) was founded. Charter members included the University of Alaska at Fairbanks, the University of Alaska at Anchorage, Central Washington University, Humboldt State University (now California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt), Northwest Nazarene University, Saint Martin's, Seattle University, Seattle Pacific University, Western Oregon University and Western Washington University, beginning the 2001–02 academic year.
- 2006 – Humboldt State left the GNAC to join the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) after the 2005–06 academic year. This would result in the GNAC dropping football, with Western Washington and Central Washington becoming football affiliates of the now defunct North Central Conference (NCC) and Western Oregon competing as a D-II Independent.
- 2007 – Montana State University at Billings joined the GNAC in the 2007–08 academic year.
- 2008 – Seattle left the GNAC to join the Division I ranks of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) as an NCAA D-I Independent (who would later join the Western Athletic Conference (WAC), beginning the 2012–13 school year) after the 2007–08 academic year.
- 2008 – Dixie State University (now Utah Tech University) joined the GNAC as an affiliate member for football (with Humboldt State returning for that sport) with the 2008 fall season (2008–09 academic year), leading to the GNAC to begin sponsoring football once again.
- 2010 – Simon Fraser University joined the GNAC in the 2010–11 academic year, becoming the first Canadian institution of higher education.
- 2012 – Three institutions joined the GNAC as affiliate members, all effective in the 2012 fall season (2012–13 academic year):
- Azusa Pacific University for football
- and the University of Mary and the University of Sioux Falls for men's soccer
- 2013 – South Dakota School of Mines and Technology (South Dakota Mines) joined the GNAC as an affiliate member for men's soccer in the 2013 fall season (2013–14 academic year).
- 2014 – South Dakota Mines added football to its GNAC affiliate membership in the 2014 fall season (2014–15 academic year).
- 2015 – South Dakota Mines left the GNAC as an affiliate member for men's soccer after the 2014 fall season (2014–15 academic year).
- 2015 – Concordia University–Portland joined the GNAC in the 2015–16 academic year.
- 2016 – Dixie State and South Dakota Mines left the GNAC as affiliate members for football after the 2015 fall season (2015–16 academic year).
- 2019 – Humboldt State left the GNAC as an affiliate member for football as the school announced it was dropping the sport after the 2018 fall season (2018–19 academic year).
- 2019 – The University of California San Diego (UC San Diego) and the University of Central Oklahoma (along with Humboldt State returning for that sport), joined the GNAC as affiliate members for women's rowing in the 2020 spring season (2019–20 academic year).
- 2020 – Concordia–Portland left the GNAC as the school ceased operations after the 2019–20 academic year.
- 2020 – Azusa Pacific left the GNAC as an affiliate member for football as the school announced it was dropping the sport after the 2020 fall season (2020–21 academic year).
- 2020 – UC San Diego left the GNAC as an affiliate member for women's rowing after the 2020 spring season (2019–20 academic year), coinciding with the start of its transition to NCAA Division I.
- 2022 – Central Washington, Western Oregon and Simon Fraser, the only 3 football-sponsoring schools remaining in the GNAC, announce that they will be joining the Lone Star Conference as football affiliates after the 2021 fall season (2021–22 academic year), bringing an end to the GNAC as a football conference for a second time.
- 2025 – Simon Fraser announced their intention to pursue membership with Canada's U Sports and the Canada West Universities Athletic Association following the conclusion of the 2026–27 athletic year.
Member schools
Current members
The GNAC currently has ten full members, all but three are public schools:
| Institution | Location | Founded | Affiliation | Enrollment | Nickname | Joined | Colors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anchorage, Alaska | 1954 | Public | 10,687 | Seawolves | 2001 | ||
| Fairbanks, Alaska | 1917 | Public | 7,451 | Nanooks | 2001 | ||
| Central Washington University | Ellensburg, Washington | 1891 | Public | 8,509 | Wildcats | 2001 | |
| Montana State University Billings | Billings, Montana | 1927 | Public | 4,129 | Yellowjackets | 2007 | |
| Northwest Nazarene University | Nampa, Idaho | 1913 | Nazarene | 1,646 | Nighthawks | 2001 | |
| Saint Martin's University | Lacey, Washington | 1895 | Catholic | 1,505 | Saints | 2001 | |
| Seattle Pacific University | Seattle, Washington | 1891 | Free Methodist | 2,261 | Falcons | 2001 | |
| Simon Fraser University | Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada | 1965 | Public | 26,776 | Red Leafs | 2010 | |
| Western Oregon University | Monmouth, Oregon | 1856 | Public | 3,823 | Wolves | 2001 | |
| Western Washington University | Bellingham, Washington | 1893 | Public | 14,700 | Vikings | 2001 |
;Notes:
Affiliate members
The GNAC currently has two affiliate members, both are public schools:
| Institution | Location | Founded | Affiliation | Enrollment | Nickname | Joined | Colors | GNAC | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| sport | Primary | ||||||||
| conference | |||||||||
| University of Central Oklahoma | Edmond, Oklahoma | 1890 | Public | 12,554 | Bronchos | 2019 | women's rowing | Mid-America (MIAA) | |
| Arcata, California | 1913 | Public | 6,045 | Lumberjacks | 2019 | women's rowing | California (CCAA) |
;Notes:
Former members
The GNAC had three former full members, all but one were private schools:
| Institution | Location | Founded | Affiliation | Enrollment | Nickname | Joined | Left | Current |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| conference | ||||||||
| Concordia University–Portland | Portland, Oregon | 1905 | Lutheran LCMS | N/A | Cavaliers | 2015 | 2020 | Closed in 2020 |
| Arcata, California | 1913 | Public | 5,858 | Lumberjacks | 2001 | 2006 | California (CCAA) | |
| Seattle University | Seattle, Washington | 1891 | Jesuit | 7,107 | Redhawks | 2001 | 2008 | West Coast (WCC) |
;Notes:
Former affiliate members
The GNAC had seven former affiliate members, all but three were public schools:
| Institution | Location | Founded | Affiliation | Enrollment | Nickname | Joined | Left | GNAC | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| sport | Primary | |||||||||
| conference | ||||||||||
| Azusa Pacific University | Azusa, California | 1899 | Evangelical | |||||||
| Christian | 7,133 | Cougars | 2012 | 2020 | football | Pacific West (PacWest) | ||||
| Dixie State University | 1911 | Public | 12,556 | Red Storm | 2008 | 2016 | football | nowrap | Western (WAC) | |
| Arcata, California | 1913 | Public | 5,858 | Lumberjacks | 2006 | 2019 | football | California (CCAA) | ||
| Bismarck, North Dakota | 1959 | Catholic | 3,794 | Marauders | 2012 | 2016 | men's soccer | Northern Sun (NSIC) | ||
| Sioux Falls, South Dakota | 1883 | Baptist | 1,594 | Cougars | 2012 | 2013 | nowrap | men's soccer | Northern Sun (NSIC) | |
| South Dakota School of Mines and Technology | Rapid City, South Dakota | 1885 | Public | 2,493 | Hardrockers | 2014 | 2016 | football | Rocky Mountain (RMAC) | |
| 2013 | 2015 | men's soccer | ||||||||
| San Diego, California | 1960 | Public | 41,482 | Tritons | 2019 | 2020 | women's rowing | Big West (BWC) | ||
;Notes:
Membership timeline
DateFormat = mm/dd/yyyy ImageSize = width:900 height:auto barincrement:20 Period = from:07/01/2001 till:06/30/2031 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal PlotArea = right:5 left:5 bottom:40 top:5
Colors = id:line value:black id:bg value:white id:Full value:rgb(0.7,0.9,0.8) # Use this color to denote a team that is a member in all sports id:FullxF value:rgb(0.9,0.8,0.7) # Use this color to denote a team that is a member in all sports except for football id:AssocF value:rgb(0.9,0.7,0.8) # Use this color to denote a team that is a member for football only id:AssocOS value:rgb(0.8,0.9,0.7) # Use this color to denote a team that is a member for another sport only id:OtherC1 value:rgb(0.996,0.996,0.699) # Use this color to denote a team that has moved in another conference id:OtherC2 value:rgb(0.988,0.703,0.383) # Use this color to denote a team that has moved in another conference when the other color has already been used
PlotData = width:15 textcolor:black shift:(5,-5) anchor:from fontsize:s
bar:1 color:FullxF from:07/01/2001 till:end text:Alaska (2001–present)
bar:2 color:FullxF from:07/01/2001 till:end text:Alaska–Anchorage (2001–present)
bar:3 color:Full from:07/01/2001 till:06/30/2006 text:Central Washington (2001–present) bar:3 color:FullxF from:07/01/2006 till:06/30/2008 bar:3 color:Full from:07/01/2008 till:06/30/2021 bar:3 color:FullxF from:07/01/2021 till:end
bar:4 color:Full from:07/01/2001 till:06/30/2006 text:Humboldt State (2001–2006) bar:4 color:OtherC1 from:07/01/2006 till:06/30/2008 text:CCAA bar:4 color:AssocF from:07/01/2008 till:06/30/2019 text:CCAA (2008–present; assoc. sports) bar:4 color:AssocOS from:07/01/2019 till:01/25/2022 bar:4 color:AssocOS from:01/26/2022 till:end text:Cal Poly Humboldt
bar:5 color:FullxF from:07/01/2001 till:end text:Northwest Nazarene (2001–present)
bar:6 color:FullxF from:07/01/2001 till:end text:Saint Martin's (2001–present)
bar:7 color:FullxF from:07/01/2001 till:06/30/2008 text:Seattle (2001–2008) bar:7 color:OtherC1 from:07/01/2008 till:06/30/2012 text:D-I Ind. bar:7 color:OtherC2 from:07/01/2012 till:06/30/2025 text:WAC bar:7 color:OtherC1 from:07/01/2025 till:end text:WCC
bar:8 color:FullxF from:07/01/2001 till:end text:Seattle Pacific (2001–present)
bar:9 color:Full from:07/01/2001 till:06/30/2006 text:Western Oregon (2001–present) bar:9 color:FullxF from:07/01/2006 till:06/30/2008 bar:9 color:Full from:07/01/2008 till:06/30/2021 bar:9 color:FullxF from:07/01/2021 till:end
bar:10 color:Full from:07/01/2001 till:06/30/2006 text:Western Washington (2001–present) bar:10 color:FullxF from:07/01/2006 till:06/30/2008 bar:10 color:Full from:07/01/2008 till:06/30/2009 bar:10 color:FullxF from:07/01/2009 till:end
bar:11 color:FullxF from:07/01/2007 till:end text:Montana State–Billings (2007–present)
bar:12 color:AssocF from:07/01/2008 till:06/30/2016 text:Dixie State (2008–2016)
bar:13 color:Full from:07/01/2010 till:06/30/2021 text:Simon Fraser (2010–2027) bar:13 color:FullxF from:07/01/2021 till:06/30/2027 bar:13 color:OtherC1 from:07/01/2027 till:end text:Canada West (U Sports)
bar:14 color:AssocF from:07/01/2012 till:06/30/2020 text:Azusa Pacific (2012–2020)
bar:15 color:AssocOS from:07/01/2012 till:06/30/2016 text:Mary (2012–2016)
bar:16 color:AssocOS from:07/01/2012 till:06/30/2013 text:Sioux Falls (2012–2013)
bar:17 color:AssocOS from:07/01/2013 till:06/30/2015 text:South Dakota Mines (2013–2016) bar:17 color:AssocF from:07/01/2015 till:06/30/2016
bar:18 color:FullxF from:07/01/2015 till:06/30/2020 text:Concordia–Portland (2015–2020)
bar:19 color:AssocOS from:07/01/2019 till:end text:Central Oklahoma (2019–present)
bar:20 color:AssocOS from:07/01/2019 till:06/30/2020 text:UC San Diego (2019–2020)
ScaleMajor = gridcolor:line unit:year increment:2 start:2002
TextData = fontsize:M textcolor:black pos:(0,20) tabs:(400-center) text:^"Great Northwest Athletic Conference membership history"
- If the chart uses more than one bar color, add a legend by selecting the appropriate fields from the following three options (use only the colors that are used in the graphic.) Leave a blank line after the end of the timeline, then add a line with the selected values from the list, separated by a space.
- The GNAC did not sponsor football during the 2006 and 2007 fall seasons (2006–07 and 2007–08 school years). Therefore, Central Washington and Western Washington competed in the North Central Conference (NCC); while Dixie State, Humboldt State and Western Oregon competed as Independents.
Sports sponsored
| Sport | Men's | Women's |
|---|---|---|
| Baseball | ||
| Basketball | ||
| Cross Country | ||
| Golf | ||
| Rowing | ||
| Soccer | ||
| Softball | ||
| Track & Field Indoor | ||
| Track & Field Outdoor | ||
| Volleyball |
Men's sponsored sports by school
| School | Baseball | Basketball | Cross | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Country | Golf | Soccer | Track | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| & Field | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Indoor | Track | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| & Field | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Outdoor | Total | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| GNAC | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sports | 2 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 6 | Totals | 5 | 10 | 10 | 5 | 6 | 9 | 9 | 56 | ||||||||
| Alaska | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Alaska-Anchorage | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Central Washington | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Montana State-Billings | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Northwest Nazarene | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Saint Martin's | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Seattle Pacific | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Simon Fraser | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Western Oregon | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Western Washington |
Women's sponsored sports by school
| School | Basketball | Cross | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Country | Golf | Rowing | Soccer | Softball | Track | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| & Field | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Indoor | Track | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| & Field | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Outdoor | Volleyball | Total | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| GNAC | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sports | 3 | 5 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 9 | Affiliate Members | 1 | 1 | Totals | 10 | 10 | 6 | 4 | 8 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 81 | ||||||||||
| Alaska | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Alaska-Anchorage | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Central Washington | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Montana State-Billings | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Northwest Nazarene | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Saint Martin's | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Seattle Pacific | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Simon Fraser | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Western Oregon | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Western Washington | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Cal Poly Humboldt | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Central Oklahoma |
Other sponsored sports by school
| School | Men | Women | Co-ed | Football | Ice | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hockey | Lacrosse | Swimming | |||||||||||
| & Diving | Wrestling | Gymnastics | Swimming | ||||||||||
| & Diving | Wrestling | Rifle | Skiing | ||||||||||
| Alaska | IND | PCSC | PRC | RMISA | |||||||||
| Alaska Anchorage | IND | MPSF | RMISA | ||||||||||
| Central Washington | LSC | ||||||||||||
| Northwest Nazarene | RMAC | ||||||||||||
| Simon Fraser | RMAC | IND | RMAC | RMAC | |||||||||
| Western Oregon | LSC |
Football champions
| Year | Champion | Conf. |
|---|---|---|
| Record | ||
| 2001 | Western Washington | |
| 2002 | Central Washington | |
| 2003 | Western Washington | |
| 2004 | Central Washington | |
| 2005 | Central Washington | |
| 2006 | Not Sponsored | |
| 2007 | Not Sponsored | |
| 2008 | Central Washington | |
| 2009 | Central Washington |
| Year | Champion | Conf. |
|---|---|---|
| Record | ||
| 2010 | Central Washington | |
| 2011 | Humboldt State | |
| 2012 | Central Washington | |
| 2013 | Azusa Pacific | |
| 2014 | Azusa Pacific | |
| 2015 | Humboldt State | |
| 2016 | Azusa Pacific | |
| 2017 | Central Washington | |
| 2018 | Azusa Pacific & Central Washington | |
| 2019 | Central Washington & Western Oregon | |
| 2020 | Cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic | |
| 2021 | Central Washington |
Basketball champions
Main article: Great Northwest Athletic Conference men's basketball tournament
Main article: Great Northwest Athletic Conference women's basketball tournament
Conference facilities
| School | Basketball arena | Capacity |
|---|---|---|
| Alaska Fairbanks | Alaska Airlines Court | 1,648 |
| Alaska Anchorage | Alaska Airlines Center | 5,000 |
| Central Washington | Nicholson Pavilion | 2,519 |
| Montana State - Billings | Alterowitz Gymnasium | 2,330 |
| Northwest Nazarene | Johnson Sports Center | |
| Saint Martin's | Marcus Pavilion | 4,960 |
| Seattle Pacific | Royal Brougham Pavilion | 2,650 |
| Simon Fraser | West Gym | 1,500 |
| Western Oregon | PE Gym | 2,473 |
| Western Washington | Sam Carver Gym | 2,534 |
References
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