The Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) announced on Wednesday that Maryville University and the University of Illinois at Springfield have been admitted to the Conference bringing the league’s membership to 15 institutions. The addition of the two members was unanimously approved by the GLVC Council of Presidents at their Oct. 7 meeting.

Maryville and UIS will officially become members of the GLVC upon receipt of initiation fees entitling both institutions to voting privileges at the GLVC Winter Meeting on Jan. 16, 2009.

“The Great Lakes Valley Conference is pleased to welcome both Maryville University and the University of Illinois at Springfield to the league,” said Jim Naumovich, GLVC Commissioner. “Both institutions boast outstanding academic and solid athletic programs and are well positioned to make a successful transition to NCAA Division II.”

The two institutions will begin regular season competition in the GLVC during the 2009-10 academic year. UIS will be eligible for postseason competition in 2010-2011, while Maryville will compete for postseason championships in 2011-2012.

The delay in postseason eligibility coincides with the institution’s eligibility for NCAA Division II championships as each is completing reclassification to Division II. UIS, previously affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), is in its second exploratory year in Division II, while Maryville is currently in its first exploratory year as it makes the transition from Division III.

“The support of the Presidents, athletic directors, staff, administration, and coaches at each institution as well as the schools’ geographic locations in the current footprint of the league are all positive factors cited by our conference members when considering their applications for membership,” said Naumovich. “We look forward to including Maryville and UIS in our 2009-10 schedules and wish them the best of luck in the GLVC.”

Maryville is located in St. Louis, and along with the University of Missouri-St. Louis, will be one of two GLVC institutions in the St. Louis area. The University was founded in 1872 and is one of the oldest private institutions in the region. Maryville has an enrollment of over 3,400 students and offers more than 50 undergraduate degrees.

The University sponsors 13 sports including all seven of the ‘core’ sports (men’s and women’s soccer, men’s and women’s basketball, volleyball, baseball and softball) currently sponsored by the GLVC. The Saints also sponsor men’s and women’s golf, men’s and women’s tennis and men’s and women’s cross country, each of which is also a sport sponsored by the Conference.

Maryville was a charter member of the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC) and has competed in the NCAA Division III conference since the 1990-91 academic year. The Saints captured 34 league titles in the SLIAC, the second-most in the league since its inception, and the 2008-09 academic year will mark the Saints last in the SLIAC.

UIS resides in Springfield, Ill., the capital of the state of Illinois, and will be centrally located in the GLVC. The University was founded in 1969 as Sangamon State University and currently offers 21 undergraduate degree programs and over 20 graduate programs. In 1995, the institution became a campus of the University of Illinois and it currently boasts an enrollment of 4,700 students.

The athletic department was established in 1977 and the Prairie Stars competed in the NAIA as an independent until the 2002-03 academic year when they joined the America Midwest Conference (AMC). UIS built a strong athletic foundation in the NAIA and captured three national championships in men’s soccer, while producing a national presence in several other sports.

The University sponsors 10 sports, all of which are sponsored by the GLVC. The Prairie Stars offer men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s soccer, men’s and women’s golf, men’s and women’s tennis, softball and volleyball and is expected to add baseball by the 2010-11 academic year to fulfill the GLVC ‘core’ sports requirement.

The GLVC was established in 1978 and is one of the largest NCAA Division II conferences in the country. With the addition of Maryville and UIS, the GLVC will include 15 teams from five Midwestern states. The current members of the GLVC are: Bellarmine University (Louisville, Ky.), Drury University (Springfield, Mo.), Kentucky Wesleyan College (Owensboro, Ky.), Lewis University (Romeoville, Ill.), Missouri University of Science & Technology (Rolla, Mo.), Northern Kentucky University (Highland Heights, Ky.), Quincy University (Quincy, Ill.), Rockhurst University (Kansas City, Mo.), Saint Joseph’s College (Rensselaer, Ind.), University of Indianapolis (Indianapolis, Ind.), University of Missouri-St. Louis (St. Louis, Mo.), University of Southern Indiana (Evansville, Ind.) and University of Wisconsin-Parkside (Kenosha, Wis.).

The GLVC last expanded in 2005 with the addition of Drury, Rockhurst and Missouri S&T. The league began in 1978 with six members and had previously expanded to 14 members in 2005, prior to SIU Edwardsville’s departure in 2008. The addition of Maryville and UIS will mark the first time in its history the GLVC has had 15 members.

The GLVC currently sponsors championships in 17 sports: baseball, men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s cross country, men’s and women’s golf, men’s and women’s soccer, softball, men’s and women’s tennis, men’s and women’s indoor track & field, men’s and women’s outdoor track & field and volleyball.