# American Midwest Conference

The American Midwest Conference (AMC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) with 12 member institutions located in Arkansas and Missouri in the United States.

## History

The conference began as the Show-Me Conference in 1986, then changed to its current name in 1994, reflecting that its footprint had expanded beyond Missouri.

### Chronological timeline

* 1986 – The American Midwest Conference was founded as the Show-Me Conference. Charter members included Columbia College of Missouri, Hannibal–LaGrange College (now Hannibal–LaGrange University), Harris-Stowe State College (now Harris-Stowe State University), Missouri Baptist College (now Missouri Baptist University) and Park College (now Park University), beginning the 1986–87 academic year.
* 1987 – McKendree College (now McKendree University) joined the Show-Me in the 1987–88 academic year.
* 1990 – Fontbonne left the Show-Me and the NAIA to fully align with the Division III ranks of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC) after the 1989–90 academic year.
* 1993 – Iowa Wesleyan College (later Iowa Wesleyan University), Lindenwood College (now Lindenwood University) and William Woods College (now William Woods University) joined the Show-Me in the 1993–94 academic year.
* 1994 – Park left the Show-Me to join the Midlands Collegiate Athletic Conference (MCAC) for most sports, while its men's basketball team had become an NAIA Independent after the 1993–94 academic year.
* 1994 – The Show-Me Conference was rebranded as the American Midwest Conference in the 1994–95 academic year.
* 1995 – Iowa Wesleyan left the American Midwest to join the Midwest Classic Conference (MCC) after the 1994–95 academic year.
* 1996 – Lindenwood left the American Midwest to join the Heart of America Athletic Conference (HAAC) after the 1995–96 academic year.
* 2001 – Williams Baptist College (now Williams Baptist University) joined the American Midwest in the 2001–02 academic year.
* 2003 – The University of Illinois at Springfield (UIS) joined the American Midwest in the 2003–04 academic year.
* 2008 – Stephens College joined the American Midwest in the 2008–09 academic year.
* 2009 – Illinois–Springfield (UIS) left the American Midwest and the NAIA to join the NCAA Division II ranks and the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) after the 2008–09 academic year.
* 2009 – Park rejoined the American Midwest in the 2009–10 academic year.
* 2011 – McKendree left the American Midwest and the NAIA to join the NCAA Division II ranks as an NCAA D-II Independent (which would later join the GLVC beginning the 2012–13 academic year) after the 2010–11 academic year.
* 2011 – Benedictine University at Springfield joined the American Midwest in the 2011–12 academic year.
* 2012 – Lyon College joined the American Midwest in the 2012–13 academic year.
* 2013 – Freed–Hardeman University and Mid-Continent University joined the American Midwest in the 2013–14 academic year.
* 2014 – Mid-Continent left the American Midwest after spending one season, as the school ceased operations after the 2013–14 academic year.
* 2014 – Lindenwood University at Belleville and the St. Louis College of Pharmacy (now the University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy in St. Louis, a.k.a. UHSP) joined the American Midwest in the 2014–15 academic year.
* 2015 – Benedictine–Springfield left the American Midwest, as the school ceased operations after the 2014–15 academic year.
* 2015 – Central Baptist College joined the American Midwest in the 2015–16 academic year.
* 2017 – Calumet College of St. Joseph and Marian University joined the American Midwest as associate members for men's wrestling in the 2017–18 academic year.
* 2019 – Lincoln College of Illinois joined the American Midwest as an associate member for men's wrestling in the 2019–20 academic year.
* 2020 – Three institutions left the American Midwest to join their respective new home primary conferences, all effective after the 2019–20 academic year:
** Freed–Hardeman to join the Mid-South Conference
** Lindenwood–Belleville to cease operations
** and Park to join the Heart of America Athletic Conference (HAAC)
* 2020 – Marian (Ind.) left the American Midwest as an associate member for men's wrestling after the 2019–20 academic year.
* 2022 – Lincoln (Ill.) left the American Midwest as an associate member for men's wrestling as the school announced that it would close after the 2021–22 academic year.
* 2022 – Cottey College joined the American Midwest from the AII/Continental ranks in the 2022–23 academic year.
* 2023 – Lyon left the American Midwest and the NAIA to join the NCAA Division III ranks and the SLIAC after the 2022–23 academic year.
* 2023 – Haskell Indian Nations University joined the American Midwest as an associate member for men's and women's indoor and outdoor track & field in the 2023–24 academic year.
* 2024 – Mission University (formerly Baptist Bible College) and Crowley's Ridge College both joined the American Midwest in the 2024–25 academic year.
* 2025 – Missouri Baptist and William Woods will both leave the American Midwest to join the HAAC after the 2024–25 academic year.

## Member schools
### Current members

The American Midwest currently has twelve full members, all but one are private schools.
| Institution | Location | Founded | Affiliation | Enrollment | Nickname | Joined |
| Central Baptist College | Conway, Arkansas | 1952 | Baptist Missionary | 739 | Mustangs | 2015 |
| Columbia College | Columbia, Missouri | 1851 | Nonsectarian | 4,000 | Cougars | 1986 |
| Cottey College | Nevada, Missouri | 1884 | Nonsectarian | 300 | Comets | 2022 |
| Crowley's Ridge College | Paragould, Arkansas | 1964 | Churches of Christ | 225 | Pioneers | 2024 |
| Hannibal–LaGrange University | Hannibal, Missouri | 1858 | Southern Baptist | 494 | Trojans | 1986 |
| Harris–Stowe State University | St. Louis, Missouri | 1857 | Public | 1,084 | Hornets | 1986 |
| Mission University | Springfield, Missouri | 1950 | BBFI | 227 | Patriots | 2024 |
| Missouri Baptist University | Creve Coeur, Missouri | 1828 | Southern Baptist | 5,231 | Spartans | 1986 |
| Stephens College | Columbia, Missouri | 1833 | Nonsectarian | 590 | Stars | 2008 |
| University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy in St. Louis | St. Louis, Missouri | 1864 | Nonsectarian | 1,260 | Eutectics | 2014 |
| William Woods University | Fulton, Missouri | 1870 | Disciples of Christ | 2,300 | Owls | 1993 |
| Williams Baptist University | Walnut Ridge, Arkansas | 1941 | Southern Baptist | 584 | Eagles & Lady Eagles | 2001 |

#### Notes

* ↑ Represents the calendar year when fall sports competition begins.
* 1 2 This institution is a women's college, therefore it does not field men's sports.
* ↑ Formerly known as Baptist Bible College until 2024.
* ↑ This institution is a former women's college, which has eventually turned into a co-educational college (William Woods since 1997–98).

### Associate members

The American Midwest currently has one associate member, which is also a public school:
| Institution | Location | Founded | Affiliation | Enrollment | Nickname | Joined | AMC sport(s) | Primary conference |
| Haskell Indian Nations University | Lawrence, Kansas | 1884 | Public tribal | 958 | Fighting Indians | 2023 | men's indoor track & field men's outdoor track & field women's indoor track & field women's outdoor track & field | Continental |

#### Notes

* ↑ Represents the calendar year when fall sports competition begins.

### Former members

The American Midwest had eleven former full members, all but one were private schools:
| Institution | Location | Founded | Affiliation | Enrollment | Nickname | Joined | Left | Subsequent conference(s) | Current conference |
| Benedictine University at Springfield | Springfield, Illinois | 1927 | Catholic (Ursulines) | N/A | Bulldogs | 2011 | 2015 | Discontinued athletics | Closed in 2018 |
| Fontbonne College | Clayton, Missouri | 1923 | Catholic (C.S.J.) | 2,900 | Griffins | 1986 | 1990 | St. Louis (SLIAC) (1990–2025) (closing in 2025) | St. Louis (SLIAC) (1990–2025) (closing in 2025) |
| Freed–Hardeman University | Henderson, Tennessee | 1869 | Churches of Christ | 2,050+ | Lions | 2013 | 2020 | Mid-South (MSC) (2020–present) | Mid-South (MSC) (2020–present) |
| University of Illinois at Springfield | Springfield, Illinois | 1969 | Public | 2,654 | Prairie Stars | 2003 | 2009 | Great Lakes Valley (GLVC) (2009–present) | Great Lakes Valley (GLVC) (2009–present) |
| Iowa Wesleyan College | Mount Pleasant, Iowa | 1842 | United Methodist | 570 | Tigers | 1993 | 1995 | various | Closed in 2023 |
| Lindenwood College | St. Charles, Missouri | 1827 | Presbyterian (PCUSA) | 4,822 | Lions | 1993 | 1996 | various | Ohio Valley (OVC) (2022–present) |
| Lindenwood University at Belleville | Belleville, Illinois | 2003 | Presbyterian (PCUSA) | N/A | Lynx | 2014 | 2020 | Closed in 2020 | Closed in 2020 |
| Lyon College | Batesville, Arkansas | 1872 | Presbyterian (PCUSA) | 700 | Scots | 2012 | 2023 | St. Louis (SLIAC) (2023–present) | St. Louis (SLIAC) (2023–present) |
| McKendree University | Lebanon, Illinois | 1828 | United Methodist | 1,702 | Bearcats | 1987 | 2011 | NAIA/NCAA D-II Independent (2011–12) | Great Lakes Valley (GLVC) (2012–present) |
| Mid-Continent University | Mayfield, Kentucky | 1949 | Southern Baptist | N/A | Cougars | 2013 | 2014 | Closed in 2014 | Closed in 2014 |
| Park University | Parkville, Missouri | 1875 | Nonsectarian | 2,340 | Pirates | 1986; 2009 | 1994; 2020 | Midlands (MCAC) (1994–2009) | Heart of America (HAAC) (2020–present) |

#### Notes

* ↑ Represents the calendar year when fall sports competition begins.
* ↑ Represents the calendar year when spring sports competition ends.
* ↑ The Benedictine–Springfield men's and women's basketball teams joined the American Midwest a year after becoming a full member for other sports (2012–13).
* ↑ Currently known as Fontbonne University since 2002.
* 1 2 Currently an NCAA Division III athletic conference.
* 1 2 Currently an NCAA Division II athletic conference.
* ↑ Currently known as Iowa Wesleyan University since 2015.
* ↑ Iowa Wesleyan had joined the following subsequent conferences: the Midwest Collegiate Conference (MCC) from 1995–96 to 2011–12; as an NAIA Independent during the 2012–13 school year; the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference'"`UNIQ--ref-00000034-QINU`"' (SLIAC) from 2013–14 to 2020–21; and the Continental Athletic Conference from 2021–22 to 2022–23.
* ↑ Iowa Wesleyan had announced a return to the AMC effective with the 2023–24 academic year,'"`UNIQ--ref-00000036-QINU`"' but closed at the end of the 2022–23 academic year.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000037-QINU`"'
* ↑ Currently known as Lindenwood University since 1997.
* ↑ Lindenwood had joined the following subsequent conferences: the Heart of America Athletic Conference (HAAC) from 1996–97 to 2010–11; as an NCAA D-II Independent during the 2011–12 school year; the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association'"`UNIQ--ref-0000003A-QINU`"' (MIAA) from 2012–13 to 2018–19; and the Great Lakes Valley Conference'"`UNIQ--ref-0000003B-QINU`"' (GLVC) from 2019–20 to 2021–22.
* ↑ Currently an NCAA Division I athletic conference.

### Former associate members

The American Midwest had two former associate members, both were private schools:
| Institution | Location | Founded | Affiliation | Enrollment | Nickname | Joined | Left | AMC sport | Primary conference |
| Calumet College of St. Joseph | Whiting, Indiana | 1951 | Catholic (C.PP.S.) | 1,292 | Crimson Wave | 2017 | 2022 | men's wrestling | Chicagoland (CCAC) |
| Lincoln College | Lincoln, Illinois | 1865 | Nonsectarian | 800 | Lynx | 2019 | 2022 | men's wrestling | Closed in 2022 |
| Marian University | Indianapolis, Indiana | 1851 | Catholic (S.S.F.) | 3,595 | Knights | 2017 | 2020 | men's wrestling | Crossroads |

#### Notes

* ↑ Represents the calendar year when fall sports competition begins.
* ↑ Represents the calendar year when spring sports competition ends.
* ↑ Due to the COVID outbreaks, Calumet opted to not compete during the 2020–21 school year.

### Membership timeline

Full member (non-football)   Associate member (sport)

## Sports

Conference sports :
| Sport | Men's | Women's |
| Baseball | Y | |
| Basketball | Y | Y |
| Cross Country | Y | Y |
| Golf | Y | Y |
| Soccer | Y | Y |
| Softball | | Y |
| Track & Field Indoor | Y | Y |
| Track & Field Outdoor | Y | Y |
| Volleyball | | Y |
| Wrestling | Y | |