# Summit League

The Summit League, or The Summit, is an NCAA Division I intercollegiate athletic conference with its membership mostly located in the Midwestern United States, from Minnesota in the east, to the Dakotas, Nebraska and Colorado to the West, and Missouri and Oklahoma to the South. Founded as the Association of Mid-Continent Universities in 1982, it rebranded as the Mid-Continent Conference in 1989, then again as the Summit League on June 1, 2007. The league headquarters are in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
The membership currently consists of nine full members plus seven associate members. The most recent change in the core conference membership is the 2021 arrival of the University of St. Thomas, which began an unprecedented transition from NCAA Division III to Division I. A year earlier, the University of Missouri–Kansas City returned as a full member after a seven-year absence with the new athletic identity of the Kansas City Roos, while Purdue University Fort Wayne left for the Horizon League. A total of 32 schools have been full members; the last charter member remaining in the league, Western Illinois University, left for the Ohio Valley Conference on July 1, 2023 in most sports, with men's soccer playing one more season before leaving at the conclusion of the fall 2023 season.

## History
### Early Days

The conference can trace its roots back to 1978, when the Mid-Continent Athletic Association was founded as a football-only conference playing in Division II at the time. Its inaugural members were the University of Akron, Eastern Illinois University, University of Northern Iowa, Northern Michigan University, Western Illinois University, and Youngstown State University; Wayne State University had also expressed interest in joining, but ultimately never did. Akron left after the 1979 season, while Northern Michigan and Youngstown State left the following year; they were replaced by Southwest Missouri State (now known as Missouri State University) in 1981. The 1981 season also saw the conference as a whole move from Division II to Division I-AA; this would be the conference's final season under the name of the Mid-Continent Athletic Association.

### Foundation

The new association was officially created on June 18, 1982, at the O'Hare Hilton Hotel in Chicago, Illinois as the Association of Mid-Continent Universities (or AMCU or AMCU-8, pronounced Am-cue), which it was known as until 1989. Covering all men's sports now in addition to football, the new conference consisted of current MCAA members Eastern Illinois, Northern Iowa, Southwest Missouri State, and Western Illinois, along with non-football sponsoring Cleveland State University, University of Illinois Chicago, Valparaiso University and University of Wisconsin–Green Bay. The conference continued to sponsor football at the Division I-AA level, now under the new AMCU name, from 1982 until 1984, when the football sponsoring members of the Missouri Valley Conference joined with the football sponsoring members of the AMCU to form the beginnings of what is now the Missouri Valley Football Conference; current members University of North Dakota, North Dakota State University, University of South Dakota, and South Dakota State University continue to house their FCS football programs there to this day.

### Changes and the addition of women's sports

The conference saw its first changes in the early 1990s. Southwest Missouri State departed for membership in the Missouri Valley Conference as the University of Akron and Northern Illinois University joined in 1990. Then Wright State University joined in 1991 as Northern Iowa followed Southwest Missouri State to the MVC.
Major changes came to the conference in 1992. First, Akron left for the Mid-American Conference (MAC) and another Ohio school, Youngstown State University, replaced it. More significantly, the Mid-Continent added women's sports by absorbing the North Star Conference (NSC), a women's-only league whose final seven members were in the Mid-Continent. All of the final NSC members except for Akron moved their women's sports into the Mid-Continent. At the same time, Eastern Illinois and Western Illinois moved their women's sports into the Mid-Continent when their former women's sports home, the Gateway Conference, merged into the Missouri Valley Conference. The University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee joined the Mid-Continent a year later.

### Horizon and ECC transitions

In 1994, charter members Cleveland State, UIC and UWGB, as well as newer members Northern Illinois, Wisconsin–Milwaukee, and Wright State left the conference to join the Midwestern Collegiate Conference, now known as the Horizon League.
The Mid-Continent absorbed Central Connecticut State University, Chicago State University, Northeastern Illinois University, the University at Buffalo, and Troy State University (now Troy University) from the collapsed East Coast Conference in response. None of these institutions remain in the league.
The University of Missouri–Kansas City, formerly an independent, also joined the Mid-Continent Conference in 1994.

### Declining membership

Eastern Illinois moved to the Ohio Valley Conference in 1996, reducing membership to nine programs. Troy State departed for the Trans America Athletic Conference while Central Connecticut State joined the Northeast Conference in 1997. Buffalo joined the Mid-American Conference in 1998 while Northeastern Illinois ceased intercollegiate athletics at that time. Oral Roberts University and Southern Utah University replaced the former pair while Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI; its athletic program is now IU Indy) and Oakland University moved into the latter duo's spots a year later.
Youngstown State switched to the Horizon League in 2001, and Centenary College replaced it in 2003. Chicago State University announced in the spring of 2006 that it would withdraw from the conference to compete as an independent starting in the 2006–07 school year. Charter member Valparaiso then moved to the Horizon in 2007.

### Renewed expansion and contraction

Conference expansion was discussed at length at the Mid-Continent Conference annual Presidents Council meeting in 2006, and Indiana University–Purdue University Fort Wayne (IPFW, now Purdue Fort Wayne), North Dakota State, and South Dakota State were approved for site visits. On August 30, 2006, IPFW accepted an invitation to join the Mid-Continent Conference as a full member starting July 1, 2007. Both North Dakota State and South Dakota State also accepted invitations to join the conference the next day.
The Summit League continued its renewed expansion push with the admission of the University of South Dakota. The Coyotes began conference play in the 2011–12 academic year and become eligible for all championships the following season. Centenary College subsequently announced that it would leave the Summit League following the 2010–2011 campaign.
The University of North Dakota had also been openly rumored to have been courted by the Summit League, but controversy over the Fighting Sioux nickname in all likelihood prevented UND's admission at that time. Expectations that UND would join the Summit League came to an end on November 1, 2010, when North Dakota instead accepted an invitation to join the Big Sky Conference. The University of South Dakota entered into very brief negotiations to join the Big Sky as well, rather than continuing their plans to join the Summit. However, South Dakota chose instead to remain with the more compact Summit League (along with other Dakota schools, NDSU and SDSU). As the University of Nebraska Omaha began the transition to Division I athletics in all sports, it joined the Summit League on July 1, 2012. With the departures of Centenary to Division III at the end of the 2010–11 athletic year, and Oral Roberts (Southland Conference) and Southern Utah (Big Sky Conference) for other Division I conferences at the end of the 2011–12 athletic year, the Summit League continued with nine institutions, all within the Midwest geographical region.
The conference unveiled the University of Denver (DU) as its tenth member on November 27, 2012, and the Pioneers joined in July 2013. While Denver is slightly outside The Summit's current Midwestern base, the city's status as a major air hub seemingly minimized travel issues for the other members. With Denver among the eight of ten Western Athletic Conference (WAC) members switching to other conferences, that league searched for new members. UMKC announced on February 7, 2013, that it would be one of six schools joining the WAC for the 2013–14 season, dropping The Summit League back to nine member schools. Membership fell to eight schools on May 7, 2013, when Oakland announced that it was joining the Horizon League. Eight of the nine then-current Horizon League programs were former Summit League members with Oakland's move (the Horizon has since added two more members that were never in The Summit League, Northern Kentucky and Robert Morris, as well as another former Summit member in Purdue Fort Wayne).
In December 2013, The Summit League office announced that Oral Roberts University would return to the conference in all sports, effective July 1, 2014.
The next changes to the conference's core membership were announced in 2017. First, on January 26, North Dakota, which had resolved its controversy by selecting the new nickname Fighting Hawks, unveiled as a new member beginning in 2018. Then, on June 28, IUPUI announced it would leave the conference to join the Horizon League effective July 1, 2017.
For much of 2018, speculation involving further league expansion focused on Augustana University, a Division II school located in the Summit's headquarters city of Sioux Falls. Many of the school's boosters have ties to Sanford Health, a hospital company that has long been a major league sponsor and also owns the office complex that houses the league headquarters. The university announced on December 14 that it would start a transition to Division I, though stating at the time that no such move would take place until at least 2021. However, on May 22, 2020, the Summit League commissioner, Tom Douple, informed Augustana president Stephanie Herseth Sandlin that the conference would not be adding more new teams "at this time." The conference expanded anyway, announcing in June 2019 that UMKC would return in 2020 after a seven-year absence. However, shortly thereafter, Purdue Fort Wayne announced its 2020 departure for the Horizon League, maintaining the full-time conference membership at nine schools. Then, on October 4, 2019, the University of St. Thomas, a Minnesota school that was set to be expelled from its longtime athletic home of the NCAA Division III Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) in 2021, announced that it received an invitation to join the Summit upon its MIAC departure. St. Thomas eventually received a waiver of an NCAA rule mandating that Division III schools can only transition to Division II, allowing the school to move directly to D-I on the originally announced schedule.
Shortly before St. Thomas' future conference membership was confirmed, the University of Northern Colorado was announced as a baseball-only member effective in 2021–22. The most recent change to the affiliate membership was announced on May 11, 2022, when Lindenwood University and the University of Southern Indiana were announced as new affiliates in men's soccer plus men's and women's swimming & diving effective in 2022–23. Both institutions began transitions from Division II as new members of the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC), which at the time did not sponsor any of these schools' Summit League sports, in July 2022. Southern Indiana started its swimming & diving program for both sexes in 2022–23. In late March 2023, the OVC announced that it would begin sponsoring men's soccer that fall, leading to Eastern Illinois, Lindenwood, and Southern Indiana moving that sport to their full-time home. Eastern Illinois and Southern Indiana remain swimming & diving affiliates, while Lindenwood dropped both of its swimming & diving programs after the 2023–24 season.
In early May 2023, it was announced that founding member Western Illinois would be leaving the Summit League in all sports and would join the Ohio Valley Conference beginning in fall 2023. In mid-June, Western Illinois announced that its men's soccer team would remain in the Summit League for the fall 2023 season, and depart for the OVC after that.
On April 4, 2024, both entities announced that Delaware would be joining the conference as an associate member in men's soccer starting in 2025.
On May 7, 2024, the league announced that Northern Colorado, who is also an affiliate in baseball, and Weber State would be joining the league for men's golf starting in the fall of 2024.
On December 23, 2024, the league announced that UMass would be joining the conference as an affiliate in men's soccer starting in the 2025 season.

## Member schools
### Current full members

| Institution | Location | Founded | Joined | Type | Enrollment | Endowment | Nickname |
| University of Denver | Denver, Colorado | 1864 | 2013 | Private | 14,130 | $900,300,000 | Pioneers |
| University of Missouri–Kansas City | Kansas City, Missouri | 1933 | 1994; 2020 | Public | 16,017 | $152,800,000 | Roos |
| University of Nebraska Omaha | Omaha, Nebraska | 1908 | 2012 | Public | 15,328 | $110,000,000 | Mavericks |
| University of North Dakota | Grand Forks, North Dakota | 1883 | 2018 | Public | 15,019 | $422,100,000 | Fighting Hawks |
| North Dakota State University | Fargo, North Dakota | 1890 | 2007 | Public | 11,952 | $457,000,000 | Bison |
| Oral Roberts University | Tulsa, Oklahoma | 1963 | 1997; 2014 | Private (Evangelical) | 5,051 | $45,000,000 | Golden Eagles |
| University of St. Thomas | Saint Paul, Minnesota | 1885 | 2021 | Private (Catholic) | 9,347 | $653,300,000 | Tommies |
| University of South Dakota | Vermillion, South Dakota | 1862 | 2011 | Public | 10,619 | $328,500,000 | Coyotes |
| South Dakota State University | Brookings, South Dakota | 1881 | 2007 | Public | 12,065 | $213,000,000 | Jackrabbits |

#### Notes

* ↑ Kansas City, a previous member of the conference from 1994–95 to 2012–13 under its former athletic identity of the UMKC Kangaroos, rejoined the Summit effective the 2020–21 school year.
* ↑ Since July 1, 2019, UMKC has branded its athletic program, previously the UMKC Kangaroos, as the Kansas City Roos.
* ↑ Oral Roberts, a previous member of the conference from 1997–98 to 2011–12, rejoined the Summit effective the 2014–15 school year.

### Current associate members

| Institution | Location | Founded | Joined | Type | Enrollment | Nickname | Primary conference | Summit sport(s) |
| Drake University | Des Moines, Iowa | 1881 | 2017 | Private | 4,875 | Bulldogs | MVC | Men's tennis |
| Eastern Illinois University | Charleston, Illinois | 1895 | 2005 | Public | 8,608 | Panthers | OVC | Swimming & diving |
| Illinois State University | Normal, Illinois | 1857 | 2017 | Public | 20,233 | Redbirds | MVC | Men's tennis |
| University of Northern Colorado | Greeley, Colorado | 1889 | 2021 | Public | 10,348 | Bears | Big Sky | Baseball |
| University of Northern Colorado | Greeley, Colorado | 1889 | 2024 | Public | 10,348 | Bears | Big Sky | Men's golf |
| University of Southern Indiana | Evansville, Indiana | 1965 | 2022 | Public | 7,938 | Screaming Eagles | OVC | Swimming & diving |
| Weber State University | Ogden, Utah | 1889 | 2024 | Public | 29,914 | Wildcats | Big Sky | Men's golf |
* ↑ The campus has an Evansville mailing address but is located in unincorporated Vanderburgh County.

### Future associate members

| Institution | Location | Founded | Joining | Type | Enrollment | Nickname | Primary conference | Summit sport(s) |
| University of Delaware | Newark, Delaware | 1743 | 2025 | Public | 23,774 | Blue Hens | CAA (CUSA in 2025) | Men's soccer |
| University of Massachusetts Amherst | Amherst, Massachusetts | 1863 | 2025 | Public | 28,635 | Minutemen | Atlantic 10 (MAC in 2025) | Men's soccer |
* ↑ Delaware is officially chartered as a "privately-governed, state-assisted" institution. This status is broadly similar to that of New York State's statutory colleges, most of which are housed at Cornell University, or institutions in Pennsylvania's Commonwealth System of Higher Education.

### Former members

All institutional names and nicknames used reflect those in the final school year of conference membership.

#### Former full members

The Summit League has 23 former members.
| Institution | Location | Founded | Type | Enrollment | Joined | Left | Nickname | Subsequent conference | Current conference |
| University of Akron | Akron, Ohio | 1870 | Public | 29,251 | 1990 | 1992 | Zips | Mid-American (MAC) | Mid-American (MAC) |
| University at Buffalo | Buffalo, New York | 1846 | Public | 28,601 | 1994 | 1998 | Bulls | Mid-American (MAC) | Mid-American (MAC) |
| Centenary College of Louisiana | Shreveport, Louisiana | 1825 | Private (UMC) | 787 | 2003 | 2011 | Gentlemen (men's) Ladies (women's) | American Southwest | SCAC |
| Central Connecticut State University | New Britain, Connecticut | 1849 | Public | 11,360 | 1994 | 1997 | Blue Devils | Northeast (NEC) | Northeast (NEC) |
| Chicago State University | Chicago, Illinois | 1867 | Public | 3,578 | 1994 | 2006 | Cougars | NCAA D-I Independent | Northeast (NEC) |
| Cleveland State University | Cleveland, Ohio | 1964 | Public | 17,204 | 1982 | 1994 | Vikings | Horizon | Horizon |
| Eastern Illinois University | Charleston, Illinois | 1895 | Public | 11,651 | 1982 | 1996 | Panthers | OVC | OVC |
| University of Illinois Chicago | Chicago, Illinois | 1858 | Public | 28,091 | 1982 | 1994 | Flames | Horizon | Missouri Valley |
| Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis | Indianapolis, Indiana | 1969 | Public | 27,184 | 1998 | 2017 | Jaguars | Horizon | Horizon |
| Northeastern Illinois University | Chicago, Illinois | 1867 | Public | 11,149 | 1994 | 1998 | Golden Eagles | Discontinued intercollegiate athletics | Discontinued intercollegiate athletics |
| Northern Illinois University | DeKalb, Illinois | 1895 | Public | 25,313 | 1990 | 1994 | Huskies | Horizon | Mid-American (MAC) |
| University of Northern Iowa | Cedar Falls, Iowa | 1876 | Public | 11,147 | 1982 | 1991 | Panthers | Missouri Valley | Missouri Valley |
| Oakland University | Rochester, Michigan | 1957 | Public | 19,379 | 1998 | 2013 | Golden Grizzlies | Horizon | Horizon |
| Purdue University Fort Wayne | Fort Wayne, Indiana | 1964 | Public | 10,139 | 2007 | 2020 | Mastodons | Horizon | Horizon |
| Southern Utah University | Cedar City, Utah | 1897 | Public | 8,297 | 1997 | 2012 | Thunderbirds | Big Sky | WAC |
| Southwest Missouri State University | Springfield, Missouri | 1905 | Public | 21,059 | 1982 | 1990 | Bears (men's) Lady Bears (women's) | Missouri Valley (CUSA in 2025) | Missouri Valley (CUSA in 2025) |
| Troy State University | Troy, Alabama | 1887 | Public | 29,689 | 1994 | 1997 | Trojans | TAAC | Sun Belt |
| Valparaiso University | Valparaiso, Indiana | 1859 | Private (Lutheran) | 4,061 | 1982 | 2007 | Crusaders | Horizon | Missouri Valley |
| Western Illinois University | Macomb, Illinois | 1899 | Public | 7,643 | 1982 | 2023 | Leathernecks | OVC | OVC |
| University of Wisconsin–Green Bay | Green Bay, Wisconsin | 1965 | Public | 6,700 | 1982 | 1994 | Phoenix | Horizon | Horizon |
| University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee | Milwaukee, Wisconsin | 1885 | Public | 30,502 | 1993 | 1994 | Panthers | Horizon | Horizon |
| Wright State University | Dayton, Ohio | 1967 | Public | 17,789 | 1991 | 1994 | Raiders | Horizon | Horizon |
| Youngstown State University | Youngstown, Ohio | 1908 | Public | 15,194 | 1992 | 2001 | Penguins | Horizon | Horizon |

##### Notes

* ↑ The UB campus has a Buffalo mailing address, but is mostly located in the adjacent town of Amherst.
* 1 2 Currently an NCAA Division III athletic conference
* 1 2 3 4 5 6 This school joined the then-Mid-Continent Conference before the league began sponsoring women's sports in the 1992–93 school year. It had previously been a member of the women's sports-only North Star Conference, which was absorbed by the Mid-Con after the 1991–92 school year.
* ↑ Before the Mid-Con began sponsoring women's sports in the 1992–93 school year, Eastern Illinois had been a member of the Gateway Collegiate Athletic Conference, which began as a women's-only conference and added football in the 1985 fall season (1985–86 school year); EIU was a member of both sides of the conference. When the Gateway merged its women's side into the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC), EIU moved its women's sports into the Mid-Con, but kept its football team in the Gateway until it moved its entire athletic program into the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC), effective with the 1996–97 school year.
* ↑ The Indiana University and Purdue University systems dissolved IUPUI at the end of the 2023–24 school year, replacing it with separate IU- and Purdue-affiliated institutions. The new IU Indianapolis, which took over the vast majority of IUPUI academic programs, inherited the athletic program, now known as the IU Indy Jaguars.
* ↑ The Oakland campus has a Rochester mailing address, but is physically divided between the separate cities of Auburn Hills and Rochester Hills.
* ↑ Purdue Fort Wayne (PFW) did not begin operation until 2018, but inherited its athletic program from Indiana University–Purdue University Fort Wayne (IPFW), founded in 1964. IPFW dissolved in 2018, and the Purdue University and Indiana University systems each established a new Fort Wayne campus.
* ↑ Known since 2005 as Missouri State University.
* ↑ The women's beach volleyball team uses the nickname "Beach Bears" instead of "Lady Bears".
* ↑ Known since 2005 as Troy University.
* ↑ Dropped nickname of Crusaders in February 2021; adopted new nickname of Beacons that August.
* ↑ The Mid-Con did not sponsor women's sports until the 1992–93 school year. Before that time, Western Illinois had been a member of the Gateway Collegiate Athletic Conference, which began as a women's-only conference and added football in the 1985–86 school year; WIU was a member of both sides of the conference. When the Gateway merged its women's side into the Missouri Valley Conference, WIU moved its women's sports into the Mid-Con, but kept its football team in the Gateway (now known as the Missouri Valley Football Conference) through the 2023 season.
* ↑ Western Illinois departed the Summit League as its full-time conference on July 1, 2023, but elected to keep its men's soccer team in the league until the conclusion of the fall 2023 season.
* ↑ The Wright State campus has a Dayton mailing address, but is physically located in the adjacent city of Fairborn.

#### Former associate members

| Institution | Location | Founded | Type | Enrollment | Joined | Left | Nickname | Primary conference during associate membership | Current conference in former Summit sport | Summit sport |
| University of Akron | Akron, Ohio | 1870 | Public | 10,378 | 1978 | 1980 | Zips | D-II Independent | Mid-American (MAC) | football |
| DePaul University | Chicago, Illinois | 1898 | Private | 24,414 | 1992 | 1999 | Blue Demons | Great Midwest, CUSA | Big East | softball |
| Howard University | Washington, D.C. | 1867 | Private | 10,000 | 1996 | 1999 | Bison | Mid-Eastern (MEAC) | Northeast (NEC) | men's soccer |
| Lindenwood University | St. Charles, Missouri | 1827 | Private | 7,003 | 2022 | 2024 | Lions | OVC | — | men's swimming & diving |
| C.W. Post of Long Island University | Brookville, New York | 1954 | Public | 8,472 | 1994 | 1998 | Pioneers | East Coast (ECC) | Northeast (NEC) | baseball |
| New York Institute of Technology | New York, New York | 1955 | Private | 13,000 | 1994 | 1998 | Bears | East Coast (ECC) | TBA | baseball |
| Northern Michigan University | Marquette, Michigan | 1899 | Public | 6,764 | 1978 | 1981 | Wildcats | D-II Independent | Great Lakes (GLIAC) | football |
| Oral Roberts University | Tulsa, Oklahoma | 1963 | Private | 3,417 | 2012 | 2014 | Golden Eagles | Southland | Summit | men's soccer |
| Pace University | New York, New York | 1906 | Private | 12,772 | 1994 | 1998 | Setters | East Coast (ECC) Northeast-10 (NE-10) | Northeast-10 (NE-10) | baseball |
| Quincy University | Quincy, Illinois | 1860 | Private | 1,269 | 1994 | 1996 | Hawks | Great Lakes (GLVC) | Great Lakes (GLVC) | men's soccer |
| Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIU Edwardsville or SIUE) | Edwardsville, Illinois | 1957 | Public | 13,850 | 1994 | 1996 | Cougars | Great Lakes (GLVC) | Ohio Valley (OVC) | men's soccer |
| University of South Dakota | Vermillion, South Dakota | 1862 | Public | 10,151 | 2009 | 2011 | Coyotes | Great West (GWC) | Summit | men's swimming & diving women's swimming & diving |
| South Dakota State University | Brookings, South Dakota | 1881 | Public | 12,851 | 2005 | 2007 | Jackrabbits | D-I Independent | Summit | men's swimming & diving women's swimming & diving |
| State University of New York at Oneonta | Oneonta, New York | 1889 | Public | 5,852 | 1996 | 1998 | Red Dragons | New York State (SUNYAC) | New York State (SUNYAC) | men's soccer |
| Valparaiso University | Valparaiso, Indiana | 1859 | Private | 4,500 | 2017 | 2020 | Crusaders | Missouri Valley (MVC) | — | men's tennis |
| Valparaiso University | Valparaiso, Indiana | 1859 | Private | 4,500 | 2017 | 2021 | Crusaders | Missouri Valley (MVC) | Missouri Valley (MVC) | men's swimming |
| Youngstown State University | Youngstown, Ohio | 1908 | Public | 11,298 | 1978 | 1981 | Penguins | D-II Independent | Missouri Valley (MVFC) | football |

##### Notes

* ↑ Except as noted, this matches each school's current primary conference.
* ↑ When DePaul joined for softball, it was a member of the Great Midwest Conference. In 1995, that conference merged with the Metro Conference to form Conference USA.
* ↑ Howard remains a full member of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, which does not sponsor soccer for either men or women.
* ↑ Lindenwood dropped men's swimming & diving after the 2023–24 school year.
* 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Currently an NCAA Division II athletic conference.
* ↑ After the 2018–19 school year, Long Island University merged the LIU Post athletic program with the program of its other principal campus, LIU Brooklyn, creating a new Division I program that now competes as the LIU Sharks. The unified athletic program, which maintains Brooklyn's memberships in Division I and the Northeast Conference, now fields a single baseball team that plays on the Post campus in Brookville.
* ↑ NYIT remained in Division I baseball through the 2017 spring season (2016–17 school year), after which it downgraded baseball to Division II and added that sport to its existing ECC membership.
* ↑ NYIT shut down its athletic program after the 2019–20 school year due to COVID-19 impacts. It was expected to resume athletics in 2022–23, but has yet to do so by far or announce a future conference affiliation.
* ↑ Between Oral Roberts' 2012 departure for the Southland Conference and 2014 return to the Summit League, it maintained Summit associate membership in men's soccer.
* ↑ When Pace joined for baseball, it was a member of the ECC (then known as the New York Collegiate Athletic Conference (NYCAC). In 1997, it joined the Northeast-10.
* ↑ Currently an NCAA Division III athletic conference.
* ↑ Valparaiso dropped men's tennis after the 2019–20 school year.
* ↑ Valparaiso's men's aquatics program fields swimmers, but no divers.

### Membership timeline

Full members Full members (non-football) Associate members (football only) Associate member (baseball, men's soccer, softball, swimming and diving, or men's tennis) Other Conference Other Conference
* Purdue Fort Wayne joined the league as IPFW. The athletic branding was changed to "Fort Wayne" in 2016, and to Purdue Fort Wayne shortly before the dissolution of IPFW on July 1, 2018.
* Southwest Missouri State adopted its current name of Missouri State University in 2005.
* The two former members that are part of the University of Wisconsin System, namely UW–Green Bay and UW–Milwaukee, now brand themselves for athletic purposes as "Green Bay" and "Milwaukee".
* Troy State adopted its current name of Troy University in 2004.
* UMKC rebranded its athletic program as "Kansas City" in 2019, a year before its return to the league.

## Sponsored sports

The Summit League sponsors championship competition in nine men's and ten women's NCAA sanctioned sports. Former full member Eastern Illinois is an associate member for men's and women's swimming and diving and men's soccer. Drake and Illinois State became associate members in men's tennis starting in 2017–18, and former full member Valparaiso rejoined for men's swimming and men's tennis at the same time. Valparaiso dropped men's tennis after the 2019–20 season; it remained a swimming associate until moving that sport to the Mid-American Conference in 2021. Northern Colorado became a baseball associate starting in the 2022 season (2021–22 school year), and Lindenwood and Southern Indiana became associates in men's soccer plus men's and women's swimming & diving in the 2022–23 school year. Eastern Illinois, Lindenwood, and Southern Indiana moved men's soccer to their primary home of the Ohio Valley Conference in 2023–24 while remaining Summit affiliates in swimming & diving. Western Illinois elected to leave the league full time in 2023, but its men's soccer team remained in the Summit through the fall 2023 season.
Teams in Summit League competition :
| Sport | Men's | Women's |
| Baseball | 6 | – |
| Basketball | 9 | 9 |
| Cross country | 7 | 8 |
| Golf | 11 | 9 |
| Soccer | 5 (7 in 2025) | 9 |
| Softball | – | 7 |
| Swimming and diving | 8 | 8 |
| Tennis | 8 | 8 |
| Track and field (indoor) | 7 | 8 |
| Track and field (outdoor) | 7 | 8 |
| Volleyball | – | 9 |

### Men's sponsored sports by school

| School | Baseball | Basketball | Cross country | Golf | Soccer | Swimming & diving | Tennis | Indoor Track & field | Outdoor Track & field | Total Summit League sports |
| Denver | No | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | 5 |
| Kansas City | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | 7 |
| North Dakota | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | 6 |
| North Dakota State | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | 6 |
| Omaha | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | 6 |
| Oral Roberts | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | 8 |
| St. Thomas | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | 8 |
| South Dakota | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | 6 |
| South Dakota State | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | 7 |
| Associate members |||||||||||
| Drake | | | | | | | Yes | | | 1 |
| Eastern Illinois | | | | | | Yes | | | | 1 |
| Illinois State | | | | | | | Yes | | | 1 |
| Northern Colorado | Yes | | | Yes | | | | | | 2 |
| Southern Indiana | | | | | | Yes | | | | 1 |
| Weber State | | | | Yes | | | | | | 1 |
| Future member |||||||||||
| Delaware in 2025 | | | | | Yes | | | | | 1 |
| UMass in 2025 | | | | | Yes | | | | | 1 |
| Totals | 6 | 9 | 7 | 11 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 70 |
Men's varsity sports not sponsored by The Summit League which are played by member schools:
| School | Football | Ice hockey | Lacrosse | Skiing | Wrestling |
| Denver | — | NCHC | Big East | RMISA | — |
| North Dakota | MVFC | NCHC | — | — | — |
| North Dakota State | MVFC | — | — | — | Big 12 |
| Omaha | — | NCHC | — | — | — |
| St. Thomas | Pioneer | CCHA | — | — | — |
| South Dakota | MVFC | — | — | — | — |
| South Dakota State | MVFC | — | — | — | Big 12 |
* ↑ St. Thomas will move its men's hockey program to the NCHC in 2026.

### Women's sponsored sports by school

| School | Basketball | Cross country | Golf | Soccer | Softball | Swimming & diving | Tennis | Indoor track & field | Outdoor track & field | Volleyball | Total Summit League sports |
| Denver | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | 6 |
| Kansas City | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 9 |
| North Dakota | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 9 |
| North Dakota State | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | 8 |
| Omaha | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 10 |
| Oral Roberts | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 8 |
| St. Thomas | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 10 |
| South Dakota | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 10 |
| South Dakota State | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | 9 |
| Associate members ||||||||||||
| Eastern Illinois | | | | | | Yes | | | | | 1 |
| Southern Indiana | | | | | | Yes | | | | | 1 |
| Totals | 9 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 84 |

#### Notes

Women's varsity sports not sponsored by the Summit League which are played by member schools:
| School | Equestrian | Gymnastics | Ice hockey | Lacrosse | Skiing |
| Denver | — | Big 12 | — | Big East | RMISA |
| St. Thomas | — | — | WCHA | — | — |
| South Dakota State | United Equestrian Conference & National Collegiate Equestrian Association | — | — | — | — |

## Men's basketball
### Men's basketball in the NCAA tournament

| Year | Team | Seed | Results |
| 1983 | none | none | none |
| 1984 | none | none | none |
| 1985 | none | none | none |
| 1986 | Cleveland State | 14* | defeated Indiana defeated Saint Joseph's lost to Navy |
| 1987 | Southwest Missouri State | 13 | defeated Clemson lost to Kansas |
| 1988 | Southwest Missouri State | 13 | lost to UNLV |
| 1989 | Southwest Missouri State | 14 | lost to Seton Hall |
| 1990 | Southwest Missouri State | 9* | lost to North Carolina |
| 1990 | Northern Iowa | 14 | defeated Missouri lost to Minnesota |
| 1991 | Green Bay | 12 | lost to Michigan State |
| 1991 | Northern Illinois | 13* | lost to St. John's |
| 1992 | Eastern Illinois | 15 | lost to Indiana |
| 1993 | Wright State | 16 | lost to Indiana |
| 1994 | Green Bay | 12 | defeated California lost to Syracuse |
| 1995 | none | none | none |
| 1996 | Valparaiso | 14 | lost to Arizona |
| 1997 | Valparaiso | 12 | lost to Boston College |
| 1998 | Valparaiso | 13 | defeated Ole Miss defeated Florida State lost to Rhode Island |
| 1999 | Valparaiso | 15 | lost to Maryland |
| 2000 | Valparaiso | 16 | lost to Michigan State |
| 2001 | Southern Utah | 14 | lost to Boston College |
| 2002 | Valparaiso | 13 | lost to Kentucky |
| 2003 | IUPUI | 16 | lost to Kentucky |
| 2004 | Valparaiso | 15 | lost to Gonzaga |
| 2005 | Oakland | 16 | defeated Alabama A&M** Lost to North Carolina |
| 2006 | Oral Roberts | 16 | lost to Memphis |
| 2007 | Oral Roberts | 14 | lost to Washington State |
| 2008 | Oral Roberts | 13 | lost to Pittsburgh |
| 2009 | North Dakota State | 14 | lost to Kansas |
| 2010 | Oakland | 14 | lost to Pittsburgh |
| 2011 | Oakland | 13 | lost to Texas |
| 2012 | South Dakota State | 14 | lost to Baylor |
| 2013 | South Dakota State | 13 | lost to Michigan |
| 2014 | North Dakota State | 12 | defeated Oklahoma lost to San Diego State |
| 2015 | North Dakota State | 15 | lost to Gonzaga |
| 2016 | South Dakota State | 12 | lost to Maryland |
| 2017 | South Dakota State | 16 | lost to Gonzaga |
| 2018 | South Dakota State | 12 | lost to Ohio State |
| 2019 | North Dakota State | 16 | defeated NCCU** lost to Duke |
| 2021 | Oral Roberts | 15 | defeated Ohio State defeated Florida lost to Arkansas |
| 2022 | South Dakota State | 13 | lost to Providence |
| 2023 | Oral Roberts | 12 | lost to Duke |
* At-large bid ** First Four game

### Summit League championships won per school

| School | Conference | Conference | Tournament | Tournament |
| School | Titles | Last title | Titles | Last title |
| Valparaiso | 9 | 2003–04 | 8 | 2004 |
| South Dakota State | 9 | 2023–24 | 7 | 2024 |
| Oral Roberts | 7 | 2022–23 | 5 | 2023 |
| Missouri State | 4 | 1989–90 | 2 | 1989 |
| North Dakota State | 4 | 2019–20 | 5 | 2020 |
| Oakland | 3 | 2010–11 | 3 | 2011 |
| Cleveland State | 3 | 1992–93 | 1 | 1986 |
| Western Illinois | 2 | 2012–13 | 1 | 1984 |
| Green Bay | 2 | 1993–94 | 2 | 1994 |
| Purdue Fort Wayne | 1 | 2015–16 | 0 | N/A |
| South Dakota | 1 | 2016–17 | 0 | N/A |
| IUPUI | 1 | 2005–06 | 1 | 2003 |
| Illinois-Chicago | 1 | 1983–84 | 0 | N/A |
| Northern Illinois | 1 | 1990–91 | 0 | N/A |
| Omaha | 1 | 2024–25 | 1 | 2025 |
| Southern Utah | 1 | 2000–01 | 1 | 2001 |
| Eastern Illinois | 0 | N/A | 2 | 1992 |
| Wright State | 0 | N/A | 1 | 1993 |
| Northern Iowa | 0 | N/A | 1 | 1990 |
Italics indicate a school no longer a part of the Summit League.

## Women's Basketball
### Summit League championships won per school

| School | Conference | Conference | Tournament | Tournament |
| School | Titles | Last title | Titles | Last title |
| South Dakota State | 11 | 2024–25 | 12 | 2025 |
| Western Illinois | 6 | 2016–17 | 2 | 2017 |
| Youngstown State | 5 | 1998–99 | 3 | 2000 |
| South Dakota | 5 | 2021–22 | 4 | 2022 |
| Oakland | 3 | 2006–07 | 2 | 2006 |
| Northern Illinois | 2 | 1993–94 | 1 | 1993 |
| Valparaiso | 2 | 2001–02 | 2 | 2004 |
| Oral Roberts | 2 | 2010–11 | 5 | 2008 |
| Buffalo | 1 | 1994–95 | 0 | N/A |
| Troy | 1 | 1996–97 | 1 | 1997 |
| Green Bay | 0 | N/A | 1 | 1994 |
Italics indicate a school no longer a part of the Summit League.

## Facilities

Future members in gray
| School | Soccer stadium | Capacity | Basketball arena | Capacity | Baseball field | Capacity | Softball field | Capacity |
| Delaware | Stuart and Suzanne Grant Stadium | 1,400 | Men's soccer-only member (from 2025) | Men's soccer-only member (from 2025) | Men's soccer-only member (from 2025) | Men's soccer-only member (from 2025) | Men's soccer-only member (from 2025) | Men's soccer-only member (from 2025) |
| Denver | CIBER Field at the University of Denver Soccer Stadium | 2,000 | Hamilton Gymnasium | 2,500 | Non-baseball school | Non-baseball school | Non-softball school | Non-softball school |
| Kansas City | Durwood Soccer Stadium | 850 | Swinney Recreation Center | 1,500 | Non-baseball school | Non-baseball school | Urban Youth Academy | — |
| UMass | Rudd Field | 800 | Men's soccer-only member (from 2025) | Men's soccer-only member (from 2025) | Men's soccer-only member (from 2025) | Men's soccer-only member (from 2025) | Men's soccer-only member (from 2025) | Men's soccer-only member (from 2025) |
| Omaha | Al F. Caniglia Field | 3,097 | Baxter Arena | 7,898 | Tal Anderson Field | 1,500 | Connie Claussen Field | 650 |
| North Dakota | Bronson Field | — | Betty Engelstad Sioux Center | 3,300 | Non-baseball school | Non-baseball school | Apollo Sports Complex | 150 |
| North Dakota State | Dacotah Field | 2,600 | Scheels Center | 5,460 | Newman Outdoor Field | 4,600 | Tharaldson Park | 735 |
| Northern Colorado | Baseball-only member | Baseball-only member | Baseball-only member | Baseball-only member | Jackson Field | 1,500 | Baseball-only member | Baseball-only member |
| Oral Roberts | Case Soccer Complex | 1,000 | Mabee Center | 10,575 | J. L. Johnson Stadium | 2,418 | Non-softball school | Non-softball school |
| St. Thomas | South Field | 800 | Schoenecker Arena | 1,800 | Koch Diamond | 250 | South Field | 150 |
| South Dakota | First Bank & Trust Soccer Complex | 800 | Sanford Coyote Sports Center | 6,000 | Non-baseball school | Non-baseball school | Nygard Field | 500 |
| South Dakota State | Fishback Soccer Park | 1,500 | First Bank and Trust Arena | 6,500 | Erv Huether Field | 600 | Jackrabbit Softball Stadium | 200 |
* ↑ North Dakota also schedules basketball games at the Ralph Engelstad Arena.
* ↑ Lee and Penny Anderson Arena is scheduled to open in fall 2025 as St. Thomas' new arena for basketball and ice hockey. The basketball capacity is expected to be 5,300.
* ↑ Prior to a renovation completed in 2024, the arena was known as Frost Arena

## Media rights

On August 10, 2023, the Summit League announced the signing of a new three-year media rights deal that would tie the league with CBS Sports Network and even closer ties with Midco Sports through the 2025–26 academic year. The new deal transfers the Summit League's men's/women's basketball championship game rights over to CBS Sports Network from ESPN, and adds a guaranteed six regular-season men's basketball games on the network with an option of six more men's or women's basketball games during the season. For the 2024 tournament, CBS Sports Network will also broadcast the women's basketball tournament semifinal. In 2025 and 2026 there will remain an option to have the men's and women's tournaments semifinals on CBS Sports Network if scheduling allows.
The Midco contract will now expand to the creation of a new all-league media platform called The Summit League Network. It will provide access to all nine member institutions' live streams of every home game, both non-conference and in-conference, as well as interviews and other league info. This expansion will preserve the local media rights given out at select institutions, as the provider for the university will supply Midco with that broadcast/live stream to be simulcast on the Summit League Network.