The nine private colleges and universities in Oregon and Washington that form the Northwest Conference are building a reputation as one of the top NCAA Division III leagues in the nation. The NWC is nationally competitive in a broad spectrum of sports. Willamette has won 28 NWC team titles since 2003. Current coaches at WU have achieved NWC Coach of the Year honors 24 times. Formed in 1926, the NWC is 84 years old and is one of the oldest conferences in the western United States. The NWC’s current members in Oregon are Willamette, George Fox, Linfield, Lewis and Clark, and Pacific. Members located in Washington are Pacific Lutheran, Puget Sound, Whitman and Whitworth. Charter members included Willamette, the College of Idaho, Linfield, Pacific and Puget Sound. Albany College was added in 1931, remained for seven years, and then returned in 1949 as Lewis & Clark College. Pacific Lutheran joined in 1965 and was followed by Whitworth in 1970. The College of Idaho withdrew from the conference in 1978. Whitworth dropped out in 1984 and returned in 1988. Menlo joined in 2006 as a member in football only and dropped out in 2009.
NCAA Division III is where the true student-athlete studies and competes. The National Collegiate Athletic Association is the main governing body of collegiate sports, dividing levels of classification into three divisions. D3 institutions are largely regarded as leading academic institutions and do not offer athletic scholarships. Still, athletics in D3 is highly competitive. There are over 136,000 athletes at over 430 D3 colleges and universities and each one is studying to earn a valuable degree in preparation for the workplace while playing the sport that he or she loves. For D3 athletes, sports have been an integral part of our lives since our youth. From elementary school through high school, sports have complemented our educational experience. And as college looms, we want to continue playing the sport we love while receiving an education from a first-rate college. A D3 school is that fit.
The NWC originally sponsored athletic competition for men’s sports only, but joined forces with the Women’s Conference of Independent Colleges in 1984 to form the Northwest Conference of Independent Colleges. The name was shortened back to the original Northwest Conference in 1998. Also in 1998, all nine NWC members shifted affiliation from the NAIA to the NCAA. Members knew the move would foster equity, sportsmanship and a genuine concern for all student-athletes.
NORTHWEST CONFERENCE & THE NCAA
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