The Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level, which operates in the Upper Midwest of the United States. Nine of its members are in Minnesota, with three members in South Dakota, three members in North Dakota, and one member in Nebraska. It was founded in 1932. With the recent NSIC expansion, the original six member schools have been reunited.
The conference sponsors 18 sports; ten for women and eight for men. Both men and women compete in basketball, cross country, golf, and indoor and outdoor track and field. Men compete in baseball, football, and wrestling. Women compete in soccer, softball, swimming & diving, tennis, and volleyball. The NSIC is the only Division II conference that sponsors soccer for women but not men (two other D-II conferences do not sponsor soccer for either sex).
Contents
History
The Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference was founded in 1932 as the Northern Teachers Athletic Conference. Charter members included Bemidji State Teachers College (Bemidji State University), Duluth State Teachers College (University of Minnesota Duluth), Mankato State Teachers College (Minnesota State University), Moorhead State Teachers College (Minnesota State University Moorhead), St. Cloud State Teachers College (St. Cloud State University), and Winona State Teachers College (Winona State University). In 1942 the conference name was changed to the State Teacher's College Conference of Minnesota. The conference switched its name to the Northern Intercollegiate Conference (NIC) in 1962. In the spring of 1992 the NSIC was formed out of the merger of the NIC, the men's conference, and the women's Northern Sun Conference (NSC).
In 1992, the NSIC joined NCAA Division II after being long time
members of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA).
In the 1998–99 academic year, the NSIC became an expanded eight-team league from a previous seven-member conference by adding Wayne State College, and in 1999–2000 became a 10-member conference by adding Concordia University, St. Paul, and the University of Minnesota Crookston. The conference existed as an eight-member league from 2004–05 until 2005–06 with the departure of Minnesota–Duluth to the now defunct North Central Conference, and the University of Minnesota Morris to NCAA Division III. The University of Mary and Upper Iowa University were admitted in the fall of 2006 to again expand the NSIC to 10 members.
In 2007 the NSIC Board of Directors voted to expand the conference to 14 schools. League presidents voted to accept into membership Augustana College (now Augustana University), St. Cloud State, Minnesota–Duluth, and Minnesota State. These four schools were members of the North Central Conference which disbanded after the 2007–2008 academic year. They became official members of the NSIC on July 1, 2008.
On January 20, 2010, the NSIC Board of Directors voted to expand the conference again, this time to 16 members. The league accepted into membership the University of Sioux Falls and Minot State University. Both schools moved from the NAIA, with USF leaving the Great Plains Athletic Conference, and Minot State leaving the Dakota Athletic Conference. The two schools became active members in the 2012–13 academic year.
Chronological timeline
Since 1932, 18 institutions have competed in the NSIC. Although all six charter members are in the conference today, only three of them have remained in the conference for the 80 years of its existence: Bemidji State, Minnesota State–Moorhead, and Winona State.
1932: The Northern Teacher's Athletic Conference was founded with six charter members: Bemidji State Teachers College (now Bemidji State University), Duluth State Teachers College (now the University of Minnesota Duluth), Mankato State Teachers College (now Minnesota State University, Mankato), Moorhead State Teachers College (now Minnesota State University Moorhead), St. Cloud State Teachers College (now St. Cloud State University) and Winona State Teachers College (now Winona State University).
1942: The conference changed its name to the State Teacher's College Conference of Minnesota.
1947: Duluth State Teachers College was renamed the University of Minnesota Duluth.
1951: Minnesota–Duluth left for the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC). The conference was left with five teams.
1957: The Michigan College of Mining and Technology (now Michigan Technological University) joined the STCCM to give the league six members. Bemidji State Teachers College was renamed Bemidji State College. Mankato State Teachers College was renamed Mankato State College. Moorhead State Teachers College becomes known as Moorhead State College. St. Cloud State Teachers College becomes St. Cloud State College and Winona State Teachers College becomes Winona State College.
1962: The conference changed its name to the Northern Intercollegiate Conference (NIC).
1964: The Michigan College of Mining and Technology renamed itself to Michigan Technological University.
1966: The University of Minnesota Morris joined the NIC, membership stands at seven schools.
Member schools
Current members
The NSIC currently has 16 full members, all but five are public schools.
Notes
Affiliate members
The NSIC currently has one affiliate member, which is also a public school:
Notes
Former members
The NSIC had three former full members, two were public schools and one was a private school:
Notes
Former affiliate members
The NSIC had four former affiliate members, two public school and two private schools:
Notes
Membership timeline
Full member (all sports)
Full member (non-football)
Associate member (football)
Associate member (sport)
Sports
Other sponsored sports by school
Notes
In addition to the above teams, at least two conference schools are now sponsoring esports: SMSU and Concordia-St Paul.
National champions
NCAA Division II
The NSIC has had 27 national championship teams in NCAA Division II play:
NCAA Division II National Champions
NAIA
NAIA National Champions
Commissioners
The NSIC has had five full-time commissioners in its history.
Tom Wistrcill (1993–1997)
Kurt Patberg (1997–2000)
Mike Lockrem (2000–2003)
Butch Raymond (2004–2014)
Erin Lind (2014–present)
Conference championships
Last updated November 25, 2023
Includes Regular Season and Tournament Championships
Football
NSIC Championships Won or Shared Per School
NSIC Champions
*Minnesota State finished 2012 with an 11-0 overall conference record and 7-0 division record, however the conference and division titles were stripped after Mankato was found to have played with two ineligible players. Minnesota–Duluth (overall) and Winona State (South Division) were granted the 2012 titles retroactively. Mankato's win–loss record, however, remains the same.
**Following the 2022 season Upper Iowa left the conference. This led to a removal of the North and South divisions during the 2023 and 2024 seasons.
Volleyball
NSIC Regular Season Champions
NSIC Tournament Champions
Men's Basketball
NSIC championships won per school
NSIC All-Time Standings (1932–33 to 2025-26)
NSIC Regular Season Champions
(*)-Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, no regular season conference champion was awarded during the 2020-21 season, only the winner of the North and South division were awarded.
(**)-Following the departure of Upper Iowa, the North and South division were removed for the 2023–24 and the 2024–25 seasons.
NSIC Tournament Champions
Women's Basketball
NSIC Championships Per School
NSIC All-Time Standings (1979-80 to 2025-26)
NSIC Regular Season Champions
(*)-Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, no regular season conference championship was awarded during the 2020-21 season, on the North and South division champions were awarded.
(**)-Following the departure of Upper Iowa, the North and South division were removed for the 2023–24 and the 2024–25 seasons.
NSIC Tournament Champions
Baseball
NSIC Championships Per School
NSIC Regular Season Champions
The NSIC Tournament was used to determine the overall NSIC Champion from 2002 to 2006.
NSIC Tournament Champions
Softball
NSIC Regular Season Champions
NSIC Tournament Champions
Women's Tennis
NSIC Championships Per School
Before 2007, Tournament Champion determined Team Titles
NSIC Champions By Year
The NSIC Tournament was used to determine the NSIC Champion from 1997 to 2001.
Men's Cross Country
NSIC Championships Per School
Women's Cross Country
NSIC Championships Per School
Wrestling
NSIC Championships Per School
*=No Longer Sponsors Wrestling
Men's Golf
NSIC Championships Per School
*=No Longer Sponsors Men's Golf
Women's Golf
NSIC Championships Per School
Men's Indoor Track and Field
NSIC Championships Per School
Women's Indoor Track and Field
NSIC Championships Per School
Men's Outdoor Track and Field
NSIC Championships Per School
Women's Outdoor Track and Field
NSIC Championships Per School
Swimming and Diving
NSIC Championships Per School