The University of Indianapolis will join the Great Midwest Athletic Conference next year. 

“We’ve been working on UIndy for the last 10 years to come join us in the G-MAC,” Hillsdale College Director of Athletics John Tharp said. “We think it will be a great thing for the University of Indianapolis and for the G-MAC.”

UIndy competed in the Great Lakes Valley Conference as one of the founding members in 1978. UIndy will officially become a member of the G-MAC on July 1, 2027. 

In a video interview, UIndy Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Kim Pate, said the opportunity to join the G-MAC arrived in early April, and UIndy had to make a decision by the end of June. The move shifts the Greyhounds from a conference made up of schools in Missouri, Illinois, Iowa, and Indiana, to one that includes schools in Michigan, Ohio, and Kentucky. 

Pate credited the reduction of travel times in the G-MAC as a major influence on the decision. 

“The piece that everybody agreed on was the travel,” Pate said. “Travel has become taxing on our student athletes.” 

Jessica Harbison Weaver, deputy commissioner of the G-MAC, seconded the geographical impact. 

“[UIndy’s] location creates a more geographically connected conference,” she said. “That benefits our student-athletes by reducing travel, enhances regional rivalries, and provides a stronger foundation for the conference’s continued growth and national profile.”

Harbison Weaver said UIndy’s combination of academic and athletic success made the university a natural fit for the conference.

“The University of Indianapolis is one of the most respected institutions in NCAA Division II, both academically and athletically. UIndy’s addition immediately enhances the strength and visibility of the G-MAC,” she said. “We weren’t simply looking to add another institution; rather, we were looking for a partner that strengthens our conference for the long term, and UIndy checked every box.”

Tharp said the support for UIndy’s addition was highly supported among athletic directors. 

“The commissioner of our league, Tom Daeger, did an amazing job, and conversations were had by the athletic directors about, ‘do we think this is a good fit or not?’” Tharp said. “And almost unanimously, we all felt that it was a good thing for the G-MAC now and in the future.”

Following the 2025-26 athletic season, UIndy earned the GLVC All-Sports Trophy, the school’s 14th consecutive honor, which recognizes the conference’s top athletic department. The Greyhounds also won eight GLVC championships with an additional three GLVC regular-season titles. UIndy sent 19 programs to their respective postseasons, including a Division II College World Series appearance for baseball. 

“They’ve been a top 10 program from an athletic perspective at the Division II level, and that is an invaluable type of addition to your league,” Tharp said.

The move is the G-MAC’s first membership addition since Northwood University and Thomas More University joined the conference in 2022. 

For Hillsdale, the addition means a new conference opponent across every varsity sport except men’s tennis. 

“UIndy is talented in different sports, and so like anything else, we talk about ‘strength rejoicing in the challenge.’ It is going to be a challenge for us, and that’s what we’ll rejoice in,” Tharp said. “We’ll strive to be the best version of ourselves, and to compete at the very highest level that we can against UIndy.”