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MIAA to GLVC: Truman State switching athletic conferences

Truman State University Press

This year Truman State University will celebrate its 100th year in the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association – which will also be its last. Truman State is leaving the MIAA to join the Great Lakes Valley Conference.

The Truman State University Bulldogs will begin to compete in the Great Lakes Valley Conference in the 2013 school year. Athletic Director Jerry Wollmering says geography played a large role in its decision. He says Truman will soon play against six other Missouri schools in the conference located throughout the state –

 “As well as Quincy, which is in Illinois, but yet closer to us than any school in the state of Missouri,” Wollmering said.

Truman supports all seven of the GLVC’s core sports. Both men’s and women’s Swimming teams weren’t able to compete for a conference championship in the MIAA. But Jim Naumovich, commissioner of the GLVC says the league will add swimming as a new championship sport beginning in the 2013 academic year.

“So it will be 2014, probably sometime in February when we will host the first GLVC swim championship,” Naumovich said.

Even with the addition of Truman, there will not be enough schools to hold a wrestling championship. Including Truman, only four schools sponsor wrestling. Naumovich says at least six are necessary for championship competition.

Truman State will pay an $80,000 exit fee to the MIAA, as well as a $50,000 initiation fee to the GLVC.