Nebraska Wesleyan to join Iowa Conference
Starting in 2016, Simpson will have a new opponent on the Iowa Conference schedule: the Nebraska Wesleyan Prairie Wolves.
Conference officials announced Monday, July 20 that Nebraska Wesleyan will join the league beginning in the fall of 2016.
The addition of the Lincoln, Neb.-based institution moves the conference's membership to nine schools. The Prairie Wolves are currently affiliated with both NCAA Division III and the NAIA – the only school in the country with dual affiliation. Currently a member of the NAIA's Great Plains Athletic Conference, Nebraska Wesleyan will be an exclusive member of NCAA Division III effective July 1, 2016.
The IIAC's invitation was approved by Nebraska Wesleyan's Board of Governors and accepted by IIAC presidents on July 13, 2015. The announcement was made at a press conference held in Snyder Arena on the NWU campus Monday afternoon.
"The members of the Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference look forward to Nebraska Wesleyan University's participation," said Dr. Jay Simmons, Simpson College President and 2015-16 chair of the Iowa Conference Presidents' Council. "Its mission and purpose perfectly complement those of our current members. Moreover, as the Iowa Conference undertakes a comprehensive strategic planning process, Nebraska Wesleyan's participation will advance our work as we position the IIAC for the future."
The announcement marks the first addition to the Iowa Conference since Coe College and Cornell College joined in 1997 and the first change in the conference's membership since Cornell returned to the Midwest Conference after the 2011-12 academic year. Nebraska Wesleyan will be the 20th institution to compete as a member of the 93-year old IIAC.
"I am honored to welcome Nebraska Wesleyan to our conference family," said Iowa Conference Commissioner Chuck Yrigoyen. "Our institutions are rivals in competition but united in our overall commitment to each other. We constantly strive to instill conference pride and camaraderie in every student-athlete, coach and campus community member. Yes, we eagerly anticipate the all-important conference schedule of games, but we are equally passionate about our collaborative efforts to be a premier academic and athletic experience for the young women and men we serve."
SIMPSON AGAINST NWU
Just a short, three-hour trip from Indianola to Lincoln, Nebraska Wesleyan has become a popular non-conference opponent for the Storm over the years. Here's a look at how some of our sports have fared against the Prairie Wolves.
| Sport | Series Start | Series Record | Last Meeting |
| Football | 1924 | NWU leads 7-4-2 | L, 28-27 (1985) |
| Men's Basketball | 1906-07 | NWU leads 25-21 | L, 110-97 (11/29/14) |
| Women's Basketball | 1983-84 | Simpson leads 10-1 | W, 88-66 (11/27/09) |
| Men's Soccer | 1995 | Simpson leads 9-7-3 | W, 4-0 (9/3/14) |
| Women's Soccer | 2001 | Simpson leads 7-3-3 | L, 2-0 (9/3/14) |
| Baseball | 1987 | Simpson leads 13-7 | W, 12-4 (4/7/09) |
| Softball | 1992 | Simpson leads 7-0 | W, 7-6 (3/25/09) |
| Men's Tennis | 1995 | NWU leads 3-1 | L, 8-1 (1998) |
ABOUT THE IIAC
Founded in 1922, the Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference is among the best NCAA Division III athletic conferences in the country. The IIAC is comprised of eight private, faith-based liberal arts colleges and universities in Iowa: Buena Vista University, Central College, Coe College, University of Dubuque, Loras College, Luther College, Simpson College and Wartburg College. Currently, the IIAC sponsors 21 sports including wrestling, which NWU will add next year. Iowa Conference schools have accounted for 34 NCAA Division III national championships in the history of the league.
ABOUT NWU
Founded in 1887, Nebraska Wesleyan University serves an enrollment of approximately 2,100 students and an athletics department that — with the recent addition of wrestling — will sponsor all 21 of the IIAC's officially recognized sports (11 men's, 10 women's). Currently a member of the NAIA's Great Plains Athletic Conference and a dual member of the NCAA and NAIA, Nebraska Wesleyan will compete in the IIAC and NCAA Division III in football, volleyball, men's and women's soccer, men's and women's tennis, men's and women's golf, men's and women's cross country, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's swimming and diving, baseball, softball, men's and women's indoor track and field, men's and women's outdoor track and field and wrestling.
