The Heartland Conference was a collegiate athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)'s Division II level, which was founded in 1999. The majority of members were in Texas , with additional members in Arkansas , Kansas , and Oklahoma . The conference office was located in Waco, Texas .
17-536: The conference was formed in 1999 by founding members Drury University , University of the Incarnate Word , Lincoln University , Rockhurst University , St. Edward's University , St. Mary's University and Texas Wesleyan University . Oklahoma Panhandle State University and Dallas Baptist University joined in 2002. Founding members Drury and Rockhurst left the Heartland Conference to join
34-976: A Christian perspective". The national headquarters is located in Greenville, South Carolina . The NCCAA was formed in 1968. For the 2023–24 season, the NCCAA listed 92 members , 53 of which participate in Division I and 39 in Division II. Many teams in the NCCAA are also in other athletic associations, including the NCAA , NAIA , or ACCA . The association's sports for men are baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, soccer, tennis, and track and field (indoor/outdoor). Women's sports are basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, softball, tennis, track and field (indoor/outdoor), and volleyball. The NCCAA discontinued men's volleyball and wrestling. The Victory Bowl
51-617: A satellite campus in Aegina , Greece. The center closed in May 2021. Drury's NCAA Division II intercollegiate athletic teams compete in men's and women's basketball, men's and women's cross country, men's and women's Track and Field, men's and women's golf, men's and women's soccer, men's and women's swimming, men's and women's tennis, men's baseball, men's wrestling, women's softball, women's volleyball, men's bowling, and women's bowling, women's triathlon and soon to be men's triathlon. The school
68-787: Is a private university in Springfield, Missouri . The university's mission statement describes itself as "church-related". It enrolls about 1,590 undergraduate and graduate students in six master's programs and 716 students in the College of Continuing Professional Studies. In 2013, the Drury Panthers men's basketball team won the NCAA Men's Division II Basketball Championship . The Drury men's and women's Panthers have accumulated 22 NCAA Division II National Championships between them, in addition to numerous NAIA titles before moving to
85-409: Is a residential university. Full-time students live on campus until they reach the age of 21, unless they meet specific criteria to be exempt from the housing policy. Almost half of the student body studies overseas at some point in short-term, semester, or year-long programs. Foreign learning is a requirement for most students with majors in the schools of Business and Architecture. Drury maintained
102-786: The Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) in 2005. Western New Mexico University and Montana State University - Billings joined in 2005. However, WNMU re-joined the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference in 2006 and MSUB joined the Great Northwest Athletic Conference in 2007. Newman University , Texas A&M International University and the University of Texas of the Permian Basin joined
119-607: The Lone Star Conference announced that eight of the nine members of the Heartland Conference would join in fall 2019; the remaining member, Newman, announced it would seek other affiliation at that time. On February 8, 2018, Newman announced that it would become an associate member of the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association beginning in the 2019–20 season. On October 18, 2018 Rogers State decided to join
136-781: The Heartland Conference in the fall of 2012. In February 2012, Oklahoma Christian University announced its intention to seek membership in NCAA Division II. In Spring 2012, Rogers State University , a member of the NAIA Sooner Athletic Conference , applied for membership. The conference confirmed in July 2012 that Oklahoma Christian's teams would play full conference schedules starting in Fall 2012 and that Rogers State and Lubbock Christian University would begin conference play in 2013-14. On August 30, 2017,
153-753: The MIAA instead of the Lone Star. The Heartland had nine final full members, all but three were private schools: The Heartland had four final affiliate members, all were public schools: The Heartland had ten former full members, half were public schools and another half were private schools: Full member (all sports) Full member (non-football) Associate member (football-only) Associate member (sport) Dallas Baptist's baseball team competed in NCAA Division I for much of its Heartland Conference tenure. At
170-637: The NCAA. Drury was founded as Springfield College in 1873 by Congregationalist church missionaries in the mold of other Congregationalist universities such as Dartmouth College and Yale University . Nathan Morrison, Samuel Drury, and James and Charles Harwood provided the school's initial endowment and organization; Samuel Drury's gift was the largest of the group and the school was soon renamed as Drury College in honor of Drury's recently deceased son on December 10, 1874. The early curriculum emphasized educational, religious, and musical strengths. Students came to
187-526: The conference in 2006, making the transition from NAIA to NCAA Division II . The University of Arkansas – Fort Smith joined the conference in the Fall of 2009 after transitioning from the NJCAA . In the fall of 2010, Lincoln left for the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association and Incarnate Word left for the Lone Star Conference . In July 2011, McMurry University announced that it had been accepted as candidate for D-II membership and would join
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#1732781152932204-534: The new college from a wide area including the Indian Territories of Oklahoma . The first graduating class included four women. When classes began in 1873, they were held in a single building on a campus occupying less than 1 + 1 ⁄ 2 acres (0.61 ha). Twenty-five years later the 40-acre (16.2 ha) campus included Stone Chapel, the President's House and three academic buildings. Today,
221-660: The time the league disbanded, the Patriots were single-sport members of the Missouri Valley Conference . The Heartland Conference sponsored 13 sports, seven for women and six for men. Arkansas-Fort Smith (as Westark Junior College) won the 1981 National Junior College Athletic Association (NJACC) men's basketball national championship. St. Mary's won NAIA national championships in Softball (1986) and Men's Basketball (1989). St. Mary's Men's Golf team
238-400: The university occupies a 115-acre (46.5 ha) campus, including the original historic buildings. On April 28, 1960, Drury College was the setting for an episode of NBC 's The Ford Show, Starring Tennessee Ernie Ford . Tennessee Ernie Ford sang his trademark " Sixteen Tons " and the hymn " Take My Hand, Precious Lord ". Drury College became Drury University on January 1, 2000. Drury
255-609: Was a founding member of the Heartland Conference . In the fall of 2005, the Drury Panthers joined the Great Lakes Valley Conference . National Christian College Athletic Association The National Christian College Athletic Association ( NCCAA ) is an association of Christian universities , colleges , and Bible colleges in the United States and Canada whose mission is "the promotion and enhancement of intercollegiate athletic competition with
272-859: Was founded by Congregationalist missionaries and remains affiliated with the United Church of Christ . It has also been affiliated with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) since the founding of the Drury School of Religion in 1909. Drury is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission . The university offers 54 undergraduate majors and several professional degrees through the Hammons School of Architecture, Breech School of Business Administration, and School of Education & Child Development. Drury
289-598: Was named the Golf Coaches Association of America 2008-2009 Academic National Champions, which St. Mary's treats as a fifth team national. Dallas Baptist won the 2003 National Christian College Athletic Association Baseball national championship. Lubbock Christian won NAIA national championships in Baseball (1983 & 2009) and Softball (2008). Drury University Drury University , formerly Drury College and originally Springfield College ,
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