Lake Erie Officially Begins Membership in GLIAC

BAY CITY, Mich. — Lake Erie College, along with Ohio Dominican University, became the newest members of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) when they officially began membership in the conference on July 1, 2010.  

 The GLIAC Presidents Council, made up of the presidents of the league’s then 12 member institutions, voted to officially accept  Lake Erie and Ohio Dominican as provisional members in a meeting on June 17, 2009 held at the University of Findlay.  The vote came two weeks after the GLIAC Executive Council voted to recommend to the Presidents Council that both institutions be granted membership at its annual spring meeting, after Lake Erie and Ohio Dominican made formal presentations to the league in Gaylord, Michigan on June 1, 2009.

 Lake Erie was granted full membership into the conference after earning active NCAA Division II member status on Sept. 1, 2009. The Storm will be eligible for all GLIAC championship events.  Ohio Dominican was granted provisional status as it is still in the process of gaining full NCAA Division II membership.  Full member status within the GLIAC will be granted to ODU when it achieves full Division II membership.

”This marks a very important day regarding the growth of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference,” stated GLIAC Commissioner Dell Robinson. “The addition of these two institutions continues to align us with our strategic planning goals.”

Twenty of the 23 varsity sports at Lake Erie will compete in the GLIAC beginning in 2010-11.  Men’s and women’s lacrosse are members of the East Coast Conference while the new wrestling program will compete as an independent.

“The process of transitioning to Division II and then acquiring league affiliation was a long one, but it is well worth the effort,” said Lake Erie Director of Athletics Griz Zimmermann.  “The GLIAC has a reputation for outstanding competitive athletics and I believe we are now in the perfect setting for our teams to thrive.”

Founded in 1972, the GLIAC has been a leader in the advancement and promotion of intercollegiate athletics for men and women for 38 years. The league boasts 14 full members, nine of which are located in Michigan, and five in Ohio.  The league’s Ohio institutions include Ashland University, the University of Findlay, Lake Erie College, Ohio Dominican University and Tiffin University. The GLIAC’s members in Michigan include:  Ferris State University, Grand Valley State University, Hillsdale College, Lake Superior State University, Michigan Technological University, Northern Michigan University, Northwood University, Saginaw Valley State University, and Wayne State University.

The GLIAC conducts championships in 20 sports, 10  for men and 10 for women.  The GLIAC Executive Council is comprised of three representatives from each institution - its director of athletics, senior woman administrator, and faculty athletics representative.

-LEC-