Location of NSIC members: full and future. Not shown: men's wrestling associate Parkside.
The Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference was founded in 1932 as the Northern Teachers Athletic Conference. Charter members included Bemidji State Teachers College (Bemidji State University), Duluth State Teachers College (University of Minnesota Duluth), Mankato State Teachers College (Minnesota State University, Mankato), Moorhead State Teachers College (Minnesota State University Moorhead), St. Cloud State Teachers College (St. Cloud State University), and Winona State Teachers College (Winona State University). In 1942 the conference name was changed to the State Teacher's College Conference of Minnesota. The conference switched its name to the Northern Intercollegiate Conference (NIC) in 1962. In the spring of 1992 the NSIC was formed out of the merger of the NIC, the men's conference, and the women's Northern Sun Conference (NSC).
In 2007 the NSIC Board of Directors voted to expand the conference to 14 schools. League presidents voted to accept into membership Augustana College (now Augustana University), St. Cloud State, Minnesota–Duluth, and Minnesota State. These four schools were members of the North Central Conference which disbanded after the 2007–2008 academic year. They became official members of the NSIC on July 1, 2008.
The NSIC and its member institutions have been members of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). Mankato State won the NAIA wrestling national titles in 1958 and 1959, while Moorhead State won a wrestling national title in 1964.[6] Forty-one wrestlers have claimed individual national titles in wrestling. Nine individuals have won national titles in Men's Swimming and Diving.[7] Northern State claimed national titles in women's basketball in 1992 and 1994.[8] Seven individuals have won individual titles in men's indoor track and field.[9] Four individuals have won national titles in women's indoor track and field. Eleven athletes have won national titles in men's outdoor track and field.[10] Six female athletes have won individual titles in outdoor track and field.[11] Winona State won two team titles in women's gymnastics. In 1992, the NSIC entered the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). In the Fall of 1995, the NSIC and its member institutions became eligible for championship competition in the NCAA Division II ranks. The Northern Sun earned its first Division II national championship in a team sport sponsored by the conference when Winona State won the men's basketball championship in 2005–06.[12]
Since becoming affiliated with NCAA Division II, NSIC members have won 23 team national championships and has also crowned 77 individual national champions.
Since 1932, 18 institutions have competed in the NSIC. Although all six charter members are in the conference today, only three of them have remained in the conference for the 80 years of its existence: Bemidji State, Minnesota State–Moorhead, and Winona State.
1957: The Michigan College of Mining and Technology (now Michigan Technological University) joined the STCCM to give the league six members. Bemidji State Teachers College was renamed Bemidji State College. Mankato State Teachers College was renamed Mankato State College. Moorhead State Teachers College becomes known as Moorhead State College. St. Cloud State Teachers College becomes St. Cloud State College and Winona State Teachers College becomes Winona State College.
1962: The conference changed its name to the Northern Intercollegiate Conference (NIC).
1964: The Michigan College of Mining and Technology renamed itself to Michigan Technological University.
1975: Minnesota–Duluth re-joined the NIC, giving the NIC eight teams. Bemidji State College was renamed Bemidji State University. Mankato State College was renamed Mankato State University and Moorhead State College was renamed Moorhead State University. Also, St. Cloud State College was renamed to St. Cloud State University and Winona State College was renamed to Winona State University. Southwest Minnesota State College also underwent a name change, becoming Southwest State University.
1978: Mankato State re-joined the NIC and Northern State College (now Northern State University) joined the league as the ninth and tenth teams, respectively.
1979: The Northern Sun Conference (NSC) was created for women's athletics.
1981: St. Cloud State and Mankato State left for the NCC. The NIC was left with seven members.
1989: Northern State College was renamed to Northern State University.
1992: The Northern Intercollegiate Conference (men's conference) and the Northern Sun Conference (women's conference) merged to form the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC). The NSIC joins NCAA Division II.
2000: Moorhead State University was renamed Minnesota State University Moorhead.
2003: Minnesota–Morris left the NSIC and drops down to the NCAA Division III level and the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC), dropping NSIC membership to nine teams. Also, Southwest State University changed its name to Southwest Minnesota State University.[14]
2004: Minnesota–Duluth left the NSIC to join the NCC, leaving the NSIC with eight schools.
2008: The North Central Conference disbanded as various members in that league make a move to NCAA Division I. Former NSIC members Minnesota–Duluth, Minnesota State, and St. Cloud State re-joined the Northern Sun. Another NCC refugee, Augustana College (now Augustana University) joined the NSIC for the first time, increasing membership to 14 schools.
2012: Minot State University and the University of Sioux Falls begin full membership after joining NCAA Division II from the NAIA. This gave the league its largest membership at 16 schools.
2012: Lindenwood University and the University of Nebraska at Kearney, both members of the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association became associate members of the NSIC in the sport of women's swimming & diving. Following the end of the 2013–14 season, both schools left the NSIC to join the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) for that sport.
2019: Minnesota–Crookston and St. Cloud State discontinued their football programs at the end of the 2019–20 academic year.
2023: Upper Iowa left for the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) for the 2023–24 athletic season, leaving the NSIC with 15 teams.
2025: The University of Jamestown will join the NSIC pending approval from the NCAA to transition from the NAIA to Division II, bringing the membership total back to 16 schools.
^Minnesota State–Mankato left the NSIC after the 1967–68 school year, then re-joined from 1978–79 to 1980–81 and again effective in the 2008–09 school year.
^Minnesota–Duluth left the NSIC after the 1950–51 school year, then re-joined from 1975–76 to 2003–04 and again effective in the 2008–09 school year.
^St. Cloud State left the NSIC after the 1980–81 school year, before re-joining effective the 2008–09 school year.
A divisional format is used for basketball (M / W) and football (with Concordia–St. Paul in the North as Minnesota–Crookston and St. Cloud State no longer sponsor football after the 2019 fall season).
^ Bowling is sponsored by the NCAA for women only. Men's college competition is sanctioned solely by the sport's US governing body, the American Bowling Congress, which sanctions women's competition alongside the NCAA.
^ abcdeDe facto Division I sport. The NCAA championships in bowling, women's gymnastics and the coeducational sport of skiing are open to members of all three divisions. In men's and women's ice hockey, the NCAA championship tournaments are open to members of Divisions I and II.
^Recognized by the NCAA as part of its Emerging Sports for Women program. The national championship is currently organized by the National Collegiate Acrobatics & Tumbling Association.
^While the NCAA-sponsored sport of skiing has coeducational teams with men's and women's squads, and covers both Alpine and Nordic disciplines, St. Cloud State fields only a women's Nordic team.
In addition to the above teams, at least two conference schools are now sponsoring esports: SMSU and Concordia-St Paul.
NSIC North Division All-Time Standings (2008-2022)
School
W
L
Pct.
Minnesota–Duluth
87
5
.946
Bemidji State
64
28
.696
St. Cloud State
54
26
.675
Northern State
51
41
.554
MSU-Moorhead
41
51
.446
Mary
30
62
.326
Minot State
16
52
.235
Concordia–St. Paul
1
11
.083
Minnesota–Crookston
6
74
.075
NSIC South Division All-Time Standings (2008-2022)
School
W
L
Pct.
Minnesota State
80
12
.870
Sioux Falls
49
19
.721
Winona State
59
33
.641
Augustana
56
36
.609
Wayne State
39
53
.424
Concordia–St. Paul
25
55
.313
Southwest Minnesota State
26
66
.283
Upper Iowa
16
76
.174
NSIC Champions
Year
School
Record
1932
Duluth State Mankato State MSU-Moorhead St. Cloud State
2-1-0
1933
St. Cloud State
4-0-0
1934
MSU-Moorhead
4-0-0
1935
MSU-Moorhead
4-0-0
1936
St. Cloud State
4-0-0
1937
Duluth State
3-0-0
1938
Duluth State Mankato State
3-0-0
1939
Winona State
4-0-0
1940
St. Cloud State
4-0-0
1941
St. Cloud State
4-0-0
1942
Mankato State St. Cloud State
4-0-0
1943
World War II (no champion)
1944
World War II (no champion)
1945
World War II (no champion)
1946
Duluth State Mankato State
2-0-2 3-0-1
1947
Bemidji State MSU-Moorhead Winona State
3-1-0
Year
School
Record
1948
Mankato State Minnesota–Duluth St. Cloud State
4-1-0
1949
Mankato State
3-1-0
1950
Bemidji State Mankato State
3-0-1
1951
St. Cloud State
4-0-0
1952
Mankato State MSU-Moorhead St. Cloud State
3-1-0
1953
St. Cloud State
4-0-0
1954
St. Cloud State
4-0-0
1955
St. Cloud State
4-0-0
1956
St. Cloud State
3-0-1
1957
Bemidji State Winona State
3-1-0
1958
Mankato State
5-0-0
1959
Bemidji State Mankato State Michigan Tech
4-1-0
1960
Mankato State
4-0-1
1961
Mankato State
5-0-0
1962
Winona State
5-0-0
1963
Michigan Tech
4-1-0
1964
Winona State
5-0-0
1965
Michigan Tech
4-1-0
Year
School
Record
1966
MSU-Moorhead
4-1-0
1967
St. Cloud State
5-0-0
1968
Mankato State Winona State
4-1-0
1969
Michigan Tech
4-1-0
1970
Michigan Tech Minnesota–Morris St. Cloud State
5-1-0
1971
MSU-Moorhead
6-0-0
1972
Michigan Tech
6-0-0
1973
MSU-Moorhead
5-1-0
1974
Michigan Tech
6-0-0
1975
Minnesota–Morris
6-0-0
1976
Minnesota–Morris
7-0-0
1977
Minnesota–Morris
7-0-0
1978
Minnesota–Morris
8-0-0
1979
Minnesota–Duluth MSU-Moorhead
7-1-0
1980
Minnesota–Duluth
8-0-0
1981
MSU-Moorhead
6-0-0
1982
MSU-Moorhead
5-0-1
1983
Winona State
5-1-0
1984
Minnesota–Morris MSU-Moorhead
5-1-0
1985
Minnesota–Duluth
6-0-0
1986
Minnesota–Morris
4-0-2
Year
School
Record
1987
Minnesota–Duluth
5-1-0
1988
MSU-Moorhead
6-0-0
1989
MSU-Moorhead
5-1-0
1990
Minnesota–Duluth Northern State Southwest State
5-1-0
1991
MSU-Moorhead
5-0-0
1992
Northern State
5-1-0
1993
Winona State
5-1-0
1994
Winona State
5-0-1
1995
Minnesota–Duluth MSU-Moorhead
5-0-1
1996
Minnesota–Duluth
6-0-0
1997
Winona State
6-0-0
1998
Winona State
6-0-0
1999
Northern State
8-0-0
2000
Winona State
7-1-0
2001
Winona State
9-0-0
2002
Minnesota–Duluth
9-0-0
2003
Concordia–St. Paul Winona State
7-1-0
2004
Winona State
7-0-0
2005
Concordia–St. Paul Winona State
6-1-0
2006
Bemidji State
8-0-0
2007
Winona State
9-0-0
North Division
South Division
NSIC Overall
Year
School
Record
School
Record
School
Record
2008
Minnesota–Duluth
6-0
Minnesota State Wayne State
5-1 5-1
Minnesota–Duluth
10-0
2009
Minnesota–Duluth
6-0
Minnesota State
6-0
Minnesota–Duluth
10-0
2010
Minnesota–Duluth
6-0
Augustana Winona State
5-1 5-1
Minnesota–Duluth
10-0
2011
Minnesota–Duluth St. Cloud State
5-1 5-1
Minnesota State
6-0
Minnesota State Minnesota–Duluth St. Cloud State
8-2 8-2 8-2
2012 *
Bemidji State Minnesota–Duluth
6-1 6-1
Winona State
6-1
Minnesota–Duluth
10-1
2013
Minnesota–Duluth
7-0
Minnesota State
7-0
Minnesota State
11-0
2014
Minnesota–Duluth
7-0
Minnesota State
7-0
Minnesota–Duluth Minnesota State
11-0
2015
Minnesota-Duluth Northern State Bemidji State
6-1
Minnesota State Augustana
6-1
Minnesota State
10-1
2016
Minnesota-Duluth
7-0
Sioux Falls
7-0
Sioux Falls
11-0
2017
Minnesota-Duluth
7-0
Minnesota State
7-0
Minnesota State
11-0
2018
Minnesota-Duluth
7-0
Minnesota State
7-0
Minnesota–Duluth Minnesota State
11-0
2019
Minnesota-Duluth
7-0
Minnesota State
7-0
Minnesota State
11-0
2020
n/a
n/a
n/a
2021
Bemidji State
6-0
Augustana Sioux Falls
5-1
Bemidji State Minnesota Duluth Augustana
9-2
2022
Bemidji State
6-0
Minnesota State Winona State
5-1
Bemidji State Minnesota State Wayne State
9-2
Year
School
Record
2023 **
Augustana
9-1-0
*Minnesota State finished 2012 with an 11-0 overall conference record and 7-0 division record, however the conference and division titles were stripped after Mankato was found to have played with two ineligible players. Minnesota–Duluth (overall) and Winona State (South Division) were granted the 2012 titles retroactively. Mankato's win–loss record, however, remains the same.
**Following the 2022 season Upper Iowa left the conference. This led to a removal of the North and South divisions during the 2023 season.
(*)-Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, no regular season conference champion was awarded during the 2020-21 season, only the winner of the North and South division were awarded.
(*)-Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, no regular season conference championship was awarded during the 2020-21 season, on the North and South division champions were awarded.
^"School Directories"(PDF). Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference. Archived from the original(PDF) on December 3, 2007. Retrieved September 21, 2007.
^"Cover"(PDF). Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference. Archived from the original(PDF) on December 3, 2007. Retrieved September 21, 2007.
^"Women's Basketball"(PDF). Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference. Archived from the original(PDF) on December 3, 2007. Retrieved October 12, 2007.
^"NAIA Wrestling"(PDF). National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics. Archived from the original(PDF) on December 3, 2007. Retrieved October 12, 2007.
^"NAIA Swimming & Diving"(PDF). National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics. Archived from the original(PDF) on December 3, 2007. Retrieved October 12, 2007.
^"NAIA Indoor Track & Field"(PDF). National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics. Archived from the original(PDF) on December 3, 2007. Retrieved October 12, 2007.
^"Taylor Center". Minnesota State Mavericks. Minnesota State University, Mankato. Archived from the original on 29 December 2017. Retrieved 12 January 2018.
^"Taylor Center". Minnesota State Mavericks. Minnesota State University, Mankato. Archived from the original on 29 December 2017. Retrieved 12 January 2018.