 | |
| Formerly | Midwestern City Conference (1979–1985) Midwestern Collegiate Conference (1985–2001) |
|---|---|
| Association | NCAA |
| Founded | 1979; 46 years ago (1979) |
| Commissioner | Julie Roe Lach (since 2021) |
| Sports fielded |
|
| Division | Division I |
| Subdivision | non-football |
| No. of teams | 11 (12 in 2026) + 6 affiliate members |
| Headquarters | Indianapolis, Indiana |
| Region | |
| Broadcaster | ESPN |
| Official website | horizonleague |
| Locations | |
 | |
TheHorizon League is a collegiateathletic conference in theNational Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)Division I. Headquartered inIndianapolis, the league's eleven member schools are located in and near theGreat Lakes region and in part of theSouthern United States.
The Horizon League founded in 1979 as theMidwestern City Conference. The conference changed its name toMidwestern Collegiate Conference in 1985 and then the Horizon League in 2001. The conference started with a membership of six teams and has fluctuated in size with 24 different schools as members at different times. The league currently has 11 members.
The Horizon League currently sponsors 19 sports and is a non-football conference.
In May 1978,DePaul University hosted a meeting with representatives fromBradley,Dayton,Detroit,Illinois State,Loyola–Chicago,Air Force, andXavier who all agreed in principle that a new athletic conference was needed. Further progress was made through a series of early 1979 meetings inSan Francisco,Chicago, andSt. Louis that included participation byButler,Creighton,Marquette, andOral Roberts. On June 16, 1979, theMidwestern City Conference (nicknamed the MCC or Midwestern City 6) was formed by charter members Butler,Evansville, Loyola,Oklahoma City, Oral Roberts, and Xavier, with Detroit joining the following year.[1] As of the 2023-24 academic year[update], Detroit, now known as Detroit Mercy, is the only remaining member from the league's original members.
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In 1980, the league established its headquarters inChampaign, Illinois. The MCC gained an automatic bid to theNCAA Division I men's basketball tournament in 1981, followed by the announcement thatSaint Louis University would be joining the following season. TheUniversity of Notre Dame joined the conference for all sports except basketball and football in 1982. The conference attained automatic qualification for theNCAA Division I Baseball Championship in 1984 and the conference moved its headquarters toIndianapolis. Three changes occurred in the summer of 1985: Oklahoma City dropped out of the NCAA altogether; the conference name was altered slightly toMidwestern Collegiate Conference; and the conference began sponsoring women's athletics. The latter triggered Notre Dame's temporary withdrawal from the league as its women's teams were contracted to theNorth Star Conference.ESPN began televising the MCC Championship game[clarification needed] in 1986. In 1987, Oral Roberts left the conference while Dayton joined and Notre Dame rejoined. The conference earned its first at-large bid to the men's basketball tournament and automatic qualification to theNCAA Men's Soccer Championship in 1989. In 1991, the conference received an automatic bid to theNCAA Division I women's basketball tournament and lost members Marquette and Saint Louis.Duquesne andLa Salle joined the MCC in 1992, the same year the conference gained an automatic berth to theNCAA Women's Volleyball Championship. Duquesne and Dayton left the conference in 1993.
The largest non-merger conference expansion in NCAA history up to that time occurred on December 9, 1993, whenCleveland State,UIC,Northern Illinois,Green Bay,Milwaukee, andWright State left theMid-Continent Conference to join the Midwestern Collegiate Conference beginning with the 1994–95 academic year.[1][en 1] With Evansville's departure to theMissouri Valley Conference (MVC), there were 12 league members. Xavier, Notre Dame, and La Salle withdrew the following summer of 1995, followed by Northern Illinois in 1997. The conference changed its name to theHorizon League on June 4, 2001, in part due to the initials causing confusion between the MCC and the Mid-Continent Conference, who also used the initials. That year,Youngstown State University joined from the Mid-Continent Conference, and on May 17, 2006,Valparaiso University announced it would do the same in 2007.[2]In April 2013, thesplit of the original Big East Conference caused a ripple effect that fell to the Horizon League; Loyola announced that it would leave the Horizon League effective July 1 to join the Missouri Valley Conference, which itself lostCreighton to the reconfigured Big East.[3]
Butler also left the Horizon League. It spent a season in the Atlantic 10 before joining the Big East.
The Horizon announced thatOakland University, formerly of the Summit League, would immediately replace Loyola within a month.[4]
The next change in the Horizon League's membership came in 2015 with the arrival ofNorthern Kentucky University from theAtlantic Sun Conference.[5]
Two more membership changes were announced near the end of the 2016–17 school year. First, Valparaiso announced on May 25, 2017, that it would leave for the MVC effective July 1. The Crusaders replacedWichita State, which announced that it would leave the MVC for theAmerican Athletic Conference.[6] Three days before Valparaiso's departure, the Horizon League Board of Directors unanimously approved the membership ofIndiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) to replace Valparaiso, also effective July 1.[7] IUPUI was dissolved in 2024 and replaced by separate institutions affiliated with theIndiana University andPurdue University systems. At that time, the athletic program transferred to the newIndiana University Indianapolis with an athletic brand name of IU Indy, maintaining IUPUI's Division I and Horizon League memberships.
The start of the 2020s set further membership changes into motion, with the arrivals ofPurdue Fort Wayne andRobert Morris from the Summit League and theNortheast Conference (NEC), respectively, announced on August 5, 2019[8] and June 15, 2020.[9] This brought the Horizon League up to 12 full-time members for the first time since the 1994–95 season. It was short-lived, however, as the UIC Flames were reported to be following many of their former conference colleagues to the MVC effective July 1, 2022.[10]
On July 6, 2022, the Horizon League andOhio Valley Conference (OVC) jointly announced that they would merge their men's tennis leagues under the Horizon banner, effective immediately. The five OVC members that sponsored the sport became Horizon associates. At the same time, the Horizon announced thatBelmont, which had just left the OVC for theMissouri Valley Conference (which sponsors tennis only for women), would become a men's tennis associate,[11] andChicago State, which became aD-I independent after leaving theWestern Athletic Conference days earlier, would become an associate in both men's and women's tennis.[12] The Horizon later lost men's associateLindenwood after they dropped nine NCAA sports, including men's tennis, after the 2023–24 season.[13] Men's and women's associate Chicago State also announced it would join theNortheast Conference, which sponsors the sport for both sexes - however, CSU announced that it would keep its tennis programs in the Horizon for one extra year before moving them to the NEC for the 2025–26 season.[14]
On February 24, 2025, multiple media reports indicated that Northern Illinois was set to rejoin the Horizon League in 2026, coinciding withNIU football becoming an affiliate member of theMountain West Conference. The move became official on February 27, after approval by NIU's governing board.[15][16][17] That May, men's tennis affiliate Eastern Illinois announced it was dropping that sport effective immediately, citing issues stemming from the impending settlement of theHouse v. NCAA legal case.[18]
Prior to the 2023–24 academic year, the conference announced a brand refresh with the introduction of a new secondary logo. The logo is a gold stylized H that incorporates the arch of the conference's primary logo and a number one to symbolize unity.[19] The logo was promoted to primary status ahead of the 2024–25 academic year.
As of the 2024-25 academic year[update], eight of the 11 full Horizon League members are former members of the Mid-Con (now known as the Summit League), with the exceptions being Detroit Mercy, Northern Kentucky, and Robert Morris.
| Institution | Location | Founded | Joining | Type | Enrollment | Endowment | Nickname | Colors | Current conference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northern Illinois University | DeKalb, Illinois | 1895 | 2026[a] | Public | 16,769 | $99 | Huskies | Mid-American (MAC) |
| Institution | Location | Founded | Joined | Type | Enrollment | Nickname | Horizon sport(s) | Primary conference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Belmont University | Nashville, Tennessee | 1890 | 2022 | Private (Christian) | 8,700 | Bruins | Men's tennis | MVC |
| University of Southern Indiana | Evansville, Indiana[a] | 1965 | 2022 | Public | 9,758 | Screaming Eagles | Men's tennis | OVC |
| Tennessee State University | Nashville, Tennessee | 1912 | 2022 | Public (HBCU) | 8,775 | Tigers | Men's tennis | OVC |
| Tennessee Tech University[b] | Cookeville, Tennessee | 1915 | 2022 | Public | 10,492 | Golden Eagles | Men's tennis | OVC |
Nicknames and school names reflect those used in the last school year of conference membership.
Full members Affiliate members Other Conference Other Conference
The Horizon League sponsors championship competition in nine men's and ten women's NCAA sanctioned sports:[23]
For 2020–21, Detroit Mercy, Wright State and Green Bay announced eliminating men's and women's tennis, while Youngstown State reinstated men's swimming & diving.
| Sport | Men's | Women's |
|---|---|---|
| Baseball | 6 | – |
| Basketball | 12 | 12 |
| Cross country | 11 | 12 |
| Golf | 10 | 9 |
| Soccer | 11 | 12 |
| Softball | – | 10 |
| Swimming anddiving | 7 | 7 |
| Tennis | 11 | 7 |
| Track and field (indoor) | 8 | 11 |
| Track and field (outdoor) | 8 | 11 |
| Volleyball | – | 11 |
Departing members in pink.
| School | Baseball | Basketball | Cross Country | Golf | Soccer | Swimming & Diving | Tennis | Track & Field (Indoor) | Track & Field (Outdoor) | Total Horizon Sports |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cleveland State | No | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | 5 |
| Detroit Mercy | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | 6 |
| Green Bay | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | 5 |
| IU Indy | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 8 |
| Milwaukee | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | 7 |
| Northern Kentucky | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 9 |
| Oakland | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 9 |
| Purdue Fort Wayne | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | 6 |
| Robert Morris | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | 4 |
| Wright State | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | 7 |
| Youngstown State | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 8 |
| Associate members | ||||||||||
| Belmont | Yes | 1 | ||||||||
| Southern Indiana | Yes | 1 | ||||||||
| Tennessee State | Yes | 1 | ||||||||
| Tennessee Tech | Yes | 1 | ||||||||
| Totals | 5 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 77 |
| Future Members | ||||||||||
| Northern Illinois | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | 5 |
Men's varsity sports not sponsored by the Horizon League which are played by Horizon schools:
Future members listed in gray.
| School | Fencing | Football | Ice hockey | Lacrosse | Skiing[a] | Volleyball | Wrestling |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cleveland State | Independent | No | No | NEC | No | No | No |
| Detroit Mercy | Independent | No | No | NEC | No | No | No |
| Green Bay | No | No | No | No | CCSA[b] | No | No |
| Northern Illinois | No | Mountain West | No | No | No | No | Pac-12 |
| Northern Kentucky | No | No | No | No | No | MIVA | No |
| Purdue Fort Wayne | No | No | No | No | No | MIVA | No |
| Robert Morris | No | NEC | AHA | NEC | No | No | No |
| Youngstown State | No | MVFC | No | No | No | No | No |
In addition to the above sports, Northern Kentucky also sponsors men's triathlon, which has no NCAA recognition of any kind.[24]
Departing member in pink.
| School | Basketball | Cross Country | Golf | Soccer | Softball | Swimming & Diving | Tennis | Track & Field (Indoor) | Track & Field (Outdoor) | Volleyball | Total Horizon Sports |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cleveland State | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 8 |
| Detroit Mercy | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | 7 |
| Green Bay | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | 7 |
| IU Indy | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 10 |
| Milwaukee | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 8 |
| Northern Kentucky | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 10 |
| Oakland | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 10 |
| Purdue Fort Wayne | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | 8 |
| Robert Morris | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | 7 |
| Wright State | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | 6 |
| Youngstown State | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 10 |
| Totals | 11 | 11 | 7 | 11 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 80 |
| Future Members | |||||||||||
| Northern Illinois | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 9 |
Women's varsity sports not sponsored by the Horizon League which are played by Horizon schools:
Future members listed in gray.
| School | Bowling | Fencing | Gymnastics | Ice hockey | Lacrosse | Rowing | Skiing[a] | Stunt[b] | Triathlon[c] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cleveland State | No | CCFC | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Detroit Mercy | No | CCFC | No | No | MAC | No | No | No | No |
| Green Bay | No | No | No | No | No | No | CCSA[d] | No | No |
| Northern Illinois | No | No | Mountain West | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Northern Kentucky | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | Independent | Independent |
| Robert Morris | No | No | No | AHA | MAC | MAAC | No | No | No |
| Wright State | CUSA | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Youngstown State | CUSA | No | No | No | MAC | No | No | No | No |
In 2006, the conference launched theHorizon League Network (HLN) as the centerpiece of a revamped web portal.[25] The digital network aired over 200 live events free on the league's official website at the time.
The Horizon League and WebStream Productions launched a completely redesigned HLN website in September 2009. The site serves as a portal to hundreds of live and on-demand videos while giving its users the ability to interact on an array of social media platforms.
The Horizon League Network migrated toESPN3 in 2014, and over 700 events streamed live in 2015–16. Horizon League coverage was absorbed intoESPN+, along with other mid-major conferences, in 2018.[26] The conference extended its deal with ESPN in 2021. Over 500 events are aired on ESPN+ annually, along with select men's basketball games airing onESPN2 andESPNU and the men's and women's basketball championships airing onESPN and ESPNU.[27]
Basketball games not selected for broadcast on national linear television are often televised byregional sports networks andover-the-air channels within the teams’ home markets. In recent years,WMYD Detroit,Marquee Sports Network,Bally Sports Ohio,Bally Sports Great Lakes,Bally Sports Wisconsin, andSportsNet Pittsburgh have broadcast multiple men's and women's basketball contests.
From 1995 to 2011, the Horizon League sent an impressive 24 qualifiers (7 At-Large berths) to the Men's NCAA basketball tournament, making the Horizon League one of the most prolific mid-major (non-power 6) conferences in all of college basketball. Even more impressively, those 24 clubs produced 22 wins in that span, including five "Sweet 16" appearances, making the Horizon League the onlynon-BCS conference to have Sweet 16 participants in five NCAA tournaments during that span (2003, 2005, 2007, 2010 and 2011). Four schools from the conference have produced "modern-day" Sweet 16 appearances – Loyola (1985), Xavier (1990), Butler (2003,2007,2010 and2011), and Milwaukee (2005). The Horizon League also compiled a 19–12 record in the NCAA tournament from 2003 to 2011, ranking tops among all 32 NCAA Division I conferences for winning percentage (.613) in March Madness during that span. This historic stretch of conference dominance was thanks to NCAA Tournament wins from Butler (15), Milwaukee (3), and Cleveland State (1) . Butler appeared in the men's national championship game in both2010 and2011. Since the NCAA began seeding teams in 1979, Loyola's 4 seed in the 1985 tournament is the best for a Horizon League team. The Horizon League currently holds the best winning percentage among non-BCS conferences in the men's NCAA basketball Tournament (.488, 7th overall amongst the 32 Division I conferences).[28]
One former Horizon League member claims a national championship from the era before the league's creation. In the1963 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament,Loyola defeated two-time defending champCincinnati. Before post-season tournaments determined champions, former Horizon member Butler claimed national titles in 1924 and 1929.[29]
The League hosted the men'sFinal Four in 1991, 1997, 2000, 2006, 2009 and 2010. It also hosted the women's Final Four in 2005 and 2007. Horizon League commissioner Jonathan B. LeCrone, who is in his 17th year as league commissioner, just finished a five-year term on the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Committee.[30]
As stated on their official website, the recent success of Horizon League athletic teams on the national stage heightened the visibility of the league and its member schools and quickly moved it closer toward its stated goal of becoming one of the nation's top 10 Division I NCAA athletic conferences.
In the2003 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, the Horizon League entered two teams for the first time since 1998.Milwaukee, who earned a 12 seed in its first bid to the tournament since joining the conference, lost by one point toNotre Dame in the first round.Butler, who earned both an at-large bid and a 12 seed, made its fifth tournament appearance in seven years. The Bulldogs made it to the Sweet 16 with victories over No. 20 (5 seed)Mississippi State and No. 14 (4 seed)Louisville before falling to No. 3 (1 seed)Oklahoma in the East Regional. The Bulldogs finished the year ranked No. 21 in the final ESPN/USA Today Top 25 Poll.
In the men's2005 NCAA basketball tournament, the Horizon League enjoyed one of its best showings ever as 12 seed Milwaukee marched to the Sweet 16 with victories over No. 19 (5 seed)Alabama and No. 14 (4 seed)Boston College before they fell to then-No. 1 and eventual tournament runner-upIllinois. Milwaukee ranked as high as No. 23 in the March 7 ESPN/USA Today Top 25 Poll.[31]
In the2006 NCAA basketball tournament, 11 seed Milwaukee once again advanced in the Tournament by upsetting the No. 20 (6 seed) Oklahoma 82–74. The Panthers, led by first year head coachRob Jeter, fell to eventual national champion No. 11 (AP)/No. 10 (ESPN) (3 seed)Florida in the second round of the tournament. The league had a team advance past the first round for the second straight year and third time in the last four years.
In the 2006–07 basketball season, Butler won thePreseason NIT tournament inMadison Square Garden with wins over in-state rivals Notre Dame andIndiana in the NIT's Midwest regional bracket, followed by wins over No. 21Tennessee and No. 23Gonzaga in the NIT Final Four in Madison Square Garden. Later, the Bulldogs claimed victory overPurdue in the Wooden Tradition. On February 5, 2007, Butler became the first school in Horizon League history to rank in the Top 10 of the national college basketball polls, as the Bulldogs reached No. 9 and No. 10 in the ESPN/USA Today and AP polls, respectively.[32] The Bulldogs ended their season with a No. 21 ranking in the final AP poll, a 5 seed in the NCAA tournament and a Sweet 16 berth by beatingOld Dominion andMaryland before losing to eventual national championFlorida.Wright State also qualified for the NCAA tournament as the winner of theHorizon League tournament championship and tying Butler for the regular season championship. As a 14 seed, the Raiders fell to No. 13 (AP)/No. 11 (ESPN) (3 seed)Pittsburgh in the first round.
During the 2007–08 basketball season, Butler won the Great Alaska Shootout with wins overMichigan,Virginia Tech andTexas Tech, and also claimed wins overOhio State andFlorida State, extending their record against BCS schools to 10–1 since the start of the 2006–07 season. As a 7 seed in the2008 NCAA basketball tournament, the Bulldogs beat 10 seedSouth Alabama before falling in overtime to No. 5 (AP)/No. 4 (ESPN) (2 seed)Tennessee. Butler finished the season ranked No. 11 in the AP poll and No. 14 in the ESPN/USA Today poll. Cleveland State also earned a 6 seed in the NIT, losing in the first round toDayton.
Starting in 2009, regional convenience store and gas station chainSpeedway served as the title sponsor of the conference tournament that Cleveland State won and earned the Horizon League's automatic bid to the NCAA Tourney while Butler earned an at-large bid. Butler, a 9 seed, lost in the first round toLSU while 13 seed Cleveland State upset No. 8 (AP)/No. 9 (ESPN) (4 seed) Wake Forest 84–69 (and achieved the third biggest upset in NCAA history winning by 15 points) and shocked the nation in the first round of play before falling to 12 seedArizona in the second round of tournament play. Butler finished the season ranked No. 22 in the final AP poll and No. 25 in the final ESPN/USA Today poll.
After defeating No. 25 (12 seed)UTEP, (13 seed)Murray State and No. 4 (1 seed)Syracuse, the No. 8 (ESPN)/No. 11 (AP) (5 seed) Butler men's team defeated No. 7Kansas State, the 2 seed in the West, by a score of 63–56 to advance to their first Final Four. After beating the No. 12 (ESPN)/No. 13 (AP) (5 seed)Michigan State Spartans 52–50 in the national semifinals, Butler played in Indianapolis against the South Regional Champions, No. 3 (1 seed)Duke for the NCAA Division I National Championship. Butler lost what many call the most thrilling college basketball game in a generation, losing 61–59 in a game that came down to the final play. This is the farthest any team has reached in the tournament while a member of the Horizon League. Butler was the first Division I men's team to play in the Final Four in its hometown sinceUCLA in 1972, and the first of either sex sinceTexas played in the1987 Women's Final Four onits home court.
Also of note, former Milwaukee head coachBruce Pearl coached theTennessee Volunteers to the Elite Eight and narrowly lost the opportunity to play Butler by losing to Michigan State, who Butler beat in the Final Four.
Butler once again represented the Horizon League in the tournament with another very strong showing. As an 8 seed, Butler defeated (9 seed)Old Dominion, narrowly upsetPittsburgh (who was No. 1 ranked and seeded),Wisconsin (4 seed) andFlorida (2 seed) to return to the Final Four. Butler facedVCU, an 11 seed Cinderella team who unexpectedly reached the Final Four as the first team to play five tournament games to reach the Final Four, due to VCU's participation in the inaugural First Four Round. After Butler defeated VCU 70–62, the Bulldogs were in the national championship game for the second consecutive season. This time they facedConnecticut at Reliant Stadium in Houston. The Huskies were too much for the Butler Bulldogs to handle, as Butler lost the game 53–41 in an unusually low-scoring national championship game. This made Butler national runner-up for the second straight season.
In the 2012 postseason, the Detroit Titans won their first Horizon League Championship since 1999 under head coachRay McCallum. They defeated top seeded Valparaiso 70–50. The tournament MVP was sonRay McCallum, Jr.
Valparaiso was the regular season champion of the Horizon for the second straight year. It defeated Wright State 62–54 in the championship game under coachBryce Drew for its first Horizon League Championship. This was the first season that the league was absent of Butler, who departed for theAtlantic 10.
Green Bay won the regular season championship in 2014. It was upset by Milwaukee in the tournament semi-final. Milwaukee would go on to win the tournament, knocking off Wright State.
Following a good outcome, finishing as the 2014 champions, the Milwaukee Panthers were banned from the 2015 NCAA Tournament and postseason play. Valparaiso won the regular and postseason championships. It entered the NCAA tournament as a 13th seed, although losing in the first round.
The 2015 season ushered in the arrival of the Northern Kentucky Norse to the league, who departed from theAtlantic Sun Conference. Valparaiso won the regular season championship again but was defeated by Green Bay in the tournament championship 78–69.
The Oakland University Golden Grizzles won the conference tournament in 2024 after finishing at the top of the regular season Horizon League standings. Coach Greg Kampe led his 14th seeded Golden Grizzles to a win over 3rd seed Kentucky in the first round of the NCAA tournament.
The Milwaukee baseball team made national headlines during the 1999 College World Series by upsetting No. 1 rankedRice in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. In the 2004–05 academic year, Milwaukee's men's soccer team defeated 16th-rankedSan Francisco, while Detroit upsetMichigan in women's soccer in their respective NCAA tournaments. Also that year, Butler's men's cross country team finished fourth in the nation at the NCAA Cross-Country Championships, and their own Victoria Mitchell became the first Horizon League athlete to win an individual national title when she captured the 3,000 Meter Steeplechase at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Green Bay also upset 6th-rankedOregon State in the opening round of the NCAA softball tournament.
Although the league does not sponsorfootball, current members Robert Morris and Youngstown State play inDivision I FCS. Youngstown State plays in theMissouri Valley Football Conference; Robert Morris originally planned to play the 2020–21 season as anindependent and joinBig South Conference football in July 2021,[33] butCOVID-19 issues led the Big South to bring Robert Morris into its football league for its rescheduled spring 2021 season.[34]
Future members listed in green.
| School | Soccer stadium | Capacity | Basketball arena | Capacity | Baseball field | Capacity | Softball field | Capacity |
| Cleveland State | Krenzler Field | 1,680 | Wolstein Center | 13,610[a] | Non-baseball school | Viking Field | 500 | |
| Detroit Mercy | Titan Soccer Field | 500 | Calihan Hall | 8,295 | Buysse Ballpark | 500 | ||
| Green Bay | Aldo Santaga Stadium | 3,500 | Resch Center (men) Kress Events Center (women) | 9,729 4,018 | Phoenix Softball Field | 500 | ||
| IU Indy | Carroll Stadium | 12,111 | The Jungle Corteva Coliseum (men's alternate)[b] | 1,215 6,800 | IU Indy Softball Complex | 500 | ||
| Milwaukee | Engelmann Stadium | 2,200 | UW–Milwaukee Panther Arena (men) Klotsche Center (women) | 10,783 3,500 | Franklin Field | 4,000 | Non-softball school | |
| Northern Illinois | NIU Soccer and Track & Field Complex | 1,500 | Convocation Center | 10,000 | Ralph McKinzie Field | 1,500 | Mary M. Bell Field | 600 |
| Northern Kentucky | NKU Soccer Stadium | 1,000 | Truist Arena | 8,427 | Bill Aker Baseball Complex | 500 | Frank Ignatius Grein Softball Field | 500 |
| Oakland | Oakland University Soccer Field | 1,000 | OU Credit Union O'rena | 4,005 | Oakland University Baseball Field | 500 | OU Softball Field | 250 |
| Purdue Fort Wayne | Hefner Soccer Complex | 2,000 | Hilliard Gates Sports Center Allen County War Memorial Coliseum (special events) | 1,800 13,000 | Non-baseball school | Non-softball school | ||
| Robert Morris | North Athletic Complex | — | UPMC Events Center | 4,000 | North Athletic Complex | — | ||
| Wright State | Alumni Field | 1,000 | Nutter Center | 10,449 | Nischwitz Stadium | 750 | WSU Softball Field | — |
| Youngstown State | Farmers National Bank Field | 500[35] | Beeghly Center Covelli Centre (special events) | 4,641 5,900 | Eastwood Field | 6,300[36] | YSU Softball Complex | 500[37] |
The full NEC conference membership will be for 13 of CSU's men's and women's sports while men's and women's tennis will remain in the Horizon League for one more season.
| Full members | | |
|---|---|---|
| Future members | ||
| Associate members | ||
| Championships & awards | ||
| ||
