North Star Athletic Association
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Association | NAIA |
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Founded | 2013 |
Commissioner | Roger Ternes |
Sports fielded |
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No. of teams | 6 |
Headquarters | Jamestown, North Dakota |
Region | |
Official website | www.playnorthstar.com |
Locations | |
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The North Star Athletic Association (NSAA) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) that began play in the 2013–14 school year.[1] The conference currently has six full member institutions in Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota. On December 28, 2023, the conference announced it will disband following the 2024–25 school year.[2]
History[edit]
Chronological timeline[edit]
- 2013 – The North Star Athletic Association (NSAA) was founded. Charter members included Dakota State University, the University of Jamestown, Mayville State University, Presentation College and Valley City State University, beginning the 2013–14 academic year.
- 2014 – Dickinson State University joined the NSAA in the 2014–15 academic year.
- 2014 – Waldorf University joined the NSAA as an affiliate member for football in the 2014 fall season (2014–15 academic year).
- 2015 – Bellevue University and Viterbo University joined the NSAA (along with Waldorf upgrading to join for all sports) in the 2015–16 academic year.
- 2015 – The University of Winnipeg joined the NSAA as an affiliate member for baseball in the 2016 spring season (2015–16 academic year).
- 2017 – Winnipeg left the NSAA as an affiliate member for baseball as the school dropped the sport after the 2017 spring season (2016–17 academic year).
- 2018 – Jamestown left the NSAA to join the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) after the 2017–18 academic year.
- 2021 – Iowa Wesleyan University joined the NSAA as an affiliate member for football, men's track and field, and women's track and field in the 2021–22 academic year.
- 2023 – Presentation (S.D.) left the NSAA as the school closed after the 2022–23 academic year.[3]
- 2023 – Iowa Wesleyan left the NSAA as an affiliate member as the school closed after the 2022–23 academic year.[4]
- 2024 – Waldorf left the NSAA to join the GPAC after the 2023–24 academic year.[5]
- 2024 – Viterbo left the NSAA to join the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC) after the 2023–24 academic year.[6]
- 2024 – Jamestown rejoined the NSAA for the 2024-25 academic year.[7]
- 2025 – The NSAA will disband following the conclusion of the 2024-25 athletic season.[2] Jamestown will transition to NCAA Division II and join the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference, while the remaining 5 schools will join the Frontier Conference.[8][9][10]
Member schools[edit]
Current members[edit]
The NSAA currently has six full members, two of which are private schools:
Institution | Location | Founded | Affiliation | Enrollment | Nickname | Joined[a] | Colors |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bellevue University[b] | Bellevue, Nebraska | 1966 | Nonsectarian | 8,300 | Bruins | 2015 | |
Dakota State University[b] | Madison, South Dakota | 1881 | Public | 3,307 | Trojans | 2013 | |
Dickinson State University[b] | Dickinson, North Dakota | 1918 | Public | 1,800 | Blue Hawks | 2014 | |
University of Jamestown[c] | Jamestown, North Dakota | 1883 | Presbyterian (PCUSA) | 1,500 | Jimmies | 2013[d] 2024 | |
Mayville State University[b] | Mayville, North Dakota | 1889 | Public | 1,130 | Comets | 2013 | |
Valley City State University[b] | Valley City, North Dakota | 1890 | Public | 1,623 | Vikings | 2013 |
- Notes
- ^ Represents the calendar year when fall sports competition begins.
- ^ a b c d e Bellevue, Dakota State, Dickinson State, Mayville State, and Valley City State will join the Frontier Conference upon dissolution of the NSAA after the 2024–25 academic year.[9][10]
- ^ Jamestown will transition to NCAA Division II and join the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) upon the dissolution of the NSAA after the 2024-25 academic year.[8]
- ^ Jamestown was previously a member of the NSAA from 2013–18.
Former members[edit]
The NSAA had three former full members, all of which were private schools:
Institution | Location | Founded | Affiliation | Nickname | Joined[a] | Left[b] | Subsequent conference | Current conference |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Presentation College | Aberdeen, South Dakota | 1922 | Catholic (P.B.V.M.) | Saints | 2013 | 2023 | Closed in 2023 | |
Viterbo University | La Crosse, Wisconsin | 1923 | Catholic (Franciscan) | V-Hawks | 2015 | 2024 | Chicagoland (CCAC) (2024–present) | |
Waldorf University | Forest City, Iowa | 1903 | For-profit[c] | Warriors | 2015[d] | 2024 | Great Plains (GPAC) (2024–present) |
- Notes
- ^ Represents the calendar year when fall sports competition begins.
- ^ Represents the calendar year when spring sports competition end.
- ^ Formerly affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) until 2010.
- ^ Waldorf competed in the NSAA as an affiliate member for football only during the 2014 fall season (2014–15 school year); before becoming a full member, effective in the 2015–16 school year.
Former affiliate members[edit]
The NSAA had three former affiliate members, one was a public school and the other two were private:
Institution | Location | Founded | Affiliation | Nickname | Joined[a] | Left[b] | NSAA sport | Current primary conference | Conference in former NSAA sport |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Iowa Wesleyan University[4] | Mount Pleasant, Iowa | 1842 | United Methodist | Tigers | 2021 | 2023 | football, men's track & field, women's track & field | Closed in 2023 | |
University of Winnipeg[11] | Winnipeg, Manitoba | 1871 | Public | Wesmen | 2015 | 2017 | baseball | Canada West (U Sports) | dropped program |
Waldorf University | Forest City, Iowa | 1903 | For-profit | Warriors | 2014 | 2015[c] | football | Great Plains (GPAC) |
- Notes
Membership timeline[edit]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/timeline/29zf8r9cs37nw62iq027aoeowubibif.png)
Full member (all sports) Full member (non-football) Associate member (football-only) Associate member (other)
Conference sports[edit]
The North Star Athletic Association currently fields 18 sports (9 men's and 9 women's):
Sport | Men's | Women's |
---|---|---|
Baseball | ![]() | |
Basketball | ![]() | ![]() |
Cross Country | ![]() | ![]() |
Football | ![]() | |
Golf | ![]() | ![]() |
Softball | ![]() | |
Track & Field - Indoor | ![]() | ![]() |
Track & Field - Outdoor | ![]() | ![]() |
Volleyball | ![]() |
Men's sports[edit]
School | Baseball | Basketball | Cross country | Football | Golf | Track & field (indoor) | Track & field (outdoor) | Total NSAA Sports |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bellevue | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | 6 |
Dakota State | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | 7 |
Dickinson State | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | 7 |
Jamestown | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | 7 |
Mayville State | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | 4 |
Valley City State | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | 7 |
Totals | 7 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 38 |
Men's varsity sports not sponsored by the North Star Athletic Association which are played by NSAA schools
School | Hockey | Soccer | Volleyball | Wrestling |
---|---|---|---|---|
Bellevue | — | CAC | — | — |
Dickinson State | — | — | — | Heart of America |
Jamestown | ACHA | TBD | TBD | TBD |
Women's sports[edit]
School | Basketball | Cross country | Golf | Softball | Track & field (indoor) | Track & field (outdoor) | Volleyball | Total NSAA Sports |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bellevue | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | 7 |
Dakota State | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | 7 |
Dickinson State | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | 7 |
Jamestown | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | 7 |
Mayville State | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | 4 |
Valley City State | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | 7 |
Totals | 7 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 46 |
Women's varsity sports not sponsored by the North Star Athletic Association which are played by NSAA schools
School | Hockey | Soccer | Swimming | Wrestling |
---|---|---|---|---|
Bellevue | — | CAC | — | — |
Dickinson State | — | — | — | Heart of America |
Jamestown | ACHA | TBD | KCAC |
Conference Championships[edit]
Football[edit]
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- NSAA champions by year
Volleyball[edit]
Men's basketball[edit]
Women's basketball[edit]
Baseball[edit]
Softball[edit]
References[edit]
External links[edit] |