The Valparaiso University Department of Athletics has extended a warm welcome to the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC), which will join the Missouri Valley Conference as a member institution beginning on July 1, 2022.

STATEMENT FROM DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS MARK LABARBERA

“We are excited to welcome UIC to the Missouri Valley Conference. They are a school with strong academics and a good geographic fit for the conference as a whole. They have a growing presence in Chicago. We have a long athletic history with UIC as the Flames are among our most common opponents across all sports. We have competed against them as conference members in the Association of Mid-Continent Universities, the North Star Conference and the Horizon League, and we look forward to this new chapter in our long-standing series.”

VALPO VS. UIC HISTORY

UIC is Valpo’s most common opponent in women’s basketball (50), volleyball (55) and softball (86). The Flames are the second-most common opponent for Valpo baseball (136). In addition, UIC is in the top 10 in most common opponents for Valpo men’s basketball (57). Valpo and UIC have faced off on 384 occasions in those five sports alone.

MVC PRESS RELEASE

The University of Illinois Chicago (UIC), currently in its 40th year of NCAA Division I competition, has accepted an invitation to join the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC), effective July 1, 2022, UIC Chancellor Michael D. Amiridis and Director of Athletics Michael Lipitz jointly announced today.

The UIC Flames will be the MVC’s 12th member institution, entering the conference for the 2022-23 academic year alongside fellow newcomers Belmont University and Murray State University. The league’s existing membership includes a trio of Illinois schools in Bradley University, Illinois State University, and Southern Illinois University Carbondale, along with Drake University, University of Evansville, Indiana State University, Missouri State University, University of Northern Iowa, and Valparaiso University.

“As the University of Illinois Chicago continues to thrive on the local, national, and global stage, joining the Missouri Valley Conference is an honor for the Flames,” said Amiridis. “The Valley is a conference that is not only rich in tradition with a storied history of success, but it aligns UIC with other like-minded institutions that share in our vision for the future of higher education and athletics. This is a tremendous step in the evolution of our athletics programs, and one that we are thrilled to embrace moving forward as we provide opportunities for our student-athletes to not only compete, but to succeed at the highest levels.”

Since earning Division I status in 1981, UIC has amassed 75 conference championships and made 47 NCAA postseason appearances. In addition, 20 Flames have achieved All-America status, 82 have earned recognition as Player of the Year, and 55 coaches have been honored as Coach of the Year. Over the last five seasons, UIC men’s soccer, baseball, women’s tennis, softball, and volleyball have all won conference titles, and four of the five programs have collected multiple championships and postseason bids. In 2020-21, the Flames were crowned the Horizon League’s Women’s All-Sport champions on the strength of conference titles in tennis and softball, as well as runner-up finishes in swimming and diving and volleyball.

“Today marks the beginning of a new era for UIC and Flames Athletics and the most significant single event in our history since announcing the transition to NCAA Division I 40 years ago,” said Lipitz. “On behalf of our student-athletes, coaches, staff, and Flames fans everywhere, we are fired up to join the Missouri Valley Conference and look forward to representing UIC and The Valley with distinction beginning next year.”

While expressing excitement about UIC’s future in The Valley, Lipitz also reflected on the Flames’ proud history in the Horizon League.

“UIC has been a proud member of the Horizon League since 1994. We value the rivalries developed over nearly three decades and will look to continue those relationships when scheduling circumstances allow. We also look forward to competing against our Horizon League peers throughout the remainder of the winter and spring seasons this year.”

UIC’s 300 student-athletes compete at an elite level in the classroom as well. The Flames recorded the best academic year in school history in 2020-21 with a 3.43 overall grade-point average (GPA). All 18 teams and nearly half of the department’s student-athletes earned Dean’s List recognition in spring 2021 by achieving a 3.5+ GPA. UIC also achieved an all-time best 91% Graduation Success Rate (GSR) this past year.

Like its athletics program, UIC is an institution on the rise. Offering 100 bachelor’s degree programs across 16 top-ranked colleges, UIC is Chicago’s largest university and the city’s only public Carnegie Research I institution. With more than 34,000 students and 300,000 living alumni, UIC has recently been ranked a top-25 public university by the Wall Street Journal and Times Higher Education. In addition, UIC has been recognized as a top-30 university for ethnic diversity and a top-10 university for social mobility by U.S. News & World Report.

“A great addition for The Valley,” noted MVC Commissioner Jeff Jackson. “UIC’s combination of academics, location, facilities, financial commitment to athletic success, and leadership will enhance the brand of the MVC and the experiences of our student-athletes.”

The Missouri Valley Conference, founded in 1907, is a strong national brand with a rich tradition of success. The value of MVC membership is enhanced by robust media rights agreements with ESPN and CBS, as well as its sponsorship and multimedia rights partnership with Learfield.

Historically, Missouri Valley Conference members have won 15 national championships in the sports of men’s basketball, baseball, cross country, and golf, while Southern Illinois also won an FCS football title in 1983. The conference boasts 73 individual national champions, as well as 17 additional non-NCAA collegiate titles. In 2021, multiple schools from The Valley received bids to the NCAA Tournaments in the sports of men’s basketball, women’s basketball, baseball, and softball, making it one of only eight conferences nationwide to do so.

The MVC is headquartered in St. Louis, a city that has hosted The State Farm MVC Men’s Basketball Championship (known as Arch Madness) for more than 30 consecutive years. In its 115th year overall, The Valley sponsors 17 sports: men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s cross country, men’s and women’s soccer, women’s volleyball, women’s swimming and diving, men’s and women’s indoor and outdoor track and field, men’s and women’s golf, women’s tennis, softball, and baseball.

The Valley is UIC’s third conference affiliation since becoming a member of NCAA Division I in 1981. Its first conference tie-in came in 1982, when it joined the Association of Mid-Continent Universities (AMCU-8). The AMCU-8 rebranded to the Mid-Continent Conference (Mid-Con) in 1990. In 1994, the Flames exited the Mid-Con for the Midwestern Collegiate Conference (MCC). That group reorganized as the Horizon League in 2001.

ABOUT UIC FLAMES ATHLETICS

UIC Athletics has been an NCAA Division I member since 1981. The Chicago-based institution is a member of the University of Illinois System, with over 300 of the nation’s best and brightest student-athletes competing in 18 sports. The Flames have claimed 75 conference championships and earned 47 NCAA postseason appearances over the past 40 years, during which UIC coaches have earned 55 Coach of the Year honors. In addition, the Flames have claimed 82 Conference Player of the Year Awards and 20 student-athletes have been honored with All-America status. In the classroom, UIC student-athletes excel at an elite level, with an active streak of 14 consecutive semesters of a 3.0+ department-wide GPA and a 91% Graduation Success Rate.

ABOUT THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS CHICAGO

Located in the heart of one of the world’s great cities, the University of Illinois Chicago is recognized as one of the most ethnically rich and culturally diverse campuses in the nation and a leader in providing access to underrepresented students. With one of the largest colleges of medicine in the nation, and colleges of dentistry, pharmacy, public health, nursing, social work, and applied health sciences, UIC is the state’s principal educator of health professionals and a major healthcare provider to underserved communities. UIC students become professionals in fields ranging from law and business to engineering to education, liberal arts and sciences, urban planning, and social work, as well as architecture, design, and the arts. UIC is an integral part of the educational, technological, and cultural fabric of one of the world’s greatest cities.

ABOUT THE MISSOURI VALLEY CONFERENCE

The Missouri Valley Conference, the nation’s second-oldest NCAA Division I conference, continues to be a leader in college athletics and is one of the industry’s most innovative leagues, celebrating its 115th season in 2021-22. The Valley brand remains very strong, both regionally and nationally, and the great athletic tradition of the MVC remains a compelling force in recruiting student-athletes and in marketing all the conference’s programs. League members have worked together to focus on common goals and objectives, placing a high value on conference harmony, while continuing to invest in athletic programs to compete at the highest level.