Horizon League

The Horizon League is a 12-school collegiate athletic conference in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I, whose members are located in and near the Great Lakes region.

This article is about the Midwestern US collegiate league. For the California high school league, see Horizon League (California).

Horizon League
Established	1979
Association	NCAA
Division	Division I
Subdivision	non-football
Members	12
Sports fielded	19 men's: 9 women's: 10
Region	Great Lakes and Ohio Valley
Former names	Midwestern City Conference (1979–1985) Midwestern Collegiate Conference (1985–2001)
Headquarters	Indianapolis, Indiana
Commissioner	Jonathan B. LeCrone (since 1992)
Website	www.horizonleague.org
Locations

The Horizon League founded in 1979 as the Midwestern City Conference. The conference changed its name to Midwestern 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 12 members, following Valparaiso leaving to join the Missouri Valley Conference[1][2] and IUPUI joining the league on July 1, 2017.[3][4] Its most recent membership changes occurred on July 1, 2020, with the arrivals of Purdue University Fort Wayne (PFW)[5] and Robert Morris University.[6]

The Horizon League does not sponsor football.

History

Foundation

In May 1978, DePaul University hosted a meeting with representatives from Bradley, Dayton, Detroit (now Detroit Mercy), Illinois State, Loyola–Chicago, Air Force, and Xavier who all agreed in principle that a new athletic conference was needed. Further progress was made through a series of early 1979 meetings in San Francisco, Chicago, and St. Louis that included participation by Butler, Creighton, Marquette, and Oral Roberts. On June 16, 1979, the Midwestern 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.[7]

Maturity

In 1980 the league established its headquarters in Champaign, Illinois. The MCC gained an automatic bid to the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship in 1981, followed by the announcement that Saint Louis University would be joining the following season. The University of Notre Dame joined the conference for all sports except basketball and football in 1982. The conference attained automatic qualification for the NCAA Division I Baseball Championship in 1984 and the conference moved its headquarters to Indianapolis. Three changes occurred in the summer of 1985: Oklahoma City dropped out of the NCAA altogether; the name was altered slightly to Midwestern Collegiate Conference; and the conference brought women's athletics into the fold. The latter triggered Notre Dame's temporary withdrawal from the league as its women's teams were contracted to the North Star Conference. ESPN began televising the MCC Championship game in 1986 and 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 the NCAA Men's Soccer Championship in 1989. The conference won an automatic bid to the NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Championship in 1991 and the conference lost members Marquette and Saint Louis. Duquesne and La Salle joined the MCC in 1992, the same year the conference gained an automatic berth to the NCAA Women's Volleyball Championship. Duquesne and Dayton left the conference in 1993.

Expansion

The largest non-merger conference expansion in NCAA history occurred on December 9, 1993 when Cleveland State, UIC, Northern Illinois, Wisconsin-Green Bay, Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and Wright State left the Mid-Continent to join the Midwestern Collegiate beginning with the 1994–95 academic year.[7] With Evansville's departure to the Missouri Valley Conference, 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 the Horizon 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 came to the Horizon League from the Mid-Con, and on May 17, 2006, Valparaiso University announced it would do the same in 2007.[8] As of the 2018–19 school year, eight of the 10 Horizon League members are former members of the Mid-Con (now known as The Summit League), with the only exceptions being established member Detroit Mercy and 2015 arrival Northern Kentucky. The Horizon's next new member, Purdue Fort Wayne, also arrives from the Summit League. In addition, four former members are currently in the Atlantic 10 Conference, and three former members are in the current Big East Conference.

The split of the original Big East Conference, leading to the formation of the current Big East, had further fallout involving the Horizon League. Loyola announced in April 2013 that it would leave the Horizon effective July 1 to join the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC), who itself lost Creighton to the reconfigured Big East.[9] The Horizon announced that Oakland University, formerly of The Summit League, would immediately replace Loyola, within a month.[10]

The next change in the Horizon League's membership came in 2015 with the arrival of Northern Kentucky University from the Atlantic Sun Conference.[11]

Two more membership changes 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 replaced Wichita State, who announced that it would leave the MVC for the American Athletic Conference.[12] Three days before Valparaiso's departure, the Horizon League Board of Directors unanimously approved the membership of Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) to replace Valparaiso, also effective July 1.[13]

The most recent membership changes are the 2020 arrivals of PFW and Robert Morris, respectively announced on August 5, 2019[5] and June 15, 2020.[6]

Basketball success

The Horizon League is best known for its men's basketball teams and is one of the top performing NCAA Division I conferences in that sport according to the NCAA Men's Basketball Rating Percentage Index (RPI).[14] From 2005 to 2011, only seven conferences won a game in every NCAA Tournament: the six "power" conferences, and the Horizon League (Milwaukee twice, Cleveland State once, and Butler four times; see Championships and post-season appearances). The Horizon League has been a multi-bid conference nine times, and placed three teams in 1998. Multiple Horizon League members have made Sweet 16, Elite Eight and Final Four appearances.[15] The Horizon League currently holds the fifth best winning percentage among non-BCS conferences in the men's NCAA basketball Tournament (21–31, .404, 11th best among the 31 Division I conferences).[16] The Horizon League currently ranks 11th out of 32 NCAA Division I conferences in RPI, while having an average finish of 12th (out of 31) over the past seven seasons.[17][18]

Horizon League Network

Horizon League Network
Launched	2006
Owned by	Horizon League
Picture format	720p
Country	United States
Broadcast area	Webcast
Headquarters	Indianapolis, Indiana

In 2006, the conference launched the Horizon League Network (HLN) as the centerpiece of a revamped web portal.[19] 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 Horizon League Network 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.

Horizon League Network migrated to ESPN3 in 2014, and over 700 events streamed live in 2015–16. Its coverage complements events televised on ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU and members' local sports networks.

Member schools

Current members

Institution	Location	Founded	Joined	Type	Enrollment	Nickname	Colors
Cleveland State University	Cleveland, Ohio	1964	1994	Public	16,418	Vikings
University of Detroit Mercy	Detroit, Michigan	1877	1980	Private	5,700	Titans
University of Wisconsin–Green Bay	Green Bay, Wisconsin	1965	1994	Public	8,873	Phoenix
Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis	Indianapolis, Indiana	1969	2017	Public	30,105	Jaguars
University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee	Milwaukee, Wisconsin	1956	1994	Public	30,502	Panthers
Northern Kentucky University	Highland Heights, Kentucky	1968	2015	Public	15,405	Norse
Oakland University	Rochester, Michigan	1957	2013	Public	20,519	Golden Grizzlies
Purdue University Fort Wayne	Fort Wayne, Indiana	1964[lower-alpha 1]	2020	Public	10,208	Mastodons
Robert Morris University	Moon Township, Pennsylvania	1921	2020	Private	4,895	Colonials
University of Illinois at Chicago	Chicago, Illinois	1946	1994	Public	30,539	Flames
Wright State University	Fairborn, Ohio	1964	1994	Public	17,074	Raiders
Youngstown State University	Youngstown, Ohio	1908	2001	Public	15,058	Penguins

1. Purdue Fort Wayne (PFW) did not begin operation until 2018, but inherited its athletic program from Indiana University – Purdue University Fort Wayne (IPFW), founded in 1964. IPFW was dissolved in 2018 by the Purdue University and Indiana University systems, with each system establishing a new Fort Wayne campus.[20]

Former members

Institution	Location	Founded	Joined	Left	Type	Enrollment	Nickname	Current Conference
Butler University	Indianapolis, Indiana	1855	1979	2012	Private	4,667	Bulldogs	Big East
University of Dayton	Dayton, Ohio	1850	1987	1993	Private	11,186	Flyers	Atlantic 10 (A-10)
Duquesne University	Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania	1878	1992	1993	Private	10,363	Dukes	Atlantic 10 (A-10)
University of Evansville	Evansville, Indiana	1854	1979	1994	Private	3,050	Purple Aces	Missouri Valley
La Salle University	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania	1863	1992	1995	Private	7,554	Explorers	Atlantic 10 (A-10)
Loyola University Chicago	Chicago, Illinois	1870	1979	2013[9]	Private	15,068	Ramblers	Missouri Valley
Marquette University	Milwaukee, Wisconsin	1881	1988/1989[a 1]	1991	Private	12,002	Warriors[a 2]	Big East
Northern Illinois University	DeKalb, Illinois	1895	1994	1997	Public	25,313	Huskies	Mid-American (MAC)
University of Notre Dame	Notre Dame, Indiana	1842	1982; 1987/1988[a 3]	1986; 1995	Private	11,733	Fighting Irish	ACC
Oklahoma City University	Oklahoma City, Oklahoma	1904	1979	1985	Private	3,770	Chiefs[a 4]	Sooner (SAC) (NAIA)
Oral Roberts University	Tulsa, Oklahoma	1963	1979	1987	Private	3,335	Titans[a 5]	Summit League
Saint Louis University	St. Louis, Missouri	1818	1981/1982[a 6]	1991	Private	13,785	Billikens	Atlantic 10 (A-10)
Valparaiso University	Valparaiso, Indiana	1859	2007	2017	Private	4,500	Crusaders	Missouri Valley
Xavier University	Cincinnati, Ohio	1831	1979	1995	Private	6,650	Musketeers	Big East

Notes

1. The Marquette men's basketball team joined the Horizon League a year after becoming a full member for other sports (1989–90).
2. Marquette adopted its current nickname of Golden Eagles in 1994.
3. Notre Dame rejoined the Horizon League for all men's sports except basketball after a season as an Independent. Its women's sports, which had been in the North Star Conference since the 1983–84 school year, moved to the Horizon League beginning the following season (1988–89).
4. Oklahoma City adopted its current nickname of Stars in 1999.
5. Oral Roberts adopted its current nickname of Golden Eagles in 1993.
6. The Saint Louis men's basketball team joined the Horizon League a year after it became a full member for other sports (1982–83).

Membership timeline

Sponsored sports

The Horizon League sponsors championship competition in nine men's and ten women's NCAA sanctioned sports:[21] Detroit Mercy, Wright State and Green Bay announced eliminating men’s and women’s tennis.

Teams in Horizon League competition

Sport	Men's	Women's
Baseball	7	–
Basketball	12	12
Cross country	11	12
Golf	10	9
Soccer	11	12
Softball	–	10
Swimming and diving	6	7
Tennis	5	7
Track and field (indoor)	8	11
Track and field (outdoor)	8	11
Volleyball	–	11

Men's sponsored sports by school

School	Baseball	Basketball	Cross Country	Golf	Soccer	Swimming & Diving	Tennis	Track & Field (Indoor)	Track & Field (Outdoor)	Total Horizon Sports
Cleveland State	N	Y	N	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	N	5
Detroit Mercy	N	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	N	Y	Y	7
Green Bay	N	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	N	N	6
IUPUI	N	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	8
Milwaukee	Y	Y	Y	N	Y	Y	N	Y	Y	7
Northern Kentucky	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	Y	Y	Y	8
Oakland	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	Y	Y	8
Purdue Fort Wayne	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	N	Y	Y	7
Robert Morris	N	Y	N	Y	Y	N	N	N	N	3
UIC	Y	Y	Y	N	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	8
Wright State	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	N	N	N	5
Youngstown State	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	N	Y	Y	Y	7
Totals	7	12	10	10	11	6	5	8	8	77

Men's varsity sports not sponsored by the Horizon League which are played by Horizon schools:

School	Fencing[lower-alpha 1]	Football	Ice Hockey	Lacrosse	Skiing[lower-alpha 2]	Volleyball	Wrestling
Cleveland State	MFC[lower-alpha 3]	No	No	IND	No	No	MAC
Detroit Mercy	MFC[lower-alpha 3]	No	No	MAAC	No	No	No
Green Bay	No	No	No	No	CCSA[lower-alpha 4]	No	No
Purdue Fort Wayne	No	No	No	No	No	MIVA	No
Robert Morris	No	Ind. (FCS)[lower-alpha 5]	AHA	TBD	No	No	No
Youngstown State	No	MVFC	No	No	No	No	No

1. NCAA fencing is a coeducational sport, with schools fielding men's and women's squads.
2. NCAA skiing is a coeducational sport, with schools fielding men's and women's squads.
3. Midwest Fencing Conference
4. NCAA skiing includes both Nordic and Alpine disciplines, but Green Bay fields only a Nordic team.
5. Robert Morris will play the 2020 football season as an FCS independent and then become a football-only member of the Big South Conference in 2021.[22]

Women's sponsored sports by school

School	Basketball	Cross Country	Golf	Soccer	Softball	Swimming & Diving	Tennis	Track & Field (Indoor)	Track & Field (Outdoor)	Volleyball	Total Horizon Sports
Cleveland State	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	10
Detroit Mercy	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	N	Y	Y	N	8
Green Bay	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	N	N	Y	8
IUPUI	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	10
Milwaukee	Y	Y	N	Y	N	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	8
Northern Kentucky	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	Y	Y	Y	Y	9
Oakland	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	10
Purdue Fort Wayne	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	N	Y	Y	Y	8
Robert Morris	Y	Y	N	Y	Y	N	N	Y	Y	Y	7
UIC	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	10
Wright State	Y	Y	N	Y	N	N	N	Y	Y	Y	6
Youngstown State	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	10
Totals	12	12	9	12	10	7	7	11	11	11	90

Women's varsity sports not sponsored by the Horizon League which are played by Horizon schools:

School	Bowling	Fencing[lower-alpha 1]	Ice Hockey	Lacrosse	Rowing	Skiing[lower-alpha 2]
Cleveland State	No	MFC[lower-alpha 3]	No	No	No	No
Detroit Mercy	No	MFC[lower-alpha 3]	No	MAC	No	No
Green Bay	No	No	No	No	No	CCSA[lower-alpha 4]
Robert Morris	No	No	CHA	MAC	MAAC	No
Youngstown State	SBL	No	No	MAC	No	No

1. NCAA fencing is a coeducational sport, with schools fielding men's and women's squads.
2. NCAA skiing is a coeducational sport, with schools fielding men's and women's squads.
3. Midwest Fencing Conference
4. NCAA skiing includes both Nordic and Alpine disciplines, but Green Bay fields only a Nordic team.

Men's basketball

Horizon League Men's Basketball Tournament Champions

Main article: Horizon League Men's Basketball Tournament

Historic

From 1995 to 2011, the Horizon League has sent 24 teams to the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament. Those clubs have produced 22 wins in those 14 years, including five "Sweet 16" appearances, making the Horizon League the only non-BCS conference with Sweet 16 participants in at least five of the last nine tournaments (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 and 2011), and Milwaukee (2005). The Horizon League has compiled a 15–8 record in the past five years in the NCAA tournament, ranking tops among all NCAA Division I conferences for winning percentage in that span. Butler appeared in the men's national championship game in both 2010 and 2011, losing both times. 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 31 Division I conferences).[23]

One former Horizon League member claims a national championship from the era before the league's creation. In the 1963 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament, Loyola defeated two-time defending champ Cincinnati. Before post-season tournaments determined champions, former Horizon member Butler claimed national titles in 1924 and 1929.[24]

The League hosted the men's Final 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.[25]

2000s

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.

2002–03

In the 2003 NCAA Men's Division I 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 to Notre 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.

2004–05

In the men's 2005 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-up Illinois. Milwaukee ranked as high as No. 23 in the March 7 ESPN/USA Today Top 25 Poll.[26]

2005–06

In the 2006 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 coach Rob 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.

2006–07

In the 2006–07 basketball season, Butler won the Preseason NIT tournament in Madison Square Garden with wins over in-state rivals Notre Dame and Indiana in the NIT's Midwest regional bracket, followed by wins over No. 21 Tennessee and No. 23 Gonzaga in the NIT Final Four in Madison Square Garden. Later, the Bulldogs claimed victory over Purdue 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.[27] 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 beating Old Dominion and Maryland before losing to eventual national champion Florida. Wright State also qualified for the NCAA tournament as the winner of the Horizon 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.

2007–08

During the 2007–08 basketball season, Butler won the Great Alaska Shootout with wins over Michigan, Virginia Tech and Texas Tech, and also claimed wins over Ohio State and Florida State, who extended their record against BCS schools to 10–1 since the start of the 2006–07 season. As a 7 seed in the 2008 NCAA Basketball Tournament, the Bulldogs beat 10 seed South 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 to Dayton.

2008–09

Starting in 2009, regional convenience store and gas station chain Speedway 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 to LSU 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 seed Arizona 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.

2009–10

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. 7 Kansas 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 since UCLA in 1972, and the first of either sex since Texas played in the 1987 Women's Final Four on its home court.

Also of note, former Milwaukee head coach Bruce Pearl coached the Tennessee 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.

2010–11

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 upset Pittsburgh (who was No. 1 ranked and seeded), Wisconsin (4 seed) and Florida (2 seed) to return to the Final Four. Butler faced VCU, 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 faced Connecticut 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.

2011–12

In the 2012 postseason, the Detroit Titans won their first Horizon League Championship since 1999 under head coach Ray McCallum. They defeated top seeded Valparaiso 70–50. The tournament MVP was son Ray McCallum, Jr..

2012–13

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 coach Bryce Drew for its first Horizon League Championship. This was the first season that the league was absent of Butler, who departed for the Atlantic 10.

2013–14

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.

2014–15

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 4th seed, although losing in the first round.

2015–16

The 2015 season ushered in the arrival of the Northern Kentucky Norse to the league, who departed from the Atlantic Sun Conference. Valparaiso won the regular season championship again but was defeated by Green Bay in the tournament championship 78–69.

Other sports

The Milwaukee baseball team made national headlines during the 1999 College World Series by upsetting No. 1 ranked Rice in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. In the 2004–05 academic year, Milwaukee's men's soccer team defeated 16th-ranked San Francisco, while Detroit upset Michigan 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-ranked Oregon State in the opening round of the NCAA softball tournament.

Although the league does not sponsor football, current members Robert Morris and Youngstown State play in Division I FCS. Youngstown State plays in the Missouri Valley Football Conference; Robert Morris will play the 2020 season as an independent and join Big South Conference football in 2021.[22] Cleveland State currently does not have a football team but has considered launching a non-scholarship FCS football program in the near future, giving the city of Cleveland its first Division I college football team.[28][29] Milwaukee has also examined reviving its football program as recently as 2011.

Facilities

School	Soccer stadium	Capacity	Basketball arena	Capacity	Baseball field	Capacity	Softball field	Capacity
Cleveland State	Krenzler Field	1,680	Wolstein Center	13,610[lower-alpha 1]	Non-baseball school		Viking Field	500
Detroit Mercy	Titan Soccer Field	500	Calihan Hall	8,295	Non-baseball school		Buysse Ballpark	500
Green Bay	Aldo Santaga Stadium	3,500	Resch Center (men) Kress Events Center (women)	9,729 4,018	Non-baseball school		Phoenix Softball Field	500
IUPUI	Carroll Stadium	12,111	Indiana Farmers Coliseum (men) The Jungle (women)	6,800 1,215	Non-baseball school		IUPUI 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 Kentucky	NKU Soccer Stadium	1,000	BB&T Arena	9,400	Bill Aker Baseball Complex	500	Frank Ignatius Grein Softball Field	500
Oakland	Oakland University Soccer Field	1,000	Athletics Center 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	Mastodon Field	200	Purdue Fort Wayne Softball Field	500
Robert Morris	North Athletic Complex	N/A	UPMC Events Center	4,000	Non-baseball school		North Athletic Complex	N/A
UIC	Flames Field	1,000	Credit Union 1 Arena	6,958	Les Miller Field	1,000	Flames Field	500
Wright State	Alumni Field	1,000	Nutter Center	10,449	Nischwitz Stadium	750	WSU Softball Field	N/A
Youngstown State	Farmers National Bank Field	200[30]	Beeghly Center (primary) Covelli Centre (special events)	6,300 5,900	Eastwood Field	6,300[31]	YSU Softball Complex	100[32]

Notes

1. Full capacity; for most games, Cleveland State limits capacity to 8,500.

See also

• List of Horizon League champions

References

1. "Horizon League loses Valparaiso". Cincinnati.com. Retrieved 2017-05-30.
2. Cam_Newton (2017-05-25). "We should all be as hyped as Valparaiso is to join the Missouri Valley Conference". Mid-Major Madness. Retrieved 2017-05-30.
3. "The Horizon League picks IUPUI to replace Valpo and might add more teams in future". CBS Interactive. June 28, 2017. Retrieved June 28, 2017.
4. "IUPUI will compete in Horizon League beginning this school year". Indianapolis Star. Retrieved 2017-07-11.
5. "Purdue University Fort Wayne to Join Horizon League" (Press release). Horizon League. August 5, 2019. Retrieved August 5, 2019.
6. "Robert Morris to Join Horizon League" (Press release). Horizon League. June 15, 2020. Retrieved June 15, 2020.
7. "History – Horizon League". Archived from the original on 2014-03-24. Retrieved 2012-12-17.
8. Press Release. Valpo to Join Horizon League in 2007–2008 May 17, 2006.
9. "Report: Loyola to Missouri Valley". ESPNChicago.com. Associated Press. April 14, 2013. Retrieved April 14, 2013.
10. "Oakland University to Join" (Press release). Horizon League. Archived from the original on June 29, 2013. Retrieved May 9, 2013.
11. "Northern Kentucky University to Join Horizon League in July" (Press release). Horizon League. May 11, 2015. Archived from the original on May 14, 2015. Retrieved May 2015. Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
12. Osipoff, Michael (May 25, 2017). "Valparaiso makes it official, accepts Missouri Valley Conference invitation". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved May 26, 2017.
13. "IUPUI to join Horizon League". WISH TV 8. June 28, 2017.
14. "2010 NCAA Men's Basketball RPI". Web1.ncaa.org. Retrieved 2013-05-09.
15. "Division I Men's Basketball Championship History". NCAA.com. 2011-02-25. Retrieved 2013-05-09.
16. http://www.hoopstournament.net/StandardReports/By_Current_Conference.pdf
17. "Men's College Basketball Rating Percentage Index (RPI) Ratings – A leading sports ratings and resources community on the Internet". Realtimerpi.com. 2007-08-05. Retrieved 2013-05-09.
18. "NCAA College Basketball RPI Rankings (updated today)". Teamrankings.com. 2013-04-15. Retrieved 2013-05-09.
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External links

• Official website