The Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) is a college athletic conference which has historically operated in the Northwestern United States, but also currently includes four schools in areas not usually considered part of that region—two in Alaska (neither of which is located in Southeast Alaska

Alaska Panhandle

Southeast Alaska, sometimes referred to as the Alaska Panhandle, is the southeastern portion of the U.S. state of Alaska, which lies west of the northern half of the Canadian province of British Columbia. The majority of Southeast Alaska's area is part of the Tongass National Forest, the United...

, an area often considered part of the Northwest), one in eastern Montana (almost never considered part of the region), and one in the Canadian

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

 province of British Columbia (an area included with the Northwest U.S. in the larger Pacific Northwest

Pacific Northwest

The Pacific Northwest is a region in northwestern North America, bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains on the east. Definitions of the region vary and there is no commonly agreed upon boundary, even among Pacific Northwesterners. A common concept of the...

 region).

It participates in the NCAA

National Collegiate Athletic Association

The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...

's Division II, and is the only NCAA conference in any division with a Canadian university as a member.

The conference was formed in 2001 when its original ten members split from the Pacific West Conference

Pacific West Conference

The Pacific West Conference is an intercollegiate college athletic conference affiliated with NCAA Division II...

.

Member schools

The league currently has 10 full members:

Institution	Location	Team Name	Founded	Type	Enrollment
University of Alaska Anchorage University of Alaska Anchorage The University of Alaska Anchorage is the largest school of the University of Alaska System, with about 16,500 students, about 14,000 of whom attend classes at Goose Lake, its main campus in Anchorage....	Anchorage, Alaska Anchorage, Alaska Anchorage is a unified home rule municipality in the southcentral part of the U.S. state of Alaska. It is the northernmost major city in the United States...	Seawolves	1954	Public	16,242
University of Alaska Fairbanks University of Alaska Fairbanks The University of Alaska Fairbanks, located in Fairbanks, Alaska, USA, is the flagship campus of the University of Alaska System, and is abbreviated as Alaska or UAF....	Fairbanks, Alaska Fairbanks, Alaska Fairbanks is a home rule city in and the borough seat of the Fairbanks North Star Borough in the U.S. state of Alaska.Fairbanks is the largest city in the Interior region of Alaska, and second largest in the state behind Anchorage...	Nanooks Alaska Nanooks The Alaska Nanooks are the University of Alaska Fairbanks sports teams, derived from the Inupiaq "nanuq." The school colors are blue and gold. The Nanooks compete at the NCAA Division II level for all sports except men's ice hockey...	1917	Public	9,380
Central Washington University Central Washington University Central Washington University, often abbreviated CWU, is a public university in Ellensburg, Washington in the United States.This location was selected by the state legislature as a consolation prize after Ellensburg lost its bid to be state capital...	Ellensburg, Washington Ellensburg, Washington Ellensburg is a city in, and the county seat of, Kittitas County, Washington, United States. The population was 18,174 at the 2010 census. The population was 18,250 at 2011 Estimate from Office of Financial Management. Ellensburg is located just east of the Cascade Range on I-90 and is known as the...	Wildcats	1891	Public	10,145
Montana State University Billings	Billings, Montana Billings, Montana Billings is the largest city in the U.S. state of Montana, and is the principal city of the Billings Metropolitan Area, the largest metropolitan area in over...	Yellowjackets	1927	Public	4,600
Northwest Nazarene University Northwest Nazarene University Northwest Nazarene University is a private Christian liberal arts college located in Nampa, Idaho.-History:Eugene Emerson organized a combination grade school and Bible school in 1913 as Idaho Holiness School...	Nampa, Idaho Nampa, Idaho Nampa is the largest and the fastest growing city in Canyon County, Idaho, USA. The population of Nampa was 81,557 at the 2010 census. Nampa is located about west of Boise along Interstate 84, and six miles west of Meridian. Nampa is part of the Boise metropolitan area...	Crusaders	1913	Private	1,630
Saint Martin's University Saint Martin's University Saint Martin's University is a coeducational, Catholic, liberal arts university in the United States. Located in Lacey, Washington, it was founded in 1895 as an all-boys boarding school by monks of the Benedictine Order. Saint Martin's began offering college-level courses in 1900 and became a...	Lacey, Washington Lacey, Washington Lacey is a city in Thurston County, Washington, United States. Established as a suburb of Olympia, its population was 42,393 at the 2010 census out of a county population of 252,264.-History:...	Saints	1895	Private	1,628
Seattle Pacific University Seattle Pacific University Seattle Pacific University is a Christian university of the liberal arts, sciences and professions, located on the north slope of Queen Anne Hill in Seattle, Washington, USA. It was founded in 1891 by the Oregon and Washington Conference of the Free Methodist Church as the Seattle Seminary...	Seattle, Washington	Falcons	1891	Private	3,773
Simon Fraser University Simon Fraser University Simon Fraser University is a Canadian public research university in British Columbia with its main campus on Burnaby Mountain in Burnaby, and satellite campuses in Vancouver and Surrey. The main campus in Burnaby, located from downtown Vancouver, was established in 1965 and has more than 34,000...	Burnaby, British Columbia	Clan Simon Fraser Clan Simon Fraser Clan are the athletic teams that represent Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada.SFU's teams formerly played in the United States National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for all sports. In 1997, Simon Fraser sought to join the U.S. NCAA as a Division II...	1965	Public	35,204
Western Oregon University Western Oregon University Western Oregon University is a public liberal arts college located in Monmouth, Oregon, United States. It was originally established in 1856 by Oregon pioneers as Monmouth University. Subsequent names include Oregon Normal School, Oregon College of Education, and Western Oregon State College...	Monmouth, Oregon Monmouth, Oregon - History :Monmouth was settled in 1853 by a group of pioneers who made a point of allocating to build both a city and a "college under the auspices of the Christian Church" and proceeds from the sale of these lands were used to found Monmouth University. By the early 1880s the college fell on...	Wolves	1856	Public	5,654
Western Washington University Western Washington University Western Washington University is one of six state-funded, four-year universities of higher education in the U.S. state of Washington. It is located in Bellingham and offers bachelor's and master's degrees.-History:...	Bellingham, Washington Bellingham, Washington Bellingham is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Whatcom County in the U.S. state of Washington. It is the twelfth-largest city in the state. Situated on Bellingham Bay, Bellingham is protected by Lummi Island, Portage Island, and the Lummi Peninsula, and opens onto the Strait of Georgia...	Vikings	1893	Public	13,070

Football-playing members

• Central Washington University
  Central Washington University
  Central Washington University, often abbreviated CWU, is a public university in Ellensburg, Washington in the United States.This location was selected by the state legislature as a consolation prize after Ellensburg lost its bid to be state capital...
  
  
• Dixie State College of Utah
  Dixie State College of Utah
  Dixie State College of Utah is a college located in St. George, Utah, United States.-History:...
  
  , competes primarily in the Pacific West Conference
  Pacific West Conference
  The Pacific West Conference is an intercollegiate college athletic conference affiliated with NCAA Division II...
  
  
• Humboldt State University
  Humboldt State University
  Humboldt State University is the northernmost campus of the California State University system, located in Arcata within Humboldt County, California, USA. The main campus, nestled at the edge of a coast redwood forest, is situated on Preston hill overlooking Arcata and with commanding views of...
  
  , competes primarily in the California Collegiate Athletic Association
  California Collegiate Athletic Association
  The California Collegiate Athletic Association or CCAA is an intercollegiate athletic conference in the Division II of the NCAA. All of its current members are public universities, and all except for UC San Diego are members of the California State University system.It was founded in December 1938...
  
  
• Western Oregon University
  Western Oregon University
  Western Oregon University is a public liberal arts college located in Monmouth, Oregon, United States. It was originally established in 1856 by Oregon pioneers as Monmouth University. Subsequent names include Oregon Normal School, Oregon College of Education, and Western Oregon State College...
  
  
• Simon Fraser University
  Simon Fraser University
  Simon Fraser University is a Canadian public research university in British Columbia with its main campus on Burnaby Mountain in Burnaby, and satellite campuses in Vancouver and Surrey. The main campus in Burnaby, located from downtown Vancouver, was established in 1965 and has more than 34,000...
  
  
• Azusa Pacific University
  Azusa Pacific University
  Azusa Pacific University is a private, inter-denominational, evangelical Christian university located near Los Angeles in suburban Azusa, California. It was founded in 1899, with classes opening on March 3, 1900 in Whittier, California. It began offering degrees in 1939...
  
  , transitioning from the Golden State Athletic Conference
  Golden State Athletic Conference
  The Golden State Athletic Conference is a college athletics conference in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics . The conference commissioner is Cliff Hamlow of Azusa Pacific University. Conference leadership is shared among the member institutions. The conference was formed in...
  
   of the NAIA
  National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics
  The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics is an athletic association that organizes college and university-level athletic programs. Membership in the NAIA consists of smaller colleges and universities across the United States. The NAIA allows colleges and universities outside the USA...
  
   in 2012, will compete primarily in the Pacific West Conference

Former members

At the conclusion of the 2005-2006 season Humboldt State University

Humboldt State University

Humboldt State University is the northernmost campus of the California State University system, located in Arcata within Humboldt County, California, USA. The main campus, nestled at the edge of a coast redwood forest, is situated on Preston hill overlooking Arcata and with commanding views of...

 left the GNAC for the California Collegiate Athletic Association

California Collegiate Athletic Association

The California Collegiate Athletic Association or CCAA is an intercollegiate athletic conference in the Division II of the NCAA. All of its current members are public universities, and all except for UC San Diego are members of the California State University system.It was founded in December 1938...

.
At the conclusion of the 2007-2008 season Seattle University

Seattle University

Seattle University is a Jesuit Catholic university located in the First Hill neighborhood of Seattle, Washington, USA.SU is the largest independent university in the Northwest US, with over 7,500 students enrolled in undergraduate and graduate programs within eight schools, and is one of 28 member...

 left the GNAC as a part of their reclassification to NCAA Division I. They will join the Western Athletic Conference

Western Athletic Conference

The Western Athletic Conference is an American collegiate athletic conference, which was formed on July 27, 1962, making it the sixth oldest of the 11 college athletic conferences currently participating in the NCAA's Division I FBS...

in 2012.

Men's sports

• Football
• Cross Country
• Baseball
• Basketball
• Golf
• Soccer
• Indoor Track & Field
• Outdoor Track & Field

Women's sports

• Soccer
• Volleyball
• Basketball
• Softball
• Cross Country
• Indoor Track & Field
• Outdoor Track & Field

Football champions

• 2001 Western Washington 3–0
• 2002 Central Washington 3–0
• 2003 Western Washington 3–0
• 2004 Central Washington 5–1
• 2005 Central Washington 6–0
• 2006 Not sponsored
• 2007 Not sponsored
• 2008 Central Washington 8–0
• 2009 Central Washington 6–0
• 2010 Central Washington 7–1
• 2011 Humboldt State 7–1

External links