The Northern Illinois Huskies’ soccer staff will likely be becoming a member of the Mountain West Convention, leaving the Mid-American Convention that it had been a member of for practically 30 years.
The Huskies will formally be a part of the Mountain West as a football-only college starting with the 2026 season, the convention introduced on Tuesday.
In line with a press launch, there will likely be a complete of 9 groups within the convention for that season, with Air Pressure, Hawaii, Nevada, New Mexico, San Jose State, UNLV, UTEP and Wyoming becoming a member of the Huskies within the convention.
“This can be a actually thrilling day for Northern Illinois College, for the NIU soccer program, and for Huskie followers all through the nation,” stated NIU President Lisa C. Freeman. “We’re extraordinarily happy to just accept the invitation for the Huskie soccer program to affix a prestigious group of universities to compete within the Mountain West Convention. This transfer will open new alternatives for our student-athletes, broaden the attain, and strengthen the nationwide model of Huskie Soccer as they symbolize NIU and compete for championships the exhausting means and the proper means.”
Northern Illinois is without doubt one of the groups coming into the convention after Boise State, Utah State, Fresno State, San Diego State and Colorado State all introduced that they might be leaving the Mountain West to affix the new-look Pac-12 starting in 2026.
In response, UTEP introduced that it will be a part of the convention as a full member in 2026. UC-Davis and Grand Canyon College each will be a part of the convention as non-football colleges in 2026.
It’s unclear which convention Northern Illinois will compete in for different sports activities, together with basketball and volleyball, because the Mid-American Convention won’t permit them to stay within the convention with out their soccer staff.
The Huskies had joined the MAC in 1998, in accordance with the convention’s web site. They’ve gained the convention’s soccer title on 5 events, most lately in 2021, and certified for the Well-known Idaho Potato Bowl earlier this season, which they gained in an extra time thriller over Fresno State.
