35|35 Anniversary Website
This is the 35th and final installment of a series of 35 moments, milestones, and facts that will be featured throughout the 2013-14 academic year to celebrate the 35th Anniversary of the Great Lakes Valley Conference.
In a fitting end to the year-long celebration of the 35th Anniversary of the Great Lakes Valley Conference, the GLVC closed out the 2013-14 season with arguably its most successful season ever both on and off the field.
The league earned three NCAA Division II Championships in team sports and two individual national crowns as well. Drury University’s men’s and women’s swimming and diving programs continued their dominance in the pool by sweeping the national championships, just weeks before the Panthers’ men’s and women’s basketball teams advanced to the NCAA Elite Eight.
This past May, the University of Southern Indiana earned its second-ever national title in baseball, having garnered the conference’s inaugural national crown in 2010.
Southern Indiana’s Johnnie Guy and University of Indianapolis’ Tatiana Zhuravleva placed first in the 10,000 meters and the discus, respectively, at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships.
Other notable finishes included national semifinalist Rockhurst men’s soccer and fifth-place finisher UIndy women’s golf.
The GLVC also saw success in the classroom, placing second among 24 Division II conferences in federal graduation rate (FGR) and third in academic success rate (ASR).
With the addition of Truman State University this past year, the GLVC now has stability with its membership for the foreseeable future. The Bulldogs achieved instant success, having been a championship finalist in volleyball and football before capturing their first-ever GLVC title at the Deaconess GLVC Women’s Basketball Championship Tournament.
The GLVC tied its best institutional finish and set a new combined top-35 finish in the Learfield Sports Directors' Cup Standings. For just the second time in conference history, the GLVC saw one of its member institutions (UIndy) finish fourth overall, while four programs achieved top-35 status for the first time since the 2007-08 academic year.
On Monday, June 30, GLVC Commissioner Jim Naumovich talked on camera with GLVCsports.com about this past year and the history of the conference while also looking ahead to the future.