CHICAGO – The University of Illinois Chicago (UIC), having recently completed its 40^th year of NCAA Division I competition, officially joins the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC), effective July 1, 2022.
 
The UIC Flames are now the MVC's 12^th 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.
 
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, 83 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.

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.
 
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. Entering into its 116^th 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 83 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 115^th 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.