The Heart of America Athletic Conference is pleased to announce the addition of the St. Ambrose University and William Woods University football programs as Associate Members to the conference. Both programs will join the Heart in the sport of football in the fall of 2024.
“The Heart of America Athletic Conference takes great pride in the strength of our institutions and its athletics programs, and I am delighted to see the conference continue to grow in the sport of football,” said Heart Commissioner Lori Thomas. “St. Ambrose and William Woods are outstanding institutions academically and athletically and both will be a perfect fit for our conference.”
The Heart will now feature seven teams in the Heart North and seven in Heart South, becoming the largest football conference in the NAIA:
2024 Heart North Division:
Grand View University
William Penn University
Peru State College
St. Ambrose University
Graceland University
Culver-Stockton College
Clarke University
2024 Heart South Division
Baker University
Benedictine College
William Woods University
Central Methodist University
Missouri Valley College
Missouri Baptist University
MidAmerica Nazarene University
The Fighting Bees will compete in the Mid-States Football Association Midwest in 2023 and are led by head coach Vince Fillipp.
“While we have enjoyed our relationships in the Mid-States Football Association, the Heart of America Conference represents the opportunity for natural rivalries and stability for our players and coaches,” said St. Ambrose Director of Athletics Mike Holmes.
“St. Ambrose is excited to join the Heart of America in football,” said St. Ambrose University President Amy Novak. “We already compete in this conference in several sports and have found the experience to be very positive for our student-athletes. Within the Heart of America are several area universities that offer exciting regional competition in football. I appreciate the leadership in the conference and their willingness to allow us to be an associate member for football beginning in 2024. St. Ambrose has a strong athletic program, both in terms of the number of sports offered, but also in its academic performance as measured by the number of scholar-athletes, and its recognition for Champions of Character programs. We look forward to the strong and healthy competition between other great NAIA programs in the Heart of America Athletics Conference.”
William Woods announced the creation of its football program in May and will begin its first year competing in football in the fall of 2024.
About the Heart:
Founded in 1971, the Heart of America Athletic Conference (Heart) marked its 50th year during the 2020-21 season and continues to serve as one of the premier conferences in the NAIA. All 13 conference schools are members of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA).
The commissioner of the conference is Lori Thomas, who was named commissioner prior to the 2014-15 school year, and is the first female commissioner in the history of the NAIA.
