The Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) is an affiliated conference of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), consisting of 12 private, faith-based colleges and universities in Nebraska, Iowa, and South Dakota. Originally f ounded in 1969 as the Nebraska Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (NIAC), the league retains four of the six charter members - Concordia, Doane, Hastings, and Midland.
In 1992, the NIAC added Northwestern and became the Nebraska-Iowa Athletic Conference. Eight years later, Dakota Wesleyan, Dordt, Mount Marty and Sioux Falls joined the conference which became the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) in 2000-2001. Briar Cliff entered the league in 2002-2003 and Morningside joined starting with the 2003-2004 school year. In the summer of 2010 Dana College ceased operations (Member from 1969-2010) and in 2011 The University of Sioux Falls discontinued membership in the GPAC (Member from 2000-2011). Nebraska Wesleyan discontinued membership in 2016 (Member from 1969-2016). In 2015-16 the GPAC added College of Saint Mary in Omaha, Nebraska, as a member. In 2018-19 the University of Jamestown in Jamestown, North Dakota, joined the league as the 12th member. Jamestown's membership ended with the 2023-24 school year. Waldorf University joins the league beginning in 2024-25.
The GPAC sponsors 22 intercollegiate sports - nine for women, ten for men, and cheer & dance as a co-ed offering and awards an All-Sports Trophy based on the final league standings and conference meet results at the end of each school year.
Since 2000 the GPAC has 38 NAIA team National Champions.
First and foremost, the GPAC remains committed to Academic and Athletic Excellence.