Mount Mary Athletics Announces NAIA Affiliation

Mount Mary University Athletics announced that it will join the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) during the 2025-26 academic year. The university is currently a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference.

The NAIA affiliation will offer numerous benefits to the Mount Mary University student athletes, including sport-based scholarship money for athletics, potential local conference affiliation and more regional travel opportunities. Additionally, NAIA membership will allow university athletics staff to begin recruiting student athletes prior to the transition. The Blue Angel athletes and teams will be eligible for post season competition in their first seasons of competition during the 2025-2026 school year.

Mount Mary’s current five sports (cross country, soccer, volleyball, basketball and softball) will join the NAIA, which boasts an impressive history and countless benefits for small college institutions and athletes. Currently, there are over 250 NAIA-affiliated schools from 21 conferences, with over 83,000 student-athletes that receive approximately $1.3 billion in scholarships. Mount Mary joins Viterbo University as the second NAIA institution in the state of Wisconsin.

The NAIA’s Champions of Character program offers support for student athletes' commitment to personal growth and community service.

“This athletic association serves the interests of small institutions like ours and is a perfect fit for us,” said Dr. Isabelle Cherney, president of Mount Mary University. “I anticipate an exciting new season with a fresh group of competitors, and above all, I am thrilled about the shared values of character-driven athletics with the NAIA.”

“We believe that this move will enhance the overall experience for our student athletes, coaches, staff and spectators,” added Natalie Balleto, Mount Mary director of Athletics and former NAIA head coach. “Having the ability to offer athletic scholarships will allow us to recruit more competitively and attract a larger pool of talent. We’ve felt a true partnership throughout the process and a strong connection to their values, which align with our university mission.”

Mount Mary has also applied for membership to the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC), which will be voted on later this month.

The NAIA has added 25 new members since 2020, including six institutions from the NCAA. Mount Mary is among nine universities approved for membership this past year, marking the largest incoming membership to the organization in the past decade.

Read the full release from the NAIA here.