DEKALB – Northern Illinois University will join the Horizon League as a full member with 14 sports set to begin competition in the League for the 2026-27 seasons, NIU and the Horizon League announced Thursday (Feb. 27). The announcement came following a meeting of the NIU Board of Trustees.
“We are delighted to be joining the Horizon League. The league will be a wonderful home and a great fit for Huskie Athletics,” said NIU President Lisa C. Freeman. “The regional footprint of the league provides NIU student-athletes with the opportunity to compete at a high level in cities throughout the Midwest while maintaining the high academic standards that have become a hallmark of NIU Athletics.”
NIU teams will compete in the Horizon League in men’s and women’s basketball, volleyball, men’s and women’s soccer, women’s cross country, women’s indoor and outdoor track and field, men’s and women’s tennis, men’s and women’s golf, baseball and softball.
“We are looking forward to a great partnership with the Horizon League and are excited about the opportunities for NIU student-athletes to continue our legacy of success” said NIU Vice President and Director of Athletics and Recreation Sean T. Frazier. “Thanks to Commissioner Julie Roe Lach and the membership of the Horizon League, and to President Freeman and others in the NIU administration, who have been alongside as we chart the course for the future of NIU Athletics. This move continues our strategic approach to embracing a national model for our programs while preserving a regional base and returning to a league where Huskie Athletics can continue to thrive.”
NIU, which is celebrating its 125th season of intercollegiate athletics in 2024-25, was previously a member of the Horizon League – then known as the Midwestern Collegiate Conference – from 1994-97. Five different Huskie teams won eight league titles during that time. NIU won the McCafferty Trophy, awarded annually to the league’s all-sport champion, following the 1995-96 academic year.
Headquartered in downtown Indianapolis, the Horizon League, is celebrating its 46th season of operation in 2024-25. Nine of the current league member institutions are located in top 70 media markets throughout the Midwest’s major metropolitan cities. NIU becomes the 12th full member of the Horizon League, joining Cleveland State University, the University of Detroit Mercy, Indiana University-Indianapolis, Northern Kentucky University, Oakland University, Purdue University Fort Wayne, Robert Morris University, the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Wright State University and Youngstown State University.
“We are thrilled to welcome Northern Illinois University into #OurHorizon in a major move for our League and member institutions,” said Horizon League Commissioner Julie Roe Lach. “The university’s commitment to holistically developing students for their future aligns closely with our mission, vision and core values and we look forward to the major experiences and impact this will create for our student-athletes.”
The move to the Horizon League marks another step in NIU Athletics’ ongoing effort to maximize revenues in order to ensure the sustainability – and the level of excellence – of all Huskie programs amidst considerable and ongoing changes in the intercollegiate athletics landscape. On January 7, NIU accepted an invitation for its football program to join the Mountain West Conference beginning with the 2026 season.
