Last weekend, Luther College had a ribbon cutting ceremony where they dedicated their new Gerdin Fieldhouse for Athletics and Wellness.
This marked the completion of one of the largest capital improvement projects in the school’s history, as their athletic programs move from the American Rivers Conference (A-R-C) to the Midwest Conference (MWC) this fall.
The move from the A-R-C is a big one as Luther was one of the founding members of the A-R-C in 1922 (editors note: the A-R-C was called the Iowa Conference before changing its name in 2018).
The Norse and the Iowa/A-R-C have been together a long time, but times change and this year was their last year in the A-R-C and now they will play in the Midwest Conference (which includes Iowa Schools Cornell and Grinnell and throughout Northern Illinois and Wisconsin). This positions the Norse for more success across their athletic programs in conference play as the A-R-C is one of the toughest conferences in DIII athletics for many sports nationally.
Athletics at the DIII, D2, and NAIA College level is crucial to overall success of the institution
How important is having a healthy athletics program for a college and university at the DIII, DII and NAIA level? The numbers tell a story.
Source: Luther.edu
That is roughly 40% of young men and young women enrolled at Luther competing as student athletes. That percentage is very similar to their Iowa DIII brethren (Central, Coe, Dubuque, Loras, Simpson, etc.). Football rosters are the largest and Luther’s 76 person roster is smaller than the 105ish person roster that the average DIII school has in the Unites States.
The Football roster size has been hard to build as Football has struggled for much of the past couple of decades. That Football gap has become wider as the Central, Coe, Dubuque, and Wartburg’s of the A-R-C have invested heavily in new facilities and roster building.
Roster size and competitiveness go hand in hand and Luther’s 76 players versus the 150ish on Wartburg’s roster for example is a gap that is to use a term a “Grand Canyon Wide” for a football program to overcome.
The A-R-C has 5 Top 50 football programs nationally (about 240 teams compete in DIII football) and the MWC has only one program today in the Top 50 in Monmouth.
The Gerdin Center will be crucial to helping Luther compete and excel in the Midwest Conference
The move this fall to the Midwest Conference will be a big change for Luther Athletics, as they go from one of the top 10 DIII Athletic conferences to one of the lower-rated conferences in NCAA DIII.
@LogHanRatings on X rates the conferences in football strength and the American Rivers Conference (ARC) is for 2026-27 rated in the top 10 nationally and the Midwest Conference (MWC).
Luther has unfortunately over the years lost their competitive position in football in the A-R-C and the move to the Midwest Conference give them the opportunity to compete and build a new football foundation.
The Gerdin Center opening timing with the move this fall gives Luther an opportunity to become a leading program in the MWC immediately in Football and all athletic programs.
New Facilities attract athletes and the new Athletic Complex is a huge step in the right direction for the Norse.
It will help with student recruitment and roster size and position the Norse for long term success in their new conference this fall and beyond.
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