The 2026-2027 academic year marks Luther College’s first year as a member of the Midwest Conference (MWC), a Division III athletic conference made up of ten small liberal arts schools across Iowa, Wisconsin and Illinois.
Luther had spent the previous 103 years in the American Rivers Conference (ARC) and was one of the founding schools of the conference. With the exceptions of men’s and women’s wrestling and bowling, which are continuing to compete independently, all Luther athletic teams are now competing in the MWC.
Part of the motivation to switch conferences came down to finding greater similarity with the other schools in the conference. According to Luther president Brad Chamberlain, “In the Midwest Conference, Luther finds partner institutions that share our philosophy toward athletics and that match the geographical diversity of our student body.”
Chamberlain said, “We took into consideration that the Midwest Conference more closely aligns with our academic partners in the [Associated Colleges of the Midwest], and that Luther’s strengths, challenges, strategic priorities, and the geographical origins of its student body fit well with the MWC.”
Students in several sports, including football, soccer and volleyball, offered their thoughts on the conference change.
Football
Luther’s football program has seen a turnaround in the 2
026-2027 season. While their last season in the ARC saw them performing 0-10, their inaugural season in the MWC will conclude leading with either a 6-4 or 7-3, depending on how November 14th’s game goes.
“There’s been a noticeable difference in our performance,” said wide receiver Salah Buraie (‘28). “The competition in the MWC isn’t necessarily as difficult as what we faced in the ARC, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy. There are still some really good teams that we have to compete against every week.”
Buraie spoke on the team’s improved morale. “Ever since I’ve been here, I’ve seen our attitude and confidence grow stronger every year,” he said. “We’ve been building something here for a long time, and I think everyone is starting to see that hard work pays off.”
“I’ve been here through some of the tougher seasons, so being able to see how far we’ve come means a lot to me,” Buraie said.
Buraie maintained that this sudden change in fortunes came from internal motivation. “I don’t think our success is just because we switched conferences. I think it’s a reflection of the work we’ve been putting in and the culture we’ve been building over the years,” he said. “It’s rewarding to finally see that progress translates into success on the field, especially knowing how much we’ve put into getting to this point.”
Buraie concluded with encouraging words for the team. “I think the biggest positive is the confidence we’ve gained and the momentum we’re building. We’ve been working toward this for years, and I think this season has shown us what we’re capable of. We’re extremely confident in where this program is headed, and I think we’re only going to continue getting better.”
Soccer
Both the women’s and men’s teams advanced to the championship stage in the MWC before falling 0-1 to Lawrence University and 1-3 (in penalties) to Grinnell College. Women’s soccer ended their season with an 8-3-5 record, while the men ended with an 11-2-5.
In their previous seasons, the men’s team had a 10-3-7 record and the women’s team had a 7-9-2.
“There are definitely mixed feelings about the switch, but overall I’d say the general feeling is that we would have preferred to stay in the ARC,” said midfielder Nels Mortenson (‘28).
“The MWC is less competitive, and although that makes winning the conference and getting to nationals easier, it takes away some of the significance,” Mortenson said.
Mortenson expressed a general sentiment that the team was still doing well. “Changes in the intensity of our performances can sometimes be natural when we play against lower-quality teams in the MWC, but I think we’ve done a good job of maintaining our standards and not dropping our level to that of our opponents.”
Mortenson felt that the switch put a damper on the team’s accomplishments. “The games in the ARC are more competitive, so winning the conference and getting to nationals feels like more of an accomplishment than an expectation,” he said.
He also touched on the positive aspect of moving conferences. “On the flip side, it’s fun to travel to new places and play against different competition.”
Midfielder Ava Stemler (‘27) spoke for the women’s side of the soccer program.
“Winning the conference title is something that the Luther women’s soccer team hadn’t done for 10 years, and being able to accomplish that this year was super special to our team,” Stemler said.
Stemler commented on the convenience of the move for her team. “We haven’t missed much class this season, but most of our games were home this year, which worked out great for us,” she said.
One downside for Stemler was the relative distance of the schools in the MWC. “Being in the ARC meant my family could easily make the short drive to games a couple of hours away instead of four to six,” Stemler said. “As a senior, I was disappointed to play so far away from home this year.”
Stemler concluded by stating that the change was relatively easy for the women’s soccer team. “At the end of the day, everyone on this team is just excited to play soccer and proud to represent Luther, which I think has allowed our team to switch conferences this year with ease and positivity.”
Volleyball
The women’s volleyball team had a 7-21 overall record this season, including a 3-6 record for games played within the MWC. Last season, their record was 6-23, including a 0-8 for in-conference games.
“This volleyball season, we saw more success in conference play,” said pin hitter Julianne Lundvall (‘27). “We earned more conference wins than in previous years, and we were competitive in every match. I think part of that is the new competition, but a lot of our growth as a program comes from our new head coach, Sam Suttie, who has brought a new energy and focus to our team this year.”
Lundvall said the team had mixed emotions about the switch to the MWC. “It’s exciting to face new competition and have the opportunity to travel to new places, but some matchups had become staples of our schedule, and we missed them this year,” she said.
Notably, most sports, including volleyball, no longer face Wartburg College, with which Luther has had a longstanding rivalry dating back to the 1950s.
“We did play a few non-conference games against ARC opponents, but the excitement and rivalry just weren’t the same,” Lundvall said.
Lundvall also noted that the MWC schedule allowed for fewer junior varsity games to be played after regular varsity games. “In the ARC, every conference matchup features a varsity game followed by a JV game, which is crucial for developing our program,” Lundvall said. “While we played a JV schedule this year, there were fewer opportunities for all of our athletes to compete.”
Lundvall maintained that Luther’s move to the Midwest Conference was still a net positive. “It’s been good for all of our teams to see new competition, and we’ve seen more success in several sports this fall,” Lundvall said.
Lundvall also listed the newly renovated Gerdin Fieldhouse and getting Luther’s name out to prospective student-athletes in Wisconsin and Illinois as benefits of the switch.
“It’s been an adjustment, and I’ll always value my time competing in the ARC, but I think this change sets the program up well for years to come,” Lundvall concluded.
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