Ohio NAIA Colleges

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The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) counts as its members almost 300 colleges and universities in the United States and Canada and governs 50,000 student-athletes participating in sports at those member institutions. The NAIA offers 23 championships in 13 sports. In Ohio, there are 12 schools that are members of the NAIA.

1 American Mideast Conference

Seven NAIA Ohio members compete as part of the American Mideast Conference.

Cedarville University offers men's and women's cross country, men's golf, men's and women's soccer, men's and women's tennis, women's volleyball, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's track and field, baseball and softball.

Canton's Malone University Pioneers offer a number of opportunities for the student-athlete. Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, soccer, swimming, tennis and track and field. Women compete in basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis, track and field and volleyball.

The Cougars of Mount Vernon Nazarene University in Mount Vernon compete in men's and women's basketball, men's and women's soccer, men's and women's cross country, men's golf, men's baseball, women's volleyball and women's softball.

Notre Dame College in Euclid fields 22 scholarship teams. The Falcons compete in men's baseball, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's bowling, men's and women's cross country, men's football, men's and women's golf, women's lacrosse, men's and women's soccer, women's softball, men's and women's swimming and diving, men's and women's track and field, men's and women's water polo, women's volleyball and men's wrestling.

Ursuline College, Pepper Pike, competes in basketball, bowling, cross country, golf, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis, track and field and volleyball. As the student body is 97 percent female, all sports teams are for women only.

Wilberforce University competes in men's and women's basketball, men's and women's cross country and men's and women's golf.

Walsh University in North Canton competes in football, men's and women's cross country, men's and women's soccer, women's volleyball, men's and women's basketball, men's baseball, women's softball, men's and women's golf, men's lacrosse, men's and women's tennis and men's and women's track. Walsh has begun the transition to becoming an National Collegiate Athletic Association program and will leave the NAIA at the end of the 2011-2012 school year.

2 Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

Cincinnati Christian University, home of the Eagles, is located in Cincinnati. Male student-athletes can compete in baseball, basketball, golf, soccer and cross country. Basketball, soccer, cross country and volleyball are offered for female athletes.

3 Association of Independent Institutions

The Gray Wolves of Lourdes College in Sylvania compete in men's baseball, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's golf and women's volleyball. A men's volleyball team is expected to launch in 2012.

4 Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference

Located in Lima, the University of Northwestern Ohio Racers compete as the newest member of the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference. Men's baseball, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's golf, men's and women's tennis, men's and women's bowling and women's volleyball make up the athletic offerings. In addition, the university offers students the opportunity to compete on a co-ed motor sports team.

5 Mid-South Conference

Two of Ohio's NAIA members play in the Mid-South Conference.

The University of Rio Grande Red Storm competes in men's baseball, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's cross country, men's and women's soccer, men's and women's track and field and women's volleyball. The university holds an annual recruiting day, usually in October, that allows prospective students interested in competing to meet with coaches and learn more about the university and athletic program.

The Bears of Shawnee State University in Portsmouth compete in men's and women's cross country, men's and women's soccer, women's volleyball, men's and women's basketball, men's baseball, women's softball, men's golf and women's tennis.

Jody Becker has been an award-winning journalist since 1988. Her work has appeared in "Asphalt Contractor," "Soil & Groundwater Cleanup," "The Informational Management Journal," "Courier Magazine," "Applicator," "Scaffold Industry" and the "Professional Window Cleaner." She has a Bachelor of Science in journalism from the University of Kansas.

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