The Northern Lakes Conference within Indiana

The Northern Lakes Conference of Indiana (NLC) is an IHSAA-sanctioned athletic conference of high schools located within Elkhart, Kosciusko, Marshall and St. Joseph counties in northern Indiana, United States.

History

To deal with the reorganization and consolidation of high schools across Northern Indiana, an organizational meeting for the formation of the Northern Lakes Conference was held on February 3, 1963. Charter members of the NLC were the high schools of Bremen, Manchester, Nappanee, Plymouth, Rochester and Warsaw. The conference began competition in 1964–65 in Boys’ Baseball, Football, Basketball and Track. In 1965, Boys’ Tennis and Golf were added; Cross-Country was added in 1966; and Wrestling became a conference sport in 1968. The conference was “intended to provide good, clean competition and fellowship for the boys, the coaches, and the school bodies of the Northern Lakes region.”

Concord High School joined the NLC in 1967 and Wawasee High School joined in 1968. By 1970, all schools participated in all eight boys’ sports.

In the 1970s Girls’ sports were added. Conference competition began in 1976–77 in Basketball, Tennis, Track and Volleyball. In 1980 Swimming was added; Cross-Country was added in 1986, Softball in 1987; Golf in 1994; and Soccer in 1997.

Additional sports added to NLC Boys’ competition included Swimming in 1980 and Soccer in 1994.

Membership in the Northern Lakes Conference has fluctuated between six and eight schools throughout conference history. In 1976, Manchester changed conferences. 1987 and 1989, Rochester and Bremen withdrew memberships to begin competition with schools of lesser size and less travel than those of the NLC membership. Additions to the Northern Lakes Conference were Goshen in 1976 and Northridge in 1987. Elkhart Memorial began competition in winter sports in 2000 and all other sports in 2001–02.

The Northern Lakes Conference is recognized as one of the athletic conferences in the state of Indiana. Competitions at the state level include NLC student athletes in most every sport. The NLC started offering a formal coaching education course in 1991. NLC principals and athletic directors are regularly seated in governing bodies for athletic administration at the state level.

On March 7, 2018, the Northern Lakes Conference announced that Elkhart Memorial High School will cease to be a member of the conference at the conclusion of the 2019- 2020 school year. In the fall of 2020, Elkhart Memorial and Elkhart Central high schools will consolidate forming one Elkhart High School. The new school will retain Elkhart Central's position in the Northern Indiana Conference.

The conference announced it will be accepting applications for membership through May 15, 2018. The NLC announced in July 2018 that Mishawaka High School will join for the 2020–21 school year, leaving the NIC.[1]

Basketball

The NLC has a rich basketball history, producing NBA stars like Scott Skiles, Rick Fox, and Shawn Kemp. On February 11, 2017, the Warsaw Tigers made league history by becoming the first team to win the conference in three consecutive years while going undefeated (21-0) during that span.[2]

Membership

School Location County Team Name Colors Size IHSAA
Class
Year joined Previous conference
Concord High School (Elkhart, Indiana) Elkhart 20
Elkhart
Minutemen     1,657 5A 1967 Elkhart County
Goshen High School (Indiana) Goshen 20
Elkhart
RedHawks2     1,923 5A 1976 Independents
(NIC 1969)
Mishawaka High School Mishawaka 71
St. Joseph
Cavemen     1,477 5A 2020 Northern Indiana
Northridge High School (Indiana) Middlebury 20
Elkhart
Raiders     1,397 4A 1987 Independents
(new school 1969)
NorthWood High School Nappanee 20
Elkhart
Panthers     905 4A 1969 none (new school)
Plymouth High School (Indiana) Plymouth 50
Marshall
Rockies / Pilgrims     1,097 4A 1963 Central Indiana
Warsaw
Community High School
Warsaw 43
Kosciusko
Tigers     2,103 6A 1963 Central Indiana
Wawasee High School Syracuse 43
Kosciusko
Warriors     939 4A 1968 none (new school)
  1. Mascot was Redskins until 2016.

Former members

School Location Mascot Colors County Years Joined Previous conference Year left Conference joined
Bremen1 Bremen Lions     50
Marshall
1963 Marshall County 1989 Northern State
Manchester North Manchester Squires       85
Wabash
1963 Independents
(WCC 1962)
1976 Three Rivers
Nappanee Nappanee Bulldogs     20
Elkhart
1963 Elkhart County 1969 none (consolidated
into NorthWood)
Rochester Rochester Zebras       25
Fulton
1963 Central Indiana 1987 Three Rivers Conference
Elkhart
Memorial
2
Elkhart Crimson Chargers     20
Elkhart
1999 Northern Indiana 2020 Consolidated into Elkhart (NIC)
  1. Played concurrently in NLC and MCC 1963–66.
  2. Elkhart Memorial played in both the NIC and NLC from 1999 to 2001.

Conference championships

Football

#TeamSeasons
15Plymouth1966, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973*, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978*, 2005, 2007*, 2008, 2009, 2012*, 2014
15NorthWood1974, 1980*, 1984*, 1985*, 1991*, 1992*, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1999*, 2004*, 2007*, 2016, 2022
12Concord1979, 1983, 1984*, 1991*, 2004*, 2006, 2010, 2011, 2012*, 2013, 2015, 2021
9Goshen1978*, 1980*, 1981*, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1992*, 1997, 1998, 2002
9Warsaw1964, 1967, 1973*, 1982, 1990, 1992*, 1999*, 2000, 2001, 2020
3Wawasee1973*, 1986, 2004*
2Bremen1965, 1970
1Northridge2017
1Elkhart Memorial2003
1Rochester1969
0Manchester
0Nappanee

Boys basketball

#TeamSeasons
26Warsaw1965, 1966*, 1967, 1969, 1972*, 1976, 1979*, 1980, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1989, 1991, 1992, 1994,
1995, 1996*, 1997*, 1999, 2004, 2010, 2011, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018* 2019, 2021
17Plymouth1968*, 1970, 1973, 1977, 1978, 1981, 1982, 1983*, 1987, 1988, 1990, 1996*, 1997*, 1998*, 2001,
2007*, 2008
6NorthWood1972*, 1998*, 2000, 2007*, 2022, 2023
5Rochester1966*, 1971, 1974, 1975, 1979*
4Northridge1996*, 2009, 2014, 2018* 2020
3Elkhart Memorial2002, 2006, 2012
2Concord2005, 2013
2Wawassee1983*, 1983
1Goshen2003
1Manchester1968*
0Bremen
0Nappanee

Girls basketball

#TeamSeasons
16Warsaw1984, 1987*, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1999, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2010, 2013, 2022, 2023
9Northridge1997, 1998, 2006, 2007, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019*
6Plymouth1992, 1994, 2000, 2001, 2009*, 2019*
5Goshen1980, 1981, 1982, 1987*, 2021
4Elkhart Memorial2008, 2009*, 2011, 2012
3NorthWood1977, 2015, 2020
3Wawasee1995, 1996, 2009*
2Concord1983, 1985
2Rochester1978, 1979
1Bremen1986

State championships

Concord (3)

  • 1964 Boys Gymnastics
  • 1965 Boys Gymnastics
  • 1966 Boys Gymnastics

Elkhart Memorial (0)

Goshen (3)

  • 1978 Football (2A)
  • 1988 Football (4A)
  • 2014 Soccer (2A)

Northridge (2)

  • 1988 Softball
  • 2004 Boys Cross Country

NorthWood (4)

  • 1999 Girls Basketball (3A)
  • 2005 Football (3A)
  • 2020 Girls Basketball (3A)
  • 2023 Boys Basketball (3A)

Plymouth (4)

  • 1977 Football (2A)
  • 1982 Boys Basketball
  • 2007 Boys Basketball (3A)
  • 2008 Girls Basketball (3A)

Warsaw (5)

  • 1976 Girls Basketball
  • 1978 Girls Basketball
  • 1984 Boys Basketball
  • 1991 Softball
  • 2005 Boys Golf

Wawasee (1)

  • 1976 Girls Track & Field

References

  1. Ray, Olivia (2018-07-11). "Mishawaka High School to join the Northern Lakes Conference 2020-21". WSBT 22 (South Bend, IN). Retrieved 2019-03-06.
  2. "Warsaw Basketball: Three-Peat of Perfection for Tigers". 11 February 2017.
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