BRENTWOOD, Tenn. – Western Illinois University has accepted an invitation to join the Ohio Valley Conference.
Western Illinois, which sponsors 17 of the OVC's championship sports, will become official members on July 1, 2023. WIU's football team, which currently competes in the Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC), will play one final season in the MVFC and join the OVC prior to the 2024 season.
Western Illinois will join the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, Eastern Illinois University, Lindenwood University, Morehead State University, Southeast Missouri State University, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, University of Southern Indiana, Tennessee State University, Tennessee Technological University and the University of Tennessee at Martin as OVC full member institutions.