NAPERVILLE, Ill. – Lakeland College will join the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin as an associate member for the 2016-17 year, as announced by the conference Monday.
 
Lakeland will join Concordia University Wisconsin and Milwaukee School of Engineering as associate members next year. The CCIW Council of Presidents approved the associate membership applications of all three schools during a recent meeting.
 
All three institutions were former members of the Northern Wrestling Association and join current CCIW wrestling programs Augustana, Elmhurst, North Central, Millikin and Wheaton, giving the conference eight wrestling teams beginning in 2016-17.
 
The 2017 CCIW Wrestling Championship will feature eight teams for the first time since 1985 when nine schools competed. The CCIW began sponsoring wrestling in 1957 as Augustana has won 37 conference titles including its most recent one in 2014. Last season, Wheaton won its first CCIW wrestling title since 1981.
 
"The addition of Concordia Wisconsin, Lakeland and the Milwaukee School of Engineering is an opportunity to enhance our conference wrestling championship and provide a challenging and memorable experience for our student-athletes," CCIW commissioner Chris Martin said. "These additions give the CCIW eight wrestling programs, the most in over 30 years, which should only make our championship that much more meaningful."
 
Lakeland, located in Plymouth, Wisconsin, reinstated its wrestling program in 1993, and is coached by Dillon Bera. The Muskies have won five conference titles including five-straight Northern Wrestling Association titles from 2008-12, and have made eight NCAA Division III Wrestling Championship appearances. Additionally, Lakeland has had three all-Americans in school history.
 
Concordia Wisconsin, Lakeland and MSOE gives the CCIW six current associate members, joining Carroll and Dubuque (men's & women's lacrosse), and Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology (men's & women's swimming). Washington University in St. Louis will join the CCIW as an associate member for football beginning in 2018, while Carroll will join as a full CCIW member beginning in the fall of 2016.

Information from the CCIW was used in this release