By Grace Malec, Sports Editor
With a new season of athletics, the WHAC is changing and shaking up schedules for Aquinas teams. Aquinas College Athletics is a member of the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference, also known as the WHAC, a conference within the NAIA. The WHAC was founded in 1992 and represents four Midwestern states; Indiana, Michigan, Ohio and Illinois. Following the 2024-2025 Academic year, changes began shaking up the conference.
Following the end of the 2025 year, Concordia University Ann-Arbor announced the discontinuation of its athletics program due to budgetary concerns.
WHAC opponent flags line the walls of Sturrus Sports & Fitness Center – Photo by Grace Malec
Over the summer of 2025, it was announced that after the 2025-2026 academic year concludes, Siena Heights University in Adrian, Mich. would close its doors. The institution attributed challenges such as financial and operational challenges as large factors in their decision to close.
junior lacrosse team member Will Larriuz said. “Deep rooted rivalries are now gone due to the lack of funding. This forces us to adapt, with fewer conference opponents means more travel and non-conference scheduling which would be more expensive to fund.”
With the discontinuation of two athletic programs within the conference, the WHAC added Defiance College as a member institution of the conference this year.
These changes have impacted the Aquinas athletics community directly. Men’s Lacrosse is approaching their season with a different competitive landscape without one of their toughest opponents; the Concordia University Ann-Arbor Cardinals. The changes in the conference prompted the change of the team’s schedule to feature two games for every WHAC opponent; playing one game at home and one game on the road.
“Seeing schools like CUAA and Siena Heights close and shut down athletics definitely changes the competitive landscape of the WHAC,” junior member of the Lacrosse team, Dillon Wieschhorster said. “Lacrosse wise, we will definitely have less variety of competition throughout the season, it will definitely be a big change in the way we prepare for conference play and how that will prepare us for the postseason. Having less conference teams on our schedule makes all of those games mean a little more, especially when trying to make a push for nationals and the postseason in general.”
Men’s Lacrosse plays WHAC opponent, Madonna University – Photo by Grace Malec
The changes in the WHAC not only impact how schedules are looking for Aquinas teams, but also are causing student-athletes from these schools to transfer. With the largest Freshman class since 2018, Aquinas is feeling the impacts of these changes and closings of schools in the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference.
“It’s tough to watch athletes lose their teams and traditions in which they have built over the years, and should make us value ours just that much more,” Larriuz said. “I believe that the impact of schools leaving the conference is going to be felt across every program in the WHAC.”
The Saint 