Western Illinois to join Ohio Valley Conference; football to play 1 more season in Missouri Valley

MACOMB, Ill. (AP) — Western Illinois will become a member of the Ohio Valley Conference in all but one sport beginning July 1. The Leathernecks’ football team will play one more season in the Missouri Valley before moving to the Ohio Valley. Western Illinois will become the 11th member in a conference with schools in Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri and Tennessee. Western Illinois’ football team had played in the Missouri Valley and its previous iterations since 1985. The Leathernecks other teams have been in the Summit League since it was founded as the Gateway Collegiate Athletic Conference in 1982.