LEWISTON, Idaho — The College of Idaho will soon have a conference in-state rival.
Lewis-Clark State College announcing Monday they will leave the Frontier Conference (NAIA) and join the Cascade Collegiate Conference (NAIA) beginning next summer.
The Warriors have been a member of the Frontier Conference since 1999 and are the only school in the conference located outside the state of Montana, which school officials say makes travel difficult, especially during the winter.
The move will allow the Warriors to increase their conference schedules to 22 games per season for sports like basketball, meaning instead of playing their current conference teams three times every season, they'll only have to play each CCC conference foe twice.
Currently, there are 11 schools in the CCC: College of Idaho, Eastern Oregon University, Oregon Tech, Corban University, Northwest Christian, Northwest University, Walla Walla University, Southern Oregon University, Multnomah, Warner Pacific, and The Evergreen State University.
Those schools compete in seven men's sports and seven women's sports: baseball/softball, basketball, cross country, golf soccer, track and field, wrestling (men) and volleyball.
The CCC and Frontier Conference currently work closely to help fill schedules for sports like baseball, football, and soccer.
LCSC plays in the NAIA west for baseball. That league includes other CCC teams Corban, College of Idaho, Oregon Tech and British Columbia (an associate member).
Eastern Oregon, College of Idaho and Southern Oregon play in the Frontier Conference football league while Carroll, Rocky Mountain, and Providence are CCC members in men's and women's soccer.
LCSC officials say they're looking into adding a women's soccer team in the near future.
With the conference going to 12 teams, the CCC will have the option of going to two six-team divisions for some sports.
