CLEVELAND, July 1, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Gannon University and Ursuline College today filed suit in federal court to prevent the Great Midwest Athletic Conference (GMAC) from stripping the ability for Ursuline College student-athletes to compete in the GMAC in their chosen Division II sport while pursuing their college degrees.
The case was filed in U.S. District Court in Cleveland and alleges GMAC’s decision violates not just its own bylaws but also Title IX statutes by discriminating against Ursuline’s predominantly female athletic program.
Ursuline, a founding and charter member of the GMAC conference, is being acquired by Erie, Pa.-based Gannon University, which will create the largest Catholic higher education system along Lake Erie.
“Gannon has a strong history of supporting athletics, and it is critically important to me that our Ursuline student-athletes, coaches, and staff know that I have their backs and intend to fight for their inclusion in the GMAC,” said Gannon University President Walter Iwanenko.
The court filing is the result of a decision by the GMAC’s board in the fall of 2025 to expel Ursuline from the conference. After granting a waiver for the 2026-27 academic year, which allows Ursuline to compete among its colleagues and athletic rivals for one more year, GMAC’s member presidents have delayed a scheduled June vote on Ursuline’s appeal until mid-July, creating an unacceptable level of uncertainty for Ursuline’s student-athletes, coaches and staff looking beyond the upcoming season.
“As a founding and charter member of the GMAC, Ursuline and our coaches and student-athletes deserve better treatment, respect, and transparency than we are receiving from conference leadership and its member presidents,” said Ursuline College Athletic Director Cindy McKnight.
The GMAC and its member presidents contend it is a conflict of interest for the president of Gannon University to also serve as the president of Ursuline College and therefore sit on two conference boards as Ursuline College will retain an independent athletics program. The NCAA reviewed and approved this proposed structure earlier this year. Precedent exists at other conferences that permit membership under this type of leadership structure.
“There are other private institutions in the GMAC that are struggling, and this decision foreshadows that if an institution merges, it will no longer have a home in the GMAC,” President Iwanenko stated. “That reality should give each member-president and their board pause as they think about their own futures and the precedent they are setting with this decision.”
Gannon University is represented in this matter by Brennan Manna Diamond.
About Gannon University:
Gannon University is a Catholic, diocesan university with campuses in Erie, Pennsylvania, and Ruskin, Florida, offering online and traditional associate, bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral programs to more than 4,400 academically talented and diverse students. Gannon University is dedicated to excellence in teaching, scholarship, and service. Inspired by the Catholic Intellectual Tradition, the University offers a comprehensive, values-centered learning experience that emphasizes faith, leadership, inclusiveness and social responsibility.
About Ursuline College:
Ursuline College, founded in 1871 by the Ursuline Sisters of Cleveland, is a Catholic liberal arts institution located in Pepper Pike, Ohio, serving about 1,000 students through undergraduate and graduate programs. The college is a proud founding and charter member of the Division II Great Midwest Athletic Conference, which the college’s leadership helped create in 2011, and its student-athletes have proudly represented the Arrows through its conference membership.
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SOURCE Gannon University
