From the NAIA to NCAA Division II, Saint Martin's journey through five conferences has mirrored the growth and evolution of its athletic program. Five conferences, two mascots and a transition from the NAIA to NCAA Division II have shaped a century of competition for the Saints.

After over 70 years of competing at the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) level, Saint Martin's made the jump to NCAA Division II competition in 1998. 

"A hundred years of competitive athletics doesn't happen by standing still," Saint Martin's Director of Athletics Theresa Hanson said. "Saint Martin's has always had the courage to take the next step - whether that was joining our first competitive athletic conference in 1926 or making the leap from the NAIA to the NCAA in 1998." 

Building a Conference Legacy

Thirty one years after Saint Martin's was founded by the Benedictine monks of Saint Martin's Abbey, the school began competing in conference-affiliated collegiate athletics for the first time, joining the Washington-Oregon Conference. In 1937, the Washington Intercollegiate Conference (WINCO) formed, with original charter members Central Washington, Eastern Washington, Western Washington, and Pacific Lutheran — Saint Martin's joined in 1938 alongside Whitworth, and competed against its familiar Washington opponents that to this day form lasting interstate rivalries. The year 1938 also coincided with Saint Martin's becoming a four-year, fully-accredited baccalaureate-granting institution.

The Saints (then Rangers) moved on from the WINCO to the Evergreen Conference, where the school would compete for the next 33 years. During that time in 1966, the program officially changed its name to "Saints." The Evergreen Conference period for Saint Martin's also saw the construction of the Pavilion in 1968 and the formation of the first Women's Basketball team in 1979. During this time, Saint Martin's competed in football during the 1940's and 1950's. 

From 1984 through 1998, the Saints competed in the Pacific Northwest Athletic Conference (PNWAC), the final NAIA conference the school would compete in. During this time, the Saint Martin's Women's Basketball team won two PNWAC league titles. Saint Martin's added Women's Volleyball in 1987 during its time in the PNWAC.

Ahead of the 1998-99 academic year, Saint Martin's College made the leap to the Division II ranks, joining the Pacific West Conference (PacWest) alongside future GNAC competitors Central Washington, Western Oregon, and Western Washington.

The culmination of significant growth in the 1980s and 1990s (when the Saints added cross country/track, volleyball, baseball, and softball), prepared Saint Martin's for a jump to the next level of competition. The period of growth also aligned with the creation of the Saint Martin's Athletic Foundation — during the period of 1986 to 2000, the foundation contributed more than $325,000 to student-athletes and programs, which is equivalent to over $550,000 in 2026 dollars. This crucial fundraising efforts allowed for investment, recruiting, equipment, facilities, and staffing to strengthen the Saint Martin's Athletics programs.

The transition to Division II athletics was more than a change in conference affiliation, it represented a new chapter for an athletic department that was growing in both size and ambition.

A Changing Athletic Landscape

In 2001, 10 member institutions split from the Pacific West Conference to form a new regional league across Alaska, Washington, California, Idaho, and Oregon. The original members, alongside Saint Martin's, were Alaska Anchorage, Alaska Fairbanks, Central Washington, Humboldt State, Northwest Nazarene, Seattle Pacific, Seattle University, Western Oregon, and Western Washington.

In the 25 years of the conference, eight founding members have remained competitors in the GNAC, while Montana State Billings joined in 2007 and Simon Fraser in 2010 — Humboldt joined the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) in 2006 and Seattle University transitioned to Division I in 2008. Concordia-Portland joined the GNAC in 2015 and competed through 2020, when the school ceased operations.

Sport-specific affiliate members have included: Dixie State University (now Utah Tech)(football), Azusa Pacific (football), University of Mary (football), University of Sioux Falls (football), South Dakota School of Mines and Technology (Men's Soccer + football), California San Diego (rowing), Central Oklahoma (rowing), Jamestown (men's soccer).

In its 25 years as a conference, the GNAC has seen nine teams win national championships, along with 67 individual national titles in cross country and track & field — Mikel Smith's back-to-back national championships at the 2016 outdoor and 2017 indoor championships in high jump marked Saint Martin's national championships.

"As a former GNAC student-athlete and now commissioner, I will always view this conference through the lens of the student-athlete experience. Saint Martin's played an important role as a founding member of the GNAC and helped shape a conference rooted in the values of NCAA Division II — academic achievement, competitive excellence, meaningful relationships and personal growth," GNAC Commissioner Bridget Johnson Tetteh said. "Division II provides true student-athlete experience, giving young people the opportunity to excel in the classroom and on the field of play with skills that last long beyond college. Saint Martin's embodies the GNAC and DII spirit by ensuring an environment where student-athletes thrive academically, compete at the highest level, and positively impact their communities. The GNAC has grown and evolved in many ways, but its purpose remains deeply personal to me: Creating transformational opportunities where student-athletes excel today and into the future, just as it did for me."

Throughout its time in the GNAC, Saint Martin's has totaled eight GNAC regular season championships and two GNAC tournament championships across all sports. The 2009 Men's Soccer team captured the university's first ever GNAC championship (regular season) and 2025-26 Men's Basketball marked the school's most recent GNAC regular season and tournament championships.

"Becoming a founding member of the GNAC in 2001 was the culmination of that ambition, and it's a legacy every student-athlete who's worn our colors has helped build," Hanson said. "I'm incredibly proud to be part of Saint Martin's history, and even more excited about the responsibility we now carry - building the next 100 years of this legacy."

Saint Martin's Athletics Conference History

• Washington-Oregon Conference (1926-1936)
• WINCO - Washington Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (1938-1948)
• NAIA Evergreen Conference (1949-1982)
• NAIA Independent (1982-1984)
• NAIA Pacific Northwest Athletic Conference (1984-1998)
• NCAA Division II, PacWest Conference (1998-2001)
• NCAA Division II, Great Northwest Athletic Conference (2001-present)