Gannon University and Ursuline College have filed a suit in federal court to block the Great Midwest Athletic Conference from taking away the ability for Ursuline student-athletes to compete in the NCAA Division II league while pursuing their college degree.
The suit, which was filed in the U.S. District Court of Northern Ohio, accuses the GMAC’s decision of violating the conference’s bylaws and Title IX statutes by “discriminating against Ursuline’s predominantly female athletic program,” according to a news release.
Ursuline College in Pepper Pike is a founding and charter member of the GMAC, and the educational institute is in the process of being acquired by Gannon of Erie, Pa., to create one Catholic higher education system.
In fall 2025, the GMAC’s board expelled Ursuline from the conference. A waiver was granted for the 2026-27 academic year that allowed Ursuline to compete in the conference for another season, but the GMAC’s member presidents delayed a vote scheduled for June on Ursuline’s appeal until mid-July which, according to the release, creates an “unacceptable level of uncertainty” for its athletics beyond this 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,” Ursuline College Athletic Director Cindy McKnight said in the release.
The GMAC and its member presidents argue that it is a conflict of interest for Walter Iwanenko, president of Gannon University, to also serve as the president of Ursuline College and sit on two conference boards with Ursuline retaining an independent athletic program separate from Gannon.
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, the release said.
“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,” Iwanenko said in the release. “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. 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.”
Brennan, Manna & Diamond, LLC, an Akron-based law firm, is representing Gannon in the case.