HARTFORD CITY, Ind. — The Mid-Central College Conference is now the Crossroads League.

One of the NAIA’s elite conferences unveils their new brand at www.crossroadsleague.com Wednesday.

League Commissioner J.D. Collins initiated a re-brand effort to update and revive the identity of the Central Indiana based athletic conference. In the Fall of 2011, Collins began the re-brand process by performing a thorough primary research study to replace the current brand. By involving institution presidents, athletic directors, coaches and sports information directors in the research study, Collins found that his intuitions about the state of the brand were consistent among institution leadership. The league commissioner then summoned a team to complete the re-brand effort. Collins put together an internal brand committee of institution leaders, and worked closely with a college athletics consultant, 2D Consulting.

The conference then hired Intersection, a branding agency, to take the lead on re-creating the name and visual identity. Partnerships with these groups took shape in early 2012.

The creation of the new brand took several factors into account; the conference’s location in the Midwest, each institution being faith-based, and communicating elite athletics.

“Our League now communicates, both visually and through the name, all of the things our institutions hold dear; our unique faith, top-flight athletics, and our foundation in the Midwest”, said Collins. Collins’ strong satisfaction with the brand was echoed unanimously by all ten institution Presidents when Intersection presented the new brand in late April.

Moving forward, the Crossroads League’s commitment to academic excellence, competitive athletics, and a life of strong faith application will not waver. The League will continue to compete regularly in the NAIA’s national tournaments as well as continuing to produce the nation’s top Academic All-Americans year in and year out.

The Crossroads League is a 10-institution athletic conference in the NAIA. The Crossroads League offers 15 year round sports throughout Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio. The league will continue to be a pioneer in academic excellence, competitive athletics and a faith-driven focus both on and off the field.

The Crossroads League consists of 10 colleges and universities: Bethel College (Mishawaka, Ind.); Goshen College (Goshen, Ind.); Grace College (Winona Lake, Ind.); Huntington University (Huntington, Ind.); Indiana Wesleyan University (Marion, Ind.); Marian University (Indianapolis, Ind.); Mount Vernon Nazarene University (Mount Vernon, Ohio); University of Saint Francis (Fort Wayne, Ind.); Spring Arbor University (Spring Arbor); and Taylor University (Upland, Ind.).