Summit League moving conference office to Sioux Falls, Sanford Sports Complex

ELMHURST, Ill. — The Summit League announced Wednesday the intent to relocate its conference headquarters to Sioux Falls, S.D. from its current location of Elmhurst, Ill. The Summit League President’s Council unanimously approved the relocation.

The Summit League will open operations at a temporary location in Sioux Falls on Aug. 1 before moving to its permanent headquarters at the Sanford Sports Complex. The move gives the league office a more centralized location within its current footprint.

“The Summit League has been wholeheartedly embraced by The Dakotas,” Summit League Commissioner Tom Douple said. “We have always felt at home in Sioux Falls and this move further establishes our presence in the geographic area of our league.”

More: SDSU opens Summit League baseball tournament against Oral Roberts

The Summit League already has a strong reputation and following in the region. Its premier event, The Summit League Basketball Championships, has taken place in Sioux Falls each year since 2009, shattering attendance records, garnering unprecedented recognition and dramatically elevating the league’s profile.

“Tom and The Summit League have been wonderful friends of Sanford Health and the Sioux Falls community for more than a decade, and we welcome them to our city,” said Kelby Krabbenhoft, president and CEO of Sanford Health. “We have seen firsthand the national growth of the league through Tom’s leadership, and we look forward to watching that success continue.”

The Summit League will become the eleventh tenant of the Sanford Sports Complex.

“The addition of a Division I conference headquarters is another great fit for our campus,” said Kevin Lampe, executive vice president of Sanford Sports. “Sioux Falls has emphatically supported the Summit League from the beginning, and we’re excited to be part of the next step for the league.”

“We are delighted to become part of the Sanford Sports Complex,” Douple said. “In addition, the league will partner with Sanford Health to support and raise awareness to battle and defeat juvenile Type 1 diabetes. We look forward to a bright, successful future in our new home.”