University of Indianapolis athletic director Sue Willey isn’t ecstatic about the school’s football relationship with the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, but concedes the school doesn’t have a better option.

That might change if the Great Lakes Valley Conference — in which most UIndy teams play — begins sponsoring football.

GLVC associate commissioner Tom Daeger said the Indianapolis-based league is studying whether to add football after William Jewell College in Liberty, Mo., joined this year. It will begin conference play in the 2011-12 school year.

William Jewell will be the sixth GLVC school with a football program. Like UIndy, the rest look to other conferences or organizations for associate membership.

The GLVC considers adding any sport that has at least six member schools because that’s the number required for NCAA recognition and postseason tournaments, Daeger said.

Many UIndy programs are booming. The school finished fifth last year in the NCAA Division II Director’s Cup standings, which measures overall athletic excellence.

The softball team advanced to the Division II World Series and the women’s basketball team, ranked fourth in this year’s preseason poll, came within one victory of the Elite Eight. The women’s golf team finished third nationally and the men’s team tied for sixth. This fall, the UIndy volleyball team (23-1 entering Friday) is ranked 12th.

But football has been a mid- to lower-level program in the GLIAC, even though UIndy made substantial renovations to Key Stadium in 2004.

The Greyhounds haven’t finished higher than fifth in the conference since. They are 2-5 (1-5 in conference) heading into tonight’s home game against Michigan Tech.

Willey said she is disappointed the GLIAC continues to put the football team in its northern travel alignment, even though Indianapolis is the southern-most football school and the only one in Indiana. (The conference put it in the place reserved for Lake Superior State, which doesn’t play football.)

She said UIndy will not play Hillsdale, its closest GLIAC rival, the next two seasons.

“We’re playing teams up in (Michigan’s Upper Peninsula),” she said. “Our travel is significant.”

She also noted that two GLIAC schools — Grand Valley State and Wayne State — have enrollments exceeding 20,000, making it more difficult for UIndy to compete in a sport that relies heavily on numbers. (With 4,600 students, UIndy is the ninth-largest school in the 12-team GLIAC, according to conference statistics.)

“Matching their facilities as a small private school is very difficult,” Willey said. “You can’t keep up with everyone.”

There are some positives, she said. UIndy doesn’t have to play football as an independent, which would cause serious scheduling headaches. The strength of the league gives the program more publicity. Willey said UIndy is committed to it for at least the next two years.

UIndy’s swimming and diving teams also compete in the GLIAC because the GLVC doesn’t sponsor that sport.

Football

Franklin College’s 28-12 victory at Bluffton was its 20th in a row in Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference play, a league record. Hanover won 19 in a row from 2000-04. . . . Wabash (5-0, 3-0), ranked 10th in the American Football Coaches Association’s NCAA Division III poll, hosts No. 22 Wittenberg (5-0, 3-0) in a key North Coast Athletic Conference game today. The schools have combined to win nine of the past 11 NCAC titles. . . . St. Francis RB Daniel Carter (Decatur Central) had 146 yards rushing, including a 42-yard scoring run, in the Cougars’ 20-14 victory over Walsh. It was the 10th time Carter rushed for at least 100 yards.

Other sports

Missouri-St. Louis’ Carolyn Holstein (Brownsburg) leads the GLVC in digs with an average of 5.59 per game. Holstein is seventh overall in NCAA Division II volleyball. . . . Navy’s Beth Reed (Bishop Chatard) was named the Patriot League’s Goalkeeper of the Week after posting shutouts against Army and Holy Cross. . . . IUPUI’s Chen Ni (Carmel) was named the Summit League’s Female Athlete of the Week. Ni set a school record in the 3-meter diving competition with a score of 282.9 in the Indiana Intercollegiate meet at Purdue, good for second place.