Cornell College is headed back to where it started. The Mount Vernon school will re-join the Midwest Conference in 2012 after competing in the Iowa Conference for the last 14 years. Cornell was a founding member of the Midwest Conference back in 1921. Cornell’s decision will leave the Iowa Conference with eight members.

Iowa Conference commissioner Chuck Yrigoyen says they’ve never closed the door to possible expansion. He says while they are happy with the eight remaining members, expansion is always a possibility. Yrigoyen says the announcement proves things are fluid, even in Division 3 when it comes to conference membership.

Yrigoyen says one fewer conference member will create scheduling difficulties for some of the sports. He says finding another nonconference football game is always a challenge.