The 2026–27 academic year marks Ali Wilson’s fifth year with the American Rivers Conference (A-R-C). Wilson joined the conference office on July 5, 2022, as Sport Administration Assistant and was elevated to Assistant Commissioner prior to the 2024–25 academic year.
As Assistant Commissioner, Wilson oversees the conference’s communications, awards, and promotional initiatives while supporting the administration of the league’s 23 championship sports. She has played a key role in the successful execution of several NCAA postseason events hosted by the conference, including the 2023 NCAA Division III Baseball Championship, the 2024 NCAA Division III Lower Midwest Wrestling Regional, and the 2026 NCAA Division III Men’s Wrestling Championship in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Wilson will also serve as Media Director for the 2027 NCAA Division III Women’s Basketball Final Four.
Wilson has developed an extensive record of service within NCAA Division III and collegiate athletics. She served as the NCAA site representative for the 2022 NCAA Division III Football Championship quarterfinal between Wartburg College and Aurora University and was a member of the NCAA Division III 50th Anniversary Committee. After serving on the NCAA Division III Women’s Golf Regional Advisory Committee, she began a four-year term on the NCAA Division III Women’s Golf Committee in September 2024. In 2024, Wilson was selected as the D3SIDA Conference Liaison through College Sport Communicators (CSC), a four-year appointment. She also serves as Secretary of the Division III Assistant Commissioner Group. In recognition of her leadership potential, Wilson was awarded the Jan R. Gentry Memorial Endowed Scholarship and attended the 2024 Women Leaders in Sports National Convention.
An active contributor to the collegiate athletics profession, Wilson maintains memberships in Women in Sports Helping Inspire the Next Generation (WISHING), Women in Sports & Events (WISE), Women Leaders in Sports, and College Sport Communicators. She also serves as the scoreboard operator for the Cayman Islands Classic, a premier NCAA Division I men’s and women’s basketball tournament held annually over Thanksgiving.
A native of Illinois, Wilson graduated from Lakeland University in May 2021 with a bachelor’s degree in Sport Management and Leadership before earning a master’s degree in Leadership and Organizational Development in December 2021. A standout student-athlete, she was a four-year member of the women’s golf program, earning Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC) medalist honors in 2019 and helping lead the Muskies to a conference championship in 2021. Her accomplishments on the course, in the classroom, and in the community earned her recognition as the 2021 NACC Female Student-Athlete of the Year and a nominee for NCAA Woman of the Year.
Before joining the A-R-C, Wilson served as assistant women’s golf coach at Mount Mercy University and worked as an assistant golf professional at Cedar Rapids Country Club. She also gained valuable communications experience as Assistant Sports Information Director at Lincoln Christian University and as a student worker in Lakeland University’s sports information office for three years.
Wilson, her fiancé, Shane, and their dog, Pudge, reside in Gilbertville, Iowa,
