After the 1961-62 season the Western Canadian Intercollegiate Athletic Union (WCIAU) changed its name to the Western Canadian Intercollegiate Athletic Association (WIAA). The conference was a member of the Canadian Intercollegiate Athletic Union (CIAU), now known as Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS). The WIAA lasted through the 1971-72 season at which time it split into two conferences, the Canada West Universities Athletic Association (CWUAA) and the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC). In 1985-86 the GPAC folded and was merged into a new, expanded CWUAA.