The Midwest Women's Lacrosse Conference (MWLC) was founded in 2010 and began play during the spring of 2011. The conference enters its 12th season in the spring of 2022.

The conference is comprised of NCAA Division III institutions located throughout the Midwest including Augsburg (Minneapolis, Minn.), Cornell (Mt. Vernon, Iowa), Hamline (Saint Paul, Minn.), Lake Forest (Lake Forest, Ill.), Monmouth (Monmouth, Ill.), Northwestern (St. Paul, Minn.) and Wartburg (Waverly, Iowa).

Adrian, Albion and Trine left the Midwest Women's Lacrosse Conference after the 2012 season when the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) began sponsoring women's lacrosse. The CCIW and HCAC institutions left the MWLC after the 2014 season along with Dubuque and Fontbonne.

Cornell, Illinois Institute of Technology, and Wartburg began conference play in the spring of 2015, joining members Aurora, Beloit, Benedictine, Concordia Wisconsin, and Loras. Augsburg and Concordia Chicago joined the spring of 2016, while Hamline and Monmouth joined the MWLC ranks in the spring of 2017. Marian and Northwestern became members in the spring of 2019.

At the conclusion of the 2020 season, the NACC institutions left the MWLC to compete in their core conference. Beloit departed after the 2021 season due to joining the NACC as an affiliate member. Loras also departed after the 2021 season due to suspending its program.

Lake Forest joined the MWLC in 2022.