Western Athletic Conference
Template:Short description Template:Use mdy dates Template:Use American English Template:Infobox sports league
The Western Athletic Conference (WAC) is an NCAA Division I conference. The WAC covers a broad expanse of the Western United States with member institutions located in Arizona, California, Texas, Utah and Washington.
Due to most of the conference's football-playing members leaving the WAC for other affiliations, the conference discontinued football as a sponsored sport after the 2012–13 season, left the NCAA's Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly known as Division I-A) and became one of the NCAA's eleven Division I non-football conferences.<ref name="WAC drops football after 2012 season">Template:Cite news</ref> The WAC thus became the first Division I conference to drop football since the Big West in 2000. The WAC then added men's soccer. The WAC underwent a major expansion on July 1, 2021, with four schools joining. The conference reinstated football at that time, competing in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). One year later, on July 1, 2022, one FCS football school (Lamar) and one non-football school (Chicago State) left, and one FCS football school (Southern Utah) and one non-football school (UT Arlington) joined.<ref name="WAC 2022">Template:Cite press release</ref><ref name=Martinez>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=Dean>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite press release</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The WAC again became a non-football conference in 2023, when the WAC and the Atlantic Sun Conference (ASUN) merged their FCS football leagues as the United Athletic Conference.
MembersEdit
Existing full membersEdit
These institutions are the existing full members of the Western Athletic Conference:
Template:Color box Member departing for the Big West Conference on July 1, 2026.
Template:Color box Member departing for the Mountain West Conference on July 1, 2026.
Template:Color box Member departing for the West Coast Conference on July 1, 2025.
- Notes
Affiliate membersEdit
These nine schools field programs in the WAC for sports not sponsored by their primary conferences:
- Notes
Future affiliate membersEdit
After Grand Canyon departs for the Mountain West in 2026, their men's soccer team will remain as an affiliate.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Institution | Location | Founded | Type | Enrollment | Nickname | Primary conference |
WAC sport(s) |
Joined | Former full member |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Grand Canyon University | Phoenix, Arizona | 1949 | Private For-Profit (Non-denominational) |
Template:Nts | Antelopes | WAC (MW in 2026) |
Template:Sortname | 2026 | Template:Yes |
Former full membersEdit
The WAC has 34 former full members:
- Notes
Former affiliate membersEdit
- Notes
Membership timelineEdit
<timeline>
DateFormat = yyyy
ImageSize = width:1000 height:auto barincrement:20
Period = from:1962 till:2032
TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal
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Colors = id:barcolor value:rgb(0.99,0.7,0.7)
id:line value:black
id:bg value:white id:Full value:rgb(0.742,0.727,0.852) # Use this color to denote a team that is a member in all sports id:FullxF value:rgb(0.551,0.824,0.777) # Use this color to denote a team that is a member in all sports except for football id:AssocF value:rgb(0.98,0.5,0.445) # Use this color to denote a team that is a member for football only id:AssocOS value:rgb(0.5,0.691,0.824) # Use this color to denote a team that is a member in some sports, but not all (consider identifying in legend or a footnote) id:OtherC1 value:rgb(0.996,0.996,0.699) # Use this color to denote a team that has moved to another conference id:OtherC2 value:rgb(0.988,0.703,0.383) # Use this color to denote a team that has moved to another conference where OtherC1 has already been used, to distinguish the two
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bar:44 color:FullxF from:2013 till:2022 text:Chicago State (2013–2022) bar:44 color:OtherC1 from:2022 till:2024 text:Ind. bar:44 color:OtherC2 from:2024 till:end text:NEC
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bar:46 color:FullxF from:2013 till:2020 text:UMKC (2013–2020) bar:46 color:OtherC1 from:2020 till:end text:Summit
bar:47 color:FullxF from:2013 till:end text:Utah Valley (2013–present)
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bar:53 shift:(-80) color:Full from:2021 till:2023 text:Abilene Christian (2021–present) bar:53 color:FullXF from:2023 till:end
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fontsize:L textcolor:black pos:(0,30) tabs:(400-center) text:^"WAC Membership History"
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- Prior to the 1996–97 season, both Air Force and Hawaii had most to all of their women's sports competing in other conferences before joining the WAC full-time with their men's sports counterparts. At that time, Air Force was in the Colorado Athletic Conference, and Hawaii was in the Big West Conference.
- Since the 2021–22 season, the WAC has played football at the FCS level.
Map of the membersEdit
HistoryEdit
FormationEdit
Template:Location map+ The WAC formed out of a series of talks between Brigham Young University athletic director Eddie Kimball and other university administrators from 1958 to 1961 to form a new athletic conference that would better fit the needs and situations of certain universities which were at the time members of the Border, Skyline, and Pacific Coast Conferences. Potential member universities who were represented at the meetings included BYU, Washington State, Oregon, Oregon State, Utah, New Mexico, Arizona, Arizona State, and Wyoming. While the three Washington and Oregon schools elected to stay in a revamped Pac-8 Conference that replaced the scandal-plagued PCC, the remaining six schools formed the WAC. The Border and Skyline conferences, having each lost three of their stronger members, dissolved at the end of the 1961–62 season. The charter members of the WAC were Arizona, Arizona State, BYU, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming. New Mexico State and Utah State applied for charter membership and were turned down; they would eventually become WAC members 43 years later.
Success and first expansionEdit
The conference proved to be an almost perfect fit for the six schools from both a competitive and financial standpoint. Arizona and Arizona State, in particular, experienced success in baseball with Arizona garnering the 1963 College World Series (CWS) runner-up trophy and ASU winning the CWS in 1965, 1967, and 1969. Colorado State and Texas–El Paso (UTEP), at that time just renamed from Texas Western College, were accepted in September 1967 (joined in July 1968) to bring membership up Template:Nowrap
With massive growth in the state of Arizona, the balance of WAC play in the 1970s became increasingly skewed in favor of the Arizona schools, who won or tied for all but two WAC football titles from 1969 onward. In the summer of 1978, the two schools left the WAC for the Pac-8, which became the Pac-10, and were replaced in the WAC by San Diego State and, one year later, Hawaii. The WAC further expanded by adding Air Force in the summer of 1980. A college football national championship won by Brigham Young in 1984 added to the WAC's reputation. This nine-team line-up of the WAC defined the conference for nearly 15 years.
Second wave of expansionEdit
Fresno State expanded its athletic program in the early 1990s and was granted membership in 1992 as the nationwide trend against major college programs independent of conferences accelerated. The WAC merged with the High Country Athletic Conference, a parallel organization to the WAC for women's athletics, in 1990 to unify both men's and women's athletics under one administrative structure.
Template:Location map+ In 1996, the WAC expanded again, adding six schools to its ranks for a total of sixteen. Rice, TCU, and SMU joined the league from the Southwest Conference, which had disbanded. Big West Conference members San Jose State and UNLV were also admitted, as well as Tulsa from the Missouri Valley Conference.<ref name="wac16teams">Template:Cite news</ref> Also, two WAC members for men's sports at the time, Air Force and HawaiTemplate:Okinai, brought their women's sports into the WAC. With the expansion, the WAC was divided into two divisions, the Mountain and the Pacific.
To help in organizing schedules and travel for the far-flung league, the members were divided into four quadrants of four teams each, as follows:<ref name=wac16teams/>
Quadrant 1 | Quadrant 2 | Quadrant 3 | Quadrant 4 |
---|---|---|---|
HawaiTemplate:Okinai | UNLV | BYU | Tulsa |
Fresno State | Air Force | Utah | TCU |
San Diego State | Colorado State | New Mexico | SMU |
San Jose State | Wyoming | UTEP | Rice |
Quadrant one was always part of the Pacific Division, and quadrant four was always part of the Mountain Division. Quadrant two was part of the Pacific Division for 1996 and 1997 before switching to the Mountain Division in 1998, while the reverse was true for quadrant three. The scheduled fourth year of the alignment was abandoned after eight schools left to form the Mountain West Conference.Template:Citation needed
The division champions in football met from 1996 to 1998 in the WAC Championship Game, held at Sam Boyd Stadium (also known as the Silver Bowl) in the Las Vegas Valley.
Turbulence at the turn of the millenniumEdit
Increasingly, most of the older, pre-1996 members—particularly Air Force, BYU, Colorado State, Utah, and Wyoming—felt chagrin at this new arrangement. Additional concerns centered around finances, as the expanded league stretched approximately Template:Convert from Hawaii to Oklahoma and covered nine states and four time zones. With such a far-flung league, travel costs became a concern. The presidents of Air Force, BYU, Colorado State, Utah, and Wyoming met in 1998 at Denver International Airport and agreed to split off to form a new league. The breakaway group invited old-line WAC schools New Mexico and San Diego State, and newcomer UNLV to join them in the new Mountain West Conference, which began competition in 1999.<ref name=wac16teams/>
A USA Today article summed up the reasons behind the split. "With Hawaii and the Texas schools separated by about 3,900 miles and four time zones, travel costs were a tremendous burden for WAC teams. The costs, coupled with lagging revenue and a proposed realignment that would have separated rivals such as Colorado State and Air Force, created unrest among the eight defecting schools."<ref>WAC disbanding? – rec.sport.softball | Google Groups. Groups.google.com.</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
BYU and Utah would later leave the MWC for the West Coast Conference and Pac-12 Conference, respectively; BYU joined the Big 12 Conference in 2023 while Utah followed in 2024.
WAC in the 2000sEdit
Template:Location map+ In 2000, the University of Nevada, Reno (Nevada) of the Big West joined as part of its plan to upgrade its athletic program.
TCU left for Conference USA in 2001 (it would later leave C-USA to become the ninth member of the Mountain West in 2005, and joined the Big 12 in 2012).
The Big West announced that it would drop football after the 2000 season, but four of its football-playing members (Boise State, Idaho, New Mexico State, and Utah State) were unwilling to drop football. Boise State was invited to join the WAC and promptly departed the Big West, while New Mexico State and Idaho joined the Sun Belt Conference (NMSU as a full member, Idaho as a "football only" member) and Utah State operated as an independent D-IA program. At the same time, Louisiana Tech (LA Tech) ended its independent Div. I-A status and also accepted an invitation to join the WAC with Boise State.
In 2005, Conference USA sought new members to replenish its ranks after losing members to the Big East, which had lost members to the ACC. Four WAC schools, former SWC schools Rice and SMU, as well as Tulsa and UTEP, joined Conference USA. In response, the WAC added Idaho, New Mexico State, and Utah State—all former Big West schools which left the conference in 2000 along with Boise State when that conference dropped football. The three new schools were all land grant universities, bringing the conference total to five (Nevada and Hawaii).
Membership changes and the elimination of footballEdit
{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}} Template:See also The decade of the 2010s began with a series of conference realignment moves that would have trickle-down effects throughout Division I football, and profoundly change the membership of the WAC. Boise State decided to move to the Mountain West Conference (MWC) for the 2011–12 season,<ref name="BSU to MWC">Template:Cite news</ref> and to replace departing BYU, the MWC also recruited WAC members Fresno State and Nevada for 2012–13.<ref name=ESPN>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> WAC commissioner Karl Benson courted several schools to replace those leaving, including the University of Montana, which declined,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> as well as the University of Denver, University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA), and Texas State University-San Marcos, which all accepted effective 2012–13.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
But the resulting eastward shift of the conference's geographic center led Hawaii to reduce travel expenses by becoming a football-only member of the MWC and joining the California-based Big West Conference for all other sports.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Further invitations were then issued by the WAC to Seattle University<ref>WAC Announces Addition of Seattle Template:Webarchive. WACSports.com (June 14, 2011).</ref> and the University of Texas at Arlington.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> These changes meant that the conference would have 10 members for 2012–13,<ref>The Salt Lake Tribune Template:Webarchive. Sltrib.com.</ref> seven of which sponsored football, and Benson announced that the WAC planned to add two additional football-playing members to begin competition in 2013.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> A further boost came when Boise State decided to join the Big East in football, and return to the WAC in most other sports, as of the 2013–14 academic year.<ref name=broncosports1>Template:Cite news</ref> So by the end of 2011, the WAC seemed to have weathered the latest round of conference changes, and once again reinvented itself for the future.
But from this seemingly strong position, early 2012 brought forth a series of moves that shook the conference to its very core, beginning with Utah State and San Jose State accepting offers to join the MWC.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Four similar announcements followed with UTSA and Louisiana Tech jumping to Conference USA, plus Texas State and UT Arlington heading to the Sun Belt Conference, all as of 2013–14.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite newsTemplate:Dead linkTemplate:Dead linkTemplate:Cbignore</ref><ref>Template:Cite press release</ref><ref name="5 to C-USA">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite press release</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Boise State also canceled plans to rejoin the WAC, instead opting to place its non-football sports in the Big West Conference, before eventually deciding to simply remain in the MWC.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> These changes left the WAC's viability as a Division I football conference in grave doubt. The two remaining football-playing members, New Mexico State and Idaho, began making plans to compete in future seasons as FBS Independents;<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> they ultimately spent only the 2013 season as independents, rejoining their one-time football home of the Sun Belt as football-only members in 2014.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
In order to rebuild, as well as forestall further defections, the conference was forced to add two schools—Utah Valley University and CSU Bakersfield—which were invited in October 2012 to join the WAC in 2013–14,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> but this did not prevent two more members from leaving. Denver decided to take most of its athletic teams to The Summit League as of the 2013–14 season,<ref name="Denver to Summit">Template:Cite press release</ref> shortly after Idaho opted to return all of its non-football sports to the Big Sky Conference in 2014–15.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The conference responded over the next two months by adding Grand Canyon University,<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref> Chicago State University,<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref> and the University of Texas-Pan American.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Then, in February 2013, the WAC announced the University of Missouri–Kansas City would join in the summer of 2013 as well.<ref name="UMKC to WAC">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> These changes would put the conference's membership at eight members by 2014 with only one, New Mexico State, having been in the WAC just three years earlier. Due to losing the majority of its football-playing members, the WAC would stop sponsoring the sport after the 2012–13 season, thereby becoming a non-football conference.<ref name="WAC drops football after 2012 season"/>
In 2013, the University of Texas System announced that Texas–Pan American would merge with the University of Texas at Brownsville; the new institution, the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV), began operation for the 2015–16 school year. UTRGV inherited UTPA's athletic program and WAC membership.
In January 2017, California Baptist University announced it would transition from NCAA Division II and join the WAC in 2018.<ref name=CBU>Template:Cite press release</ref>
In November 2017, Cal State Bakersfield announced it would accept an invitation to the Big West and join its new conference in 2020.
In January 2019, Dixie State University, now known as Utah Tech University, announced it would move its athletics to Division I and join the WAC in 2020.
In June 2019, the University of Missouri–Kansas City announced it would leave the WAC to join the Summit League in 2020;<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref> this announcement came shortly before the rebranding of its athletic program as the Kansas City Roos.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref>
In September 2019, Tarleton State University of Division II announced that it would move to Division I and join the WAC in 2020.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref>
2021–2025 membership changes and reinstatement of footballEdit
On January 14, 2021, the Western Athletic Conference announced its intention to reinstate football as a conference-sponsored sport at the FCS level, as well as the addition of five new members to the conference in all sports, including football, at a press conference held at the NRG Center in Houston, Texas.<ref name="WAC 2022"/> The new members announced included four Southland Conference members from Texas in Abilene Christian University, Lamar University, Sam Houston State University, and Stephen F. Austin State University, which would soon be dubbed the "Texas Four",<ref name=Dean/> plus Southern Utah University from the Big Sky Conference. The conference also announced that it would most likely add another member that fielded a football team at a later date. While the WAC originally announced that all new members would join on July 1, 2022, commissioner Jeff Hurd later said that the arrival of the Texas Four "was expedited" to July 1, 2021.<ref name=Martinez/> The conference officially confirmed this on January 21, 2021, adding that the relaunch of football was moved forward to fall 2021. The conference also confirmed media reports that the Southland had expelled the Texas Four after they announced their departure.<ref name=Blum>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite press release</ref> Southern Utah entered as scheduled in 2022.<ref name=Martinez/>
During the aforementioned press conference, Hurd also announced that the WAC would split into two divisions for all sports except football and men's and women's basketball. One division will consist of the six Texas schools (the Texas Four plus existing members Tarleton and UTRGV).<ref name="WAC 2022"/>
Also on January 14, 2021, news broke that UTRGV, a non-football playing member of the conference, had committed to create an FCS football program by 2024. In addition, UTRGV will also launch women's swimming and diving for the same year.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite press release</ref> The launch of football was later put off to 2025; it has since been confirmed that UTRGV football will become part of the new ASUN–WAC Football Conference (see below).
The WAC's planned reestablishment of a football conference at the FCS level has also been accompanied by speculation that the conference intends to eventually move its football league back up to FBS in the future, possibly by 2030.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Later that same month, the WAC moved the start of their FCS sponsorship of football to Fall 2021, with media reports indicating that the University of Central Arkansas, Eastern Kentucky University, and Jacksonville State University would be added as football affiliates for 2021. The three schools were set to join the ASUN Conference in July 2021; that league planned to add FCS football, but not until at least 2022.<ref name="WAC Adding Associate members">Template:Cite tweet</ref><ref>Template:Cite tweet</ref> The entry of the three incoming ASUN members into the new football league was officially confirmed at a February 23, 2021, ASUN press conference. These schools joined the Texas Four in a round-robin schedule officially branded interchangeably as the "ASUN–WAC Challenge" and "WAC–ASUN Challenge"; the two conferences proposed an amendment to NCAA bylaws that would allow their partnership (and presumably any others of its kind) to receive an immediate FCS playoff berth. Utah Tech (formerly Dixie State) and Tarleton are included in alliance members' schedules, but are not eligible for the FCS playoffs until completing their Division I transitions in 2024; at least for 2021, games involving those two schools did not count in alliance standings, although both were included in the separate WAC league table.<ref name=ASUNWACFB>Template:Cite press release</ref><ref name=ASUNWACupdate>Template:Cite press release</ref>
On the same day as the WAC's initial announcement, Chicago State University announced it would leave the WAC in June 2022.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Chicago State was originally added in 2013 along with the University of Missouri–Kansas City, originally with an intention for both institutions to serve as anchors for a midwestern-centered division for the conference.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> No other universities in the region were added to the WAC, and UMKC (now known for athletic purposes as Kansas City) departed the conference in 2020 for its former home of the Summit League. This left Chicago State, which does not sponsor football, as the only WAC member east of Texas. Chicago State's departure rendered Seattle University as the only WAC member institution not geographically located in the southwestern United States.
On November 5, 2021, it was reported that New Mexico State and Sam Houston would be leaving the WAC for Conference USA in 2023.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The WAC responded by adding Incarnate Word from the Southland Conference and UT Arlington from the Sun Belt Conference; however, UIW later reversed course and decided to stay with the SLC only days before the 2022-23 athletic season officially began.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref><ref>Template:Cite press release</ref> Lamar also announced that it too would return to its former home of the Southland Conference in 2023 roughly three months prior to UIW's announcement, on April 8, 2022; however, three months later, it was announced that the SLC and Lamar would be accelerating the rejoining process so that Lamar could return for the 2022 athletic season instead.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Jacksonville State and Sam Houston both started FBS transitions in the 2022 season, rendering both ineligible for the FCS playoffs and also dropping both the ASUN and WAC to 5 playoff-eligible football members, one short of the six required for an automatic playoff berth. This led the WAC and ASUN to renew their football partnership for the 2022 season.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref> Both conferences would hold their own 2022 football seasons; on June 10, 2022, the WAC announced that the two leagues would determine the alliance's automatic qualifier by a process that was not announced at that time.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref>
ESPN reported on December 9, 2022, that the WAC and ASUN had agreed to form a new football-only conference that planned to start play in 2024. The initial membership would consist of Abilene Christian, Southern Utah, Stephen F. Austin, Tarleton, and Utah Tech from the WAC, plus Austin Peay, Central Arkansas, Eastern Kentucky, and North Alabama from the ASUN. UTRGV would become the 10th member upon its planned addition of football in 2025. The new football conference also reportedly plans to move "from what is currently known as FCS football to what is currently known as FBS football at the earliest practicable date."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> On December 20, the two conferences jointly announced that they would fully merge their football leagues effective in 2023 under the tentative name of "ASUN–WAC Football Conference". The initial membership will be the aforementioned nine programs, with UTRGV becoming the tenth in 2025. The new football league will play a six-game schedule in 2023 before starting full round-robin conference play in 2024. Neither conference's announcement mentioned any plans to move to FBS.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref><ref>Template:Cite press release</ref> On April 17, 2023, the football league announced its permanent name of United Athletic Conference.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref>
In March 2024, however, UTRGV announced they also would be departing for the Southland for the 2024-25 academic year.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref> Two months later, in May 2024, both Grand Canyon and Seattle announced they had accepted invitations to join the West Coast Conference, beginning in the 2025-26 academic year.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref> However, in November 2024, Grand Canyon declined the invitation to join the West Coast Conference after receiving an invite to join the Mountain West Conference. GCU will join the Mountain West no later than July 1, 2026.
In February 2025, rumors began circulating about California Baptist and Utah Valley departing the conference for the Big West Conference. If the schools were to leave for the Big West, it would have pushed the WAC to just 5 members, pushing the conference into uncertainty.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> However, the schools would have voted on moving on from the WAC on Friday, February 28, however, no word was officially given about the move by either schools on that date. Instead, on March 5, California Baptist would then admit to departing to the Big West, with a 1.2 million dollar exit fee.
CommissionersEdit
Years | Commissioners |
---|---|
1962–1968 | Paul Brechler |
1968–1971 | Wiles Hallock |
1971–1980 | Stan Bates |
1980–1994 | Joseph Kearney |
1994–2012 | Karl Benson |
2012–2021 | Jeff Hurd |
2021–2024 | Brian Thornton |
SportsEdit
The Western Athletic Conference currently sponsors championship competition in 9 men's and 10 women's NCAA-sanctioned sports. Nine other schools are currently associate members in four sports.
Sport | Men's | Women's |
---|---|---|
Baseball | check|unknown=|preview=Page using Template:Center with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"|ignoreblank=y| 1 | style }} | check|unknown=|preview=Page using Template:Center with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"|ignoreblank=y| 1 | style }} |
Basketball | check|unknown=|preview=Page using Template:Center with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"|ignoreblank=y| 1 | style }} | check|unknown=|preview=Page using Template:Center with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"|ignoreblank=y| 1 | style }} |
Cross country | check|unknown=|preview=Page using Template:Center with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"|ignoreblank=y| 1 | style }} | check|unknown=|preview=Page using Template:Center with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"|ignoreblank=y| 1 | style }} |
Golf | check|unknown=|preview=Page using Template:Center with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"|ignoreblank=y| 1 | style }} | check|unknown=|preview=Page using Template:Center with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"|ignoreblank=y| 1 | style }} |
Soccer | check|unknown=|preview=Page using Template:Center with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"|ignoreblank=y| 1 | style }} | check|unknown=|preview=Page using Template:Center with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"|ignoreblank=y| 1 | style }} |
Softball | check|unknown=|preview=Page using Template:Center with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"|ignoreblank=y| 1 | style }} | check|unknown=|preview=Page using Template:Center with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"|ignoreblank=y| 1 | style }} |
Swimming & Diving | check|unknown=|preview=Page using Template:Center with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"|ignoreblank=y| 1 | style }} | check|unknown=|preview=Page using Template:Center with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"|ignoreblank=y| 1 | style }} |
Tennis | check|unknown=|preview=Page using Template:Center with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"|ignoreblank=y| 1 | style }} | check|unknown=|preview=Page using Template:Center with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"|ignoreblank=y| 1 | style }} |
Track and field (indoor) | check|unknown=|preview=Page using Template:Center with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"|ignoreblank=y| 1 | style }} | check|unknown=|preview=Page using Template:Center with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"|ignoreblank=y| 1 | style }} |
Track and field (outdoor) | check|unknown=|preview=Page using Template:Center with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"|ignoreblank=y| 1 | style }} | check|unknown=|preview=Page using Template:Center with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"|ignoreblank=y| 1 | style }} |
Volleyball | check|unknown=|preview=Page using Template:Center with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"|ignoreblank=y| 1 | style }} | check|unknown=|preview=Page using Template:Center with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"|ignoreblank=y| 1 | style }} |
Men's sponsored sports by schoolEdit
- Men's varsity sports not sponsored by the Western Athletic Conference which are played by WAC schools
School | Football | Volleyball | Water Polo | Wrestling |
---|---|---|---|---|
Abilene Christian | UAC | No | No | No |
California Baptist | No | No | WCC | Big 12 |
Grand Canyon | No | MPSF | No | No |
Southern Utah | UAC | No | No | No |
Tarleton | UAC | No | No | No |
Utah Tech | UAC | No | No | No |
Utah Valley | No | No | No | Big 12 |
Women's sponsored sports by schoolEdit
- Women's varsity sports not sponsored by the Western Athletic Conference which are played by WAC schools
School | Beach Volleyball | Bowling | Gymnastics | Rowing | StuntTemplate:Efn | Water Polo |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Abilene Christian | No | No | No | No | No | No |
California Baptist | No | No | No | No | citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> || GCC |
Grand Canyon | MPSF | No | No | No | No | No |
Seattle | No | No | No | WIRA | No | No |
Southern Utah | No | No | MPSF | No | No | No |
Tarleton | CUSA | No | No | No | No | No |
FootballEdit
{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}} The WAC sponsored football from its founding in 1962 through the 2012 season. However, the defection of all but two football-playing schools to other conferences caused the conference to drop sponsorship after fifty-one years.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
ReinstatementEdit
On January 14, 2021, the WAC announced its intention to reinstate football as a conference-sponsored sport at the FCS level, as well as the addition of five new members to the conference in all sports, including football.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref> The new members announced include the "Texas Four" of Abilene Christian University, Lamar University, Sam Houston State University, and Stephen F. Austin State University, then members of the Southland Conference, along with Southern Utah University, currently of the Big Sky Conference. Originally, all schools were planned to join in July 2022, but the entry of the Texas Four was moved to July 2021 after the Southland expelled its departing members.<ref name=Blum/> The WAC also announced that it would most likely add another football-playing institution at a later date.
On the same day, news broke that the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, a non-football playing WAC member, had committed to create an FCS football program by 2024.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The program will most likely compete as part of the newly-reinstated WAC football conference.
The WAC ultimately partnered with the ASUN Conference to reestablish its football league, with the Texas Four being joined by three incoming ASUN members for at least the fall 2021 season in what it calls the ASUN–WAC (or WAC–ASUN) Challenge.<ref name=ASUNWACFB/><ref name=ASUNWACupdate/> The Challenge was abbreviated as "AQ7", as the top finisher of the seven teams would be an automatic qualifier for the FCS postseason.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The two conferences renewed their alliance for the 2022 season, although both leagues will conduct separate conference seasons and then choose the alliance's automatic qualifier by an as-yet-undetermined process. Both the WAC and ASUN initially planned to have 6 playoff-eligible teams in 2022, but each lost such a member with the start of FBS transitions by Jacksonville State and Sam Houston. Template:See also
The WAC has been speculated to move back up to FBS in the future following the reestablishment of the football conference at the FCS level.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
As noted previously, further conference realignment led to a full merger of the ASUN and WAC football leagues, with the new United Athletic Conference having started play in 2023.
Men's basketballEdit
Template:Color box Members departing in 2025.
Team | First season |
All-Time record |
All-Time win % |
NCAA DI Tournament appearances |
NCAA DI Tournament record |
Arena | Head coach | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Abilene Christian | 1919 | 1245-1169 | .516 | 2 | 1–2 | Moody Coliseum | Brette Tanner | ||
California Baptist | 2018 | 50-35 | .588 | 0 | 0–0 | CBU Events Center | Rick Croy | ||
Grand Canyon | 2013 | 103-58 | .639 | 2 | 1–3 | Global Credit Union Arena | Bryce Drew | ||
Seattle | 1946 | 978–874 | .528 | 11 | 10–13 | Redhawk Center | Chris Victor | ||
Tarleton State | 2020 | 10-10 | .500 | 0 | 0–0 | Wisdom Gymnasium | Billy Gillispie | ||
UT Arlington | 1959 | 809–1,013 | .444 | 1 | 0–1 | College Park Center | K. T. Turner | ||
Utah Tech | 2020 | 8-13 | .381 | 0 | 0–0 | Burns Arena | Jon Judkins | ||
Utah Valley | citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
234–194 | .547 | 0 | 0–0 | UCCU Center | Todd Phillips<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
WAC tournament
{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}}
Rivalries
Men's basketball rivalries involving WAC teams include:
Teams | Meetings | Record | Series Leader | Current Streak | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Utah Tech | Utah Valley<ref name="KSL Sports">Template:Cite news</ref> | 2 | 3-5 | Utah Valley | Utah Valley won 1 |
UT Arlington | Texas State | 80 | 41-39 | UT Arlington | Texas State won 3 |
UT Arlington | Stephen F. Austin | 65 | 34-31 | UT Arlington | UT Arlington won 2 |
UT Arlington | North Texas | 59 (since 1959) | 33-26 | North Texas | North Texas won 5 |
Awards {{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}}
Women's basketballEdit
Template:Color box Members departing in 2025.
Team | First season |
All-Time record |
All-Time win % |
NCAA DI Tournament appearances |
NCAA DI Tournament record |
Arena | Head coach |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Abilene Christian | 1971 | 891–531 | .627 | 1 | 0–1 | Moody Coliseum | Julie Goodenough |
California Baptist | 2018 | 60-28 | .681 | 0 | 0–0 | CBU Events Center | Jarrod Olson |
Grand Canyon | 2013 | 143-113 | .558 | 0 | 0–0 | Global Credit Union Arena | Molly Miller |
Seattle | 1978 | 640-685 | .483 | 1 | 0–1 | Redhawk Center | Skyler Young |
Tarleton State | 2020 | 25-29 | .463 | 0 | 0–0 | Wisdom Gymnasium | Misty Wilson |
UT Arlington | 1972 | 754–736 | .506 | 3 | 0–3 | College Park Center | Shereka Wright |
Utah Tech | 2020 | 10-19 | .345 | 0 | 0–0 | Burns Arena | J.D. Gustin |
Utah Valley | 2004 | 184–230 | .444 | 1 | 0–1 | UCCU Center | Daniel Nielsen |
WAC tournament
{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}}
Rivalries
Women's basketball rivalries involving WAC teams include:
Teams | Meetings | Record | Series Leader | Current Streak | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Utah Tech | Utah Valley<ref name="KSL Sports"/> | 10 | 4-6 | Utah Valley | Utah Valley won 1 |
UT Arlington | Texas State | 79 | 37-42 | Texas State | UT Arlington won 3 |
UT Arlington | Stephen F. Austin | 70 | 21-49 | Stephen F. Austin | UT Arlington won 2 |
UT Arlington | North Texas | 61 | 31-30 | UT Arlington | UT Arlington won 2 |
BaseballEdit
The WAC has claimed seven NCAA baseball national championships. The most recent WAC national champion is the 2008 Fresno State Bulldogs baseball team.
WAC tournament
{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}}
ChampionshipsEdit
Current championsEdit
Source:<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
- For the sports in which the WAC recognizes both regular-season and tournament champions:
- (RS) indicates regular-season champion.
- (T) indicates tournament champion.
- For other sports, only a tournament champion is recognized.
- Champions from a previous school year are indicated with the calendar year of their title.
Season | Sport | Men's champion | Women's champion |
---|---|---|---|
Fall 2024 | Cross country | California Baptist | Utah Valley |
Soccer | San Diego State (RS) Seattle (T) |
Utah Valley (RS) California Baptist (T) | |
Volleyball | — | UT Arlington (RS) UT Arlington (T) | |
Winter 2024–25 | Indoor Track & Field | Grand Canyon | Utah Valley |
Swimming & Diving | UNLV | Northern Arizona | |
Basketball | Utah Valley (RS) Grand Canyon (T) |
Grand Canyon (RS & T) | |
Spring 2025 | Golf | Seattle | Tarleton State |
Tennis | Grand Canyon (RS) Abilene Christian (T) |
Tarleton State (RS) Grand Canyon (T) | |
Softball | — | Grand Canyon (RS & T) | |
Outdoor Track & Field | Utah Valley | Utah Valley | |
Baseball | Sacramento State/Abilene Christian (RS) Utah Valley (T) |
— |
National championshipsEdit
The following teams have won NCAA national championships while being a member of the WAC:
- Arizona – baseball (1976)
- Arizona State – baseball (1965, 1967, 1969, 1977)
- BYU – men's track & field (shared the national title in 1970)
- BYU – men's golf (1981)
- BYU – women's cross country (1997)
- Fresno State – softball (1998)
- Fresno State – baseball (2008)
- Rice – baseball (2003)
- UTEP – NCAA Division I Men's Cross Country (1969, 1975, 1976, 1978, 1979, 1981)
- UTEP – NCAA Division I Men's Indoor Track and Field (1974,1975,1976,1978,1980,1981,1982)
- UTEP – NCAA Division I Men's Outdoor Track and Field (1975, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982)
- UNLV – men's golf (1998)
The WAC has also produced one AP national champion in football:
The following teams won AIAW (and forerunner DGWS) women's national championships while their universities were members of the WAC:
- Arizona State (15) – swimming (8), badminton (4), softball (2), golf (1)
- Utah (3) – cross country (Div. II), gymnastics, skiing
- UTEP (1) – indoor track and field
Spending and revenueEdit
Total revenue includes ticket sales, contributions and donations, rights/licensing, student fees, school funds and all other sources including TV income, camp income, food and novelties. Total expenses includes coaching/staff, scholarships, buildings/ground, maintenance, utilities and rental fees and all other costs including recruiting, team travel, equipment and uniforms, conference dues and insurance costs.
Conference Rank (2022) | National Rank (2022) | Institution | 2022 Total Revenue from Athletics<ref name="NCAA FINANCES">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
2022 Total Expenses on Athletics<ref name="NCAA FINANCES"/> |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 144 | Template:Sort | $35,409,150 | $32,709,356 | |
2 | 163 | Template:Sort | $30,717,802 | $30,717,802 | |
3 | 212 | Template:Sort | $23,809,978 | $23,809,978 | |
4 | 228 | Template:Sort | $22,035,629 | $21,124,971 | |
5 | 240 | Template:Sort | $21,090,915 | $20,774,421 | |
6 | 273 | Template:Sort | $17,485,442 | $17,485,442 | |
7 | 274 | Template:Sort | $17,403,161 | $17,403,161 | |
8 | 278 | Template:Sort | $16,543,527 | $16,543,527 | |
9 | 281 | Template:Sort | $16,367,376 | $16,250,328 |
Notes |
---|
Note 1 - Data from U.S. Department of Education Equity in Athletics Data Analysis Cutting Tool Database. Ranking based on revenue position in selection of records using NCAA Division I-FBS, NCAA Division I-FCS, and NCAA Division I without football criteria. (354 records were retrieved.) OPE Equity in Athletics Data Analysis Cutting Tool used in order to provide ranking for private institutions in the conference. |
Note 2 - Non football programs |
Note 3 - Reporting period is from midyear 2022 to midyear 2023 |
FacilitiesEdit
Template:Color box Members departing for the West Coast Conference in 2025.
Template:CollegePrimaryHeaderstyle="text-align:center; Template:CollegePrimaryStyle"| [[Abilene Christian Wildcats|Template:Ifsubst style="color:white">Abilene Christian]] | Moody Coliseum | Template:Nts | Elmer Gray Stadium | Template:Nts | Poly Wells Field | Template:Nts | Crutcher Scott Field | Template:Nts | ||||
style="text-align:center; Template:CollegePrimaryStyle"| [[California Baptist Lancers|Template:Ifsubst style="color:white">California Baptist]] | Fowler Events Center | Template:Nts<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
CBU Soccer Stadium<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
Template:Nts<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
John C. Funk Stadium | Template:Nts<ref name="CBU Facilities">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
James W. Totman Stadium | Template:Nts<ref name="CBU Facilities"/> |
style="text-align:center; Template:CollegePrimaryStyle"| [[Grand Canyon Antelopes|Template:Ifsubst style="color:white">Grand Canyon]] | Global Credit Union Arena | Template:Nts<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
GCU Stadium | 2,800 seats 6,000 cap. |
GCU Softball Stadium | Template:Nts<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
Brazell Field at GCU Ballpark | Template:Nts | ||
style="text-align:center; Template:CollegePrimaryStyle"| [[Seattle Redhawks|Template:Ifsubst style="color:white">Seattle]] | Climate Pledge Arena Redhawk Center |
Template:Nts 999 |
Championship Field | Template:Nts | Logan Field at Seattle University Park | Template:Nts | Bannerwood Park | Template:Nts<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> | |||
style="text-align:center; Template:CollegePrimaryStyle"| [[Southern Utah Thunderbirds|Template:Ifsubst style="color:white">Southern Utah]] | America First Event Center | Template:Nts | Thunderbird Soccer Field | Template:Nts | Kathryn Berg Field | Template:Nts<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
Non-baseball school | ||||
style="text-align:center; Template:CollegePrimaryStyle"| [[Tarleton State Texans|Template:Ifsubst style="color:white">Tarleton]] | Wisdom Gym | Template:Nts<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
Not available | Tarleton Softball Complex | Template:Nts<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
Cecil Ballow Baseball Complex | Template:Nts<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
style="text-align:center; Template:CollegePrimaryStyle"| [[UT Arlington Mavericks|Template:Ifsubst style="color:white">UT Arlington]] | College Park Center | Template:Nts | Non-soccer school | Allan Saxe Field | Template:Nts | Clay Gould Ballpark | Template:Nts | |||||
style="text-align:center; Template:CollegePrimaryStyle"| [[Utah Tech Trailblazers|Template:Ifsubst style="color:white">Utah Tech]] | Burns Arena | Template:Nts<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
Greater Zion Stadium | Template:Nts | Karl Brooks Field | Template:Nts<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
Bruce Hurst Field | Template:Nts<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> | |
style="text-align:center; Template:CollegePrimaryStyle"| [[Utah Valley Wolverines|Template:Ifsubst style="color:white">Utah Valley]] | UCCU Center | Template:Nts | Clyde Field | Template:Nts | Wolverine Field | Template:Nts | UCCU Ballpark | Template:Nts |
style="text-align:center; Template:CollegePrimaryStyle"| [[Air Force Falcons men's soccer|Template:Ifsubst style="color:white">Air Force]] | Cadet Soccer Stadium | Template:Nts | Soccer-only member | |
style="text-align:center; Template:CollegePrimaryStyle"| [[UNLV Rebels men's soccer|Template:Ifsubst style="color:white">UNLV]] | Peter Johann Memorial Field | Template:Nts | ||
style="text-align:center; Template:CollegePrimaryStyle"| [[Sacramento State Hornets baseball|Template:Ifsubst style="color:white">Sacramento State]] | Baseball-only member | John Smith Field* | Template:Nts | |
style="text-align:center; Template:CollegePrimaryStyle"| [[San Diego State Aztecs men's soccer|Template:Ifsubst style="color:white">San Diego State]] | SDSU Sports Deck | Template:Nts | Soccer-only member | |
style="text-align:center; Template:CollegePrimaryStyle"| [[San Jose State Spartans men's soccer|Template:Ifsubst style="color:white">San Jose State]] | Spartan Soccer Field | Template:Nts<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> | |
style="text-align:center; Template:CollegePrimaryStyle"| [[UT Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros|Template:Ifsubst style="color:white">UTRGV]] | UTRGV Soccer and Track & Field Complex | Template:Nts<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
AwardsEdit
Commissioner's Cup
The WAC awards its Commissioner's Cup to the school that performs the best in each of the conference's 19 men's and women's championships.
Joe Kearney Award
Named in honor of former WAC commissioner Dr. Joseph Kearney, the awards are given annually to the top male and female WAC athlete. The various WAC member institutions Athletics Directors select the male award winner, while the WAC member institutions Senior Women's Administrators choose the female honoree.
Stan Bates Award
The award is named in honor of former WAC Commissioner Stan Bates and honors the WAC's top male and female scholar-athletes, recognizing the recipients' athletic and academic accomplishments. In addition, the awards carry a $3,000 postgraduate scholarship.
MediaEdit
WAC Digital NetworkEdit
In 2014–15, the WAC initiated a new digital network to give fans high quality streaming internet access to many of its regular season games and postseason championships including volleyball, soccer, swimming and diving, basketball, softball and baseball. <ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
ReferencesEdit
External linksEdit
{{#invoke:Navbox|navbox}} Template:NCAA Division I all-sports conferences Template:NCAA Division I FCS conference navbox Template:Authority control